A (very) slightly different cot to bed thread... should we do it?!

[noisylurker]

I wasn't sure whether to post this on the other thread, but it's not quite the same question.

DS is 22 months. He's always (just about) gone to sleep easily at night. We've now had nearly a fortnight of tantrums at bedtime, at it's peak this time last week we had terrible, terrible screaming and three cot breaks (out of his sleeping bag, over the side and to the stairgate in less than 2 minutes on the last attempt - pretty impressive, right? ) It is a little better now, but there was still a good 20 minutes of crying and pointing forcefully at the door tonight.

I've messed around with all the variables I can think of (food, exercise, daytime nap) which have resulted in ME being ready to drop at 7.30pm but hasn't made any significant difference to DS. Nursery and home days are no different.

I can't decide whether we should just go for it with the bed now while we're messing around with this anyway, or if that's a crazy idea and we should wait until he's more settled and language skills are better (ie we can build up the Big Boy Bed as suggested on other thread).

What do you think?

if he's climbing out then its safer to move him out of the cot. DD went into a bed at about the same age as she wasnt happy in the cot any longer

if he can climb out take him out. i took my eldest out at 20 monthsish due to climbing out, once they can get over the side in their sleeping bag then tbh its best just to go for it and deal with getting them adapted and settled to a new bed because they are not going to forget how to climb out, so that risk is always going to be there, and you would have to transfer them eventually anyway so i would just go for it now
you have a stair gate on the door anyway so its not that he will be able to wander out of the room, so that should atleast make things a bit easier i would think

Thanks for your replies :)

The stairgate is at the top of the stairs at the other end of the landing... he goes past the bathroom and the spare room before he reaches it. Our upstairs is relatively toddler proof but I'm not really happy about him wandering about up there...and don't want to spend all evening up and down the stairs, which is why I keep putting the bed move off, I suppose. I wonder if we COULD fit a stairgate to his door, must go and look as that + bed might be a good solution.

He hasn't climbed out again since but like you say, once he's done it he could do it again.

We had a few nights of this with ds2 the other week. I sewed him into the sleeping bag but he still got out. Then we realised he was "standing" on the small drawers next to his cot. Since we moved them we have had no problem. Is it worth making sure there is nothing he is using by the cot.

Also, we had stairgates on the doors for the older 2 when they were toddlers. This is fine until they work out to mive things to stand on....

I would put him in a bed, my two were similar age, they both loved it and it was a very easy move. They both went into the bed of their cotbed iyswim, and then at 3.5 ish they both had big beds ie proper size beds, actually DS went straight from cotbed to midsleeper. Was unsure about ladder etc, but no problems actually. I think as long as you have a bed guard and a stairgate on stairs or room whichever you should be fine. I used to worry that both mine would wander round but tbh they didn't. Infact, DD used to yell like ladymuck rather than get out of bed. DS only started getting out of bed now at 3.11

They can go into a bed from about 18 months if necessary - I'd make the move. He may not have many words but you can bet he understands more than he can say - if you explain that he's going to have a big bed like Mummy and Daddy he'll know what you're talking about. Safer to have a bed low down to the floor than be climbing out of his cot.

I'd put him in his own bed but I would make it really special and exciting with a new soft toy, new bedlinen etc.

DS has been in his own bed since he turned a year but its a small wooden bed with a slightly sunken mattress area so he cant fall out. He has tried climbing out but we have had a lot of success with giving him less fuss everytime he does it in a night ie. the first time he gets a kiss, cuddle and a 'back to bed now' but by the fifth (!) he gets silently picked up and gently placed back into bed. Doesnt happen very often any more.

Keep the cot mattress though so you can keep it on the floor next to the bed in case of falls. DS is an active chap when he is asleep and we still have a big pile of padding next to the bed, especially as he prefers to climb out of bed face first!

Thanks - I really appreciate your views.

He climbed out this morning AND at naptime so I think he's getting a little too competent at it to risk it for too much longer (I caught him at it at naptime and his technique is not particularly reassuring... will be taking the padding advice tonight).

oops posted that before I meant to, but didn't miss much, just... bed hunting this weekend, then! :)

EBay has some great bed-bargains!