From a cot to a bed?

[bjh]

Hi all,

Wondering what age you moved your child from a cot to a bed?

Am not going to do the childs bed thing as expecting number two and it feels like a waste of money to change twice! Plus dont really want lots of cots and beds to store!

Advice?!?!?

[Pickle]

We waited as long as possible! Son was 3.5, daughter about 2.5 from memory. It can often signal the end of daytime napping, so it depends a bit on how old your little one is (and how likely they are to revel in the new found freedom!).

If you use a Moses basket for the first few months it will buy you some time before you have to decide.

[jennyh]

Ours was in a cotbed so we just took the sides off and converted it. She was around 2 I think, coincided with her refusing to get into the cot. Was a relatively straightforward process for us but it does have its obvious pitfalls! Just makes things more challenging but it depends on the child. As pickle said, had been very hard to get a daytime nap since but gotta do it at some point I guess!

[alieh]

As late as possible would be my advice too! We waited until almost 3 for my eldest and will hopefully do the same with my younger son. Until they're old enough to bribe them to stay in without leaping out of bed 100s of times I think! We did a sticker chart and told him if he stayed in his bed at bedtime for 2 weeks he could have a scooter. by then the novelty had worn off.

Our cot is the standard Ikea one and very long (60X120 cm I think) so seems to last ages.

Of course if they start trying to vault the cot sides then you really have to move them or it can be dangerous. Mine were both in Gro-Bags for ages so couldn't get their legs over the side to jump out!

[snowboarder]

Another one here for waiting as long as possible - obv it depends on the character of your child though! Oldest was easily 3.5 when we took the sides off his cot bed - he did start trying to climb out at about 2 but he stopped once we moved his chair away from the cot so no soft landing when he catapulted himself out - he then was reluctant to change to a bed as he liked his snuggly cot (with duvet). My youngest is still in his cot bed at 2.5. We have a 22m age gap and I just figured the last thing I needed when I was feeding a new baby at bed time was my 2 year old getting up and out of bed over and over....yeah it involved the expense of an additional cot bed but it saved (some!) sanity!

[srisky]

Ours moved just before she turned 23 months and was fine, taking just one night to adjust to the change. She still naps during the day and doesn't escape at night!

The main reason we did it so early was that we were expecting #2 who would need the cot after a few months. We didn't want to buy a second cot but equally didn't want our daughter to undergo too many changes after the arrival of a new sibling, least of all the sibling taking something that was hers!

The bed itself, is an adult single and had been in her room from the beginning, so prior to her moving in we started to refer to it as her bed. We then bought a new duvet cover set for her and made it all seem very exciting. After a couple of weeks in a bed we dismantled her cot and she didn't even notice it was gone. 6 months down the line the cot is in use again for #2 and she has completely forgotten it was once hers.

I think it all depends on the personality of your child. Our daughter is fairly compliant and has quite a good understanding of things, we are able to explain and negotiate with her. Also, she is not a daredevil type so has never tried to escape from her cot, which helped. However, she has a strong sense of ownership so would have been very upset if we tried to make the change after her brother was born; she's not thrilled about her buggy being used by him and even doesn't like it if I use my husband's phone or vice versa!

Maybe a gradual introduction to the bed would help if you decide to go with the change e.g start reading bedtime stories there, change into night clothes on the bed, duvet with favourite characters etc.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[bobby's bear]

My daughter is almost 3 and still in a cot and says she doesn't want a 'big girls bed' so I am glad to see that is not totally abnormal!

[srisky]

Just to add, if it wasn't for the arrival #2, our daughter would almost definitely still be in a cot!

[oimissus]

just after she turned 3. Friend had a nightmare time with her 2-year-old so decided to leave it as long as possible (and get my money's worth from the cot!)!

[Susan]

Watching this thread with interest, 2yr 8month boy has shown no inclination what so ever to want to leave his cot, climbing over the bars would be far too energetic (thankfully its a cotbed up to age 5yrs). I may wait until he starts school!

[oimissus]

one of the better results of not being in a cot is that now she's dry at night (only for the last couple of weeks or so) she will get up and use her potty in the night and then go back to bed which is very handy! (Getting up and coming into our bed rather less handy . . . )

[simonethebeaver]

I'm nervous reading this! My 26 month old is still in a cot and a brilliant afternoon napper (2-3 hours). I also have an 11 week old so that nap is a lifesaver. We are going on holiday at the weekend and she will be in a bed. She's been in one this weekend at her grandparents and nights are fine but naps dreadful. After two weeks of a bed, will we ever get our napper back?!

