To be anxious about toddler going from cot to bed

[pandarific]

So, I'm worried about this. Almost 2yo is in a sleeping bag which he can't undo, and we have made the cot side higher so he can't get out (he is very very tall so had to raise it) which works well, as he's never been the 'just lie down and go to sleep' sort of baby, there is always a lot of rolling around and messing with teddies etc before he goes off.

He is a good sleeper when he actually goes to sleep, but currently we sit with him at bedtime as he goes to sleep in the cot, though we're slowly weaning him onto being okay with us leaving the room, when he just rolls around in the cot and eventually goes to sleep.

However, I'm worried about:

• naps. He's not ready to drop the nap but already throws a strop sometimes at having to go down, and if he's not contained I'm worried he'll just be running all over the place and it will be a nightmare
• he often wakes at 6am and has a little grumble, but we listen out and he usually just rolls around a bit and goes back to sleep until 7:30. If he's not contained, again, I'm worried he'll just get up at 6 and I'd really rather he not!
• won't he just get out of bed all the time? My friend has her toddler same age in a toddler bed and he can climb over the gate on his door and has gone from being in bed at 7 to 9 / 9:30 with constant getting up, messing around and I'm just dreading it

Could really do with some practical advice, especially as we have a new baby due March and I'd like him to be settled into the new routine before things are unsettled for him. Any thoughts?

Could you keep him in the cot a bit longer? Will the new baby not be in a crib/moses basket for a while before you need the cot?

Have you thought about introducing a gro clock? We did it before we moved our youngest out of his cot. Got him used to waiting for the sun to come up etc then moved him into a bed

Can he stay in the cot? Or do you want it for the new baby?

What makes you think you need to move him? I'd keep him in the cot for as long as possible. At 1 you're setting yourself up for all sorts of hassle letting him have free rein.

Another vote for the gro clock.
I dreaded the transition too but DS did actually stay in his bed.
You might be pleasantly surprised!

PS I agree with PPs though, it can wait - maybe January? That should give him time to adjust before baby arrives.

Can you put a stair gate on the door for ease of mind in the night so you know he’s not wandering around the house? Also, we used Supernanny’s stay in bed technique (there must be videos on YouTube), the first time they get out of bed you put them back and say ‘bedtime, darling’ (or similar), the second time ‘bedtime’, then just keep putting them back without saying anything or eye contact. They eventually give up when they realise they don’t get anything out of getting up. The first night or two they get out of bed loads but then they stop bothering. Worked for us!

Seriously leave him as long as you can. We moved ds1 way too early and it made our life a nightmare for a few months afterwards. He went from being the perfect sleeper to getting up and running around until 10pm every night. Although after a while we ended up cutting his nap and he was out like a light by 7pm which made things much easier.

I suppose since he's so tall I'm thinking we're on borrowed time with the cot, even in a sleeping bag. If he wasn't in the bag I think he might be able to get out soon - he's managed it with MIL's cot this week though the sides are lower on here.

Good idea with the gro clock, no harm introducing that now.

@Thereareliterallynonamesleft my friend put a stair gate on the door but her little monkey can climb over that too. facepalm

My son is tall and still sleeps and naps in his cotbed- with the sides up! He’s 4! He’s in no rush to move into a bed and sleeps well and is happy.

Oh that's a relief to hear - maybe then I'll just.. get another cot for the new baby!

Just keep him in a cot or buy a cot bed, my son is 3 and still in his cot bed (bunk beds arrive on Monday)

If you really want to move him can you push the bed up to a wall and put two toddler rails on the other side of the bed?

You can buy ‘grobags’ up to age 7.

You're not going to believe me but the little sod just unzipped his sleeping bag and climbed out of the cot as I sit here waiting for him to go to sleep.

Arrrrrrgghhh. 😭

Wtf do I do now?!??

Put the gro bag on back to front

Does the grobag zip up the front? If it does put it on backwards

Put him back in the sleeping bag but with the zip on the inside

Then back to front with a nappy pin keeping the zipper closed...

Mine were in cuts for an awful long time...

VERY GOOD idea about back to front sleeping bags!! I'll have to get more with a zip on front, this thicker winter weight one is on the side.

Nappy pin on the side zipper!

Ugh he's bloody smart too though, I have visions of him getting the pin open and hurting himself with it- I may just replace the bags.

We ended up taking the sides off the cot bed with my youngest at 22 months as she was also a super climber. She has always been an awful sleeper so it didn’t make much difference for us. We still stay with her until she goes to sleep and she doesn’t really get up at all, just moans for us if/when she wakes in the night.

With both of ours we went from bag to a gro-to-bed which is a zip on duvet so she doesn’t throw it off in the night.

If the zip is up the side, turn the whole thing inside out. DD was unzipping herself multiple times every night until we tried this, she's not done it at all for about 3 months now. It is a total sod to zip up yourself inside out, so we now leave it zipped up and just slide her down into it from the top, then do up the poppers.

I think the fact the zip is on the opposite side when it's inside out is partly why it works!