To think about moving 18 month old to a bed?

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He's not climbing out, but he hates his cot, always has. There is absolutely no getting him to lie down in it awake, and if he wakes up in it he's totally hysterical - rattling the bars and banging his head on them to get out instantly. However, he goes to sleep brilliantly on little pallet beds at nursery, and is relatively happy to fall asleep/ resettle himself on our bed or on a floor cushion.
Today we were in John Lewis, and he spotted a toddler bed, ran to it joyfully and tried to climb in, while DH and I looked on in bemusement. Am I mad to consider totally toddler-proofing his room, sticking a baby gate on the door and giving it a go?

Can you just take his mattress out and put it on the floor for now? Then he can't roll off any height. 6 months down the line you can buy a normal single bed to save buying toddler size

No that sounds sensible to me. I kept DD in a cot until she was 3 and 22mo DS is still in one. But a friend moved her DS into one at this age and he was fine.

Mine never had a cot. Slept on a futon from the start - after we'd stopped co sleeping.

Was really handy for night waking so because it meant I could just get into bed with him.

He is still rather fond of snuggling in with me, but I don't mind that a bit ☺️

Our two went into beds at 20 months due to DS's dangerous escapee antics (he'd break out of his own cot and climb into DD's).

You might need bedsides at 18 months old.

What's the worst that can happen? I have an 18 month old and will be moving him to a bed within the next month or so for sure. Every child's different. If they seem ready try it, if it doesn't work go back to a cot.

As long as you're certain the room is safe and the toddler can't get out of the room and into danger, then it couldn't cause any harm to try.

Ds2 - went on a mattress when he was 14 months old, he hated his cot and would bang into it waking himself up.

Upstairs was stair gated and night lights on in case he got up, it worked out fine.

Ooh a futon is a good idea! Or testing with his mattress on the floor...

My DD has been in a bed since that time. No problems at all. She usually stays in there and has a Gro clock that has helped encourage that..

Mine was on a big double futon, which meant he never fell out. Worked great.

We moved DD into her own room at 14months and just took the side off her cot (it was low to the floor) and put a thick mat by the bed side in case she fell out. I think she did a couple of times but hasn't since. She is now in a 'proper' single bed (no bed side) at just turned 2yo. Never been a problem.

Do it, sounds like a perfect solution. All kids are different, I had to move my twin DDs into a toddler bed at 12 months as they were shimmying over bars to get into each other's cots and we decided it was a bit dangerous,

Saying that, there were problems. They wouldn't stay in their beds, they'd roam around the room, playing with everything, stripping off, and eventually fall asleep naked on the floor. DH and I would creep in, put PJs back on and pop,them into bed before we went. Had a stair gate in their door,so they couldn't get out. Novelty wore off this eventually though,

DS went straight from our bed to his own toddler bed at about 14 months, got on with it just fine.

Wow, this is a bit of a lightbulb moment for me! Definitely going to try some of these options with my cot-hating 14 month old.

Loving all the escape artists and their night-time visits! 😂

18 months sounds reasonable. My eldest DS went in a bed at that age as was expecting his brother. Bed guards and when they went I used to put a bean bag on floor at side of bed. Stair gate on doorway too.

My DD was in a toddler bed at 18mths. We put a baby gate in the door so she couldn't roam at night, and toddler proofed the room. Totally fine. We had a few nights of her getting in and out of bed, but the novelty wore off. She loves her little bed.

My two have each moved into standard single beds at c. 18 months, with bed guard (gone by age two). I have a stairgate at the top of the stairs - not on their doors - and after the initial few weeks the novelty wore off and they stay in bed except when they need us in the night

Some friends have found naps have gone out the window once LO can roam free but I've actually found it easier as can lay with them while they settle if necessary

We had to move DS into a toddler bed at about 15months due to him climbing out and us not wanting him to hurt himself. Baby gate on the door and he was absolutely fine. We moved DD into the same toddler bed at 20 months.
I understand people saying wait a bit and then go for a proper sized single but toddler beds are so cute yes I know that isn't the best reason to buy one my dc, especially DS would have looked so lost in a single, he was tiny. Toddler bed was just perfect for him. I was lucky to be offered ours from a friend for a good price as it was over £70 without a mattress brand new from IKEA. IKEA do some lovely ones and I think the cheapest is £35.

Mine has been in a single bed from about 13 months.
We have his cot mattress on the floor next to the bed in case he falls out. I personally wouldn't bother with the bed guards as they seem to only fall out a couple of times and before getting used to it.

I moved DS to a single bed at 18 months. He detested his cot. He never fell out, never wandered. We just put a bed rail on one side and made sure he knew how to get down (feet first).

This is 12 month old DS2 tonight. He has a futon bed next to ours. It's great because I can sit in with him when he wakes. We'll move it to his own room once we've managed to move house and have a room for him to go in.

Both mine went in a toddler bed with sides at 20 months. DS1 never climbed out, DS2 only once or twice. We let them play on the bed in the daytime and always made a big fuss of lifting them off and not letting them climb down themselves so at night they would behave the same. Lie and wait. Seemed to work.

DD went into a single bed at 20 months (she was trying to climb out of her cot) and it was fine. We put a stair gate over the door and fixed all her bedroom furniture to the wall. She has a bedguard rail so she won't fall out in her sleep but it stops at about half the length of the bed so she could easily get out if she wanted to. To date, she has never once gotten out. When she wakes up in the morning she talks or sings to herself/her teddies for a bit then shouts for us when she gets bored. Like your little one, she hated the cot and had to be lowered in once in a deep sleep or she'd scream bloody murder. Now she asks to go to bed when she gets tired.

Moved my son into a full size single (not a junior bed) at 18 months. He did not like his cot, moved a lot in his sleep and would bang his head on the sides and wake up. He could also scale it. Put a load of cushions on the floor just in case. He never fell out and I removed cushions very soon after. Best decision as he started sleeping through straight away and never looked back. My DD on the other hand had no problem with the cot as was less of a fidgit and moved to a bed at age 2.