[cmacnew]

Ditto to everything srisky said. Our son was 6 weeks shy of his second birthday.

[Jacks50]

My daughter will be 3 in a month and she's still in a cot. I've thought about moving her to a bed but she's still napping at lunchtime and I really don't want that to end! She's a monster from 4pm onwards without it.

My two boys were out of the cot by this age but I'm not ready to loose the lunchtime nap. Also, I potty trained her a few weeks ago (well. loo trained, she won't go on the potty!) and she's also gone try at night - she just yells at me that she needs a wee and I go running. I have a feeling if she was in a bed she'd still yell at me - she yells at me for most things!

[srisky]

Why does a move to the bed often signal the end of naps? Had I heard this I may not have moved my daughter for fear of it coming true! I'm also interested as my son is proving to be quiet different from her, so this may be the case for him!

[jennyh]

In our experience the move to a bed showed our daughter that she could refuse to be in bed andas she's never been a great sleeper it just meant her bed became a play thing or a topic for regular battles between us. Naps gradually became a joke as she just fought them and was also capable of getting out of bed, playing, getting undressed, fetching toys etc. have tried pretty much everything as I would LOVE her to have a nap still, it's exhausting!

[snowboarder]

No cot = no restraint for the possibly relucatant napper aged 2-3....in my experience!

[mrs f]

Depends on your kid tho, mine loves his bed so much we made it into a bed when he was just over 2, so that he could get in & out as often as he wants, i was getting exhausted lifting him in & out all the time! Now he will take himself off for downtime etc fairly often & wouldn't dream of refusing to sleep in it during the day, he practically asks for naps... Do what suits you best, we ended up with a cot & a cot bed so no 1 is in cotbed in bed mode & no.2 in the cot. Our plan is when no2 needs something bigger we put her in the cotbed & buy no1 a single bed & get rid of the cot

We got both our cot & cotbed on this forum very cheaply...

[srisky]

Ah, I see...it doesn't occur to my daughter to get out of bed (bless) except in the morning when the gro clock says it's ok. Some nap times she just plays with her cuddly toys in bed and I have to reprimand them for disturbing her nap time and then stroke her eyes shut, she drifts off after about 5-10min. She's at a bizarre stage where she can nap for 2h or can go without a nap, regardless of how energetic her day has been.

My friend's 4 and 1yr old share a bed (not sure if it is a double or single) and they all sleep much better for it. The elder one used to get into their bed constantly during the night, had night terrors etc. but it has all settled since; the latter is probably partly or wholly age related. Quite like the idea of my two doing the same but not sure how you eventually get them into their own beds!

[snowboarder]

srisky Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Ah, I see...it doesn't occur to my daughter to get

> out of bed (bless) except in the morning when the

> gro clock says it's ok.

Wanna swap children? :-)

My youngest gave up napping about a month ago at 27m - he was super reluctant to go down AND it made him want to stay up until 10pm. If he hadn't been in a cot I have no doubt he'd have stopped earlier. With him being the youngest I'm kind of over naps though - days are now much easier and flexible!

[srisky]

> With him being the youngest I'm kind of

> over naps though - days are now much easier and

> flexible!

I agree! So nice to be able to do things at the weekend and be out all day without worrying about naps. However, I relish the time when I'm on my own with both and they nap at the same time, gives me a chance to eat and rest!

Btw, my daughter is no angel...all sorts of fake injuries occur when I'm putting her brother to bed, followed by a huge tantrum when I ask to talk [whinge] quietly!

[snowboarder]

Yes - I remember a glorious 6m or so when my two napped after lunch at the same time - wonderful!!

[Sally81]

We just moved our 2 and a half year old boy from

Cot to toddler bed. He had no problems still being in cot and had never tried to get out but was getting too big physically for it. He was banging his arms on the bars and waking himself up.

The transition has been a dream and he's sleeping as well as he ever did.

We've been very careful not to make a big deal of it and to not let him take extra things into bed that he's never taken before so he sticks to the idea that his bed is for sleep just like his cot was! Hopefully.

So far, so good.

Only thing I'd have done differently is bought a normal single bed, he won't be in this toddler bed for long.

[Yak]

We went straight from cot to a queen sized bed (which had always been in his room) just after he turned 2. He still naps in there, and the joy of having a proper grown up bed is that it's great to cuddle down for stories and also makes the inevtiable all nighters when he's ill much more bearable. Like so much, it really depends on your child and their attitude to sleep and staying in one place, and how much that matters to you!