18m DS terrified of big bed

[gnocci]

So we thought we'd give it a go of putting DS in a big boy bed....

Disaster!! He was petrified! Eventually wore himself out through crying and fell asleep. But went to put him down for his nap just now and the look of sheer terror on his face hit me like a knife in the chest so I put him in his cot and he fell straight to sleep.

Shall we go back to the cot and try again in a few months? Or push through? Was hoping to have him in there before DD born in a few months...

:(

Do you know why he is scared? Is it perhaps the height of it without bars and he is scared of falling out? Perhaps a bed guard or failing that put the mattress on the floor until he gets more used to not having the bars there?

18mo is quite young for the move. Can't you delay for a bit? Perhaps you could borrow a Moses basket for dc2. It's really important that your wee boy doesn't feel pushed out of his cot by his new sibling but that he makes the move by his choice.

18 months is quite young for a big bed is it not?

Maybe wait a month or two and then have another go. They change so much that in that time, he could be ready and you could use the time to do a big PR job on the bed.

Mine is 19 months and I'm due in 3 months too. I plan to put no.1 into a cotbed in a couple of months and then take the sides down one at a time so it gradually becomes a bed. I probably won't even take the sides down until I know they are ok sleeping in the same room - possibly 6 months from now. This probably sounds a bit cautious but after all, what's the rush?
Good luck.

Re PR job on bed, I meant things like use it as a sofa to read stories on together etc

Is his bed against a wall? That might help - he might be scared of falling or how it isn't so small like a crib - put a lot of pillows against the wall and the top of his bed so it makes it look smaller. You can lay with him in the bed for a while until he settles and then you can leave he'll get used to it and you can cut the time down until your just putting him to sleep with a story.

It's strange because the bed has been in his room all along and he loves it! Climbs onto it, lays on it, jumps on it etc. Always read books on there.

It has a guard on and also cushions on the floor at the bottom where there isn't the guard.

He looks so big in his cot (he is very big for 18m! 35lbs, almost 3ft tall) and is always banging the sides etc.

I think we will go back to it in a few months time... Poor thing! I feel terrible now - we thought he might like it!!! Obviously not!!