Aaaargh, frogs's rather, ahem, sprited dd2 has just broken her cot...

[frogs]

Went to put the cot base down a notch to prevent her trying to climb out, and found that the base is completely splintered on both sides where the bolts hold it onto the cotframe. Literally hanging by one little splinter of wood, which promptly broke as I was taking it apart. Presumably the result of dd2's terrifyingly energetic shaking of her cot and jumping up and down during her (many) tantrums.

So I have no choice but to put her into a bed tonight, which I hadn't been planning to do for a goodly while yet. She's 2.4, so no point blowing £100 on a new cot, and anyway she needs somewhere to sleep tonight.

So, bated breath: will she throw a hissy fit at the mere idea of a big bed? Will she get out (and have to be returned) fifty times tonight? Will she fall out in her sleep? Will ds stop throwing a strop 'cos he doesn't like the idea of dd2 on the loose in his (ie. their) bedroom?

Supportive comments only, please! Save your disaster stories for another thread...

oh poor you, frogs, you don't get a chance to work up to it this way, do you?

Could you possibly put her in a grobag to help minimise the trips out of bed? Or would that just be a disaster in the making?

(the only other thing I can think of is to tuck her in very tight )

oh you poor thing! I'm sure the anticipation will be worse than the reality though [hopeful emoticon]!

It's horrible when the choice is taken out of your hands like that - we had to move DS when he found out that by chucking his head and upper body over the side of the cot his legs would follow and he'd be free. Unfortunatly landing on bare floorboards we didn;t think it was a good idea and took the sides off the cot. Have to say we heard him playing around his room for ages but he did eventually go to sleep and slept all night!

No worries on the bed. My DS went into his Big Boys Bed at about the same age. He loves it!

I know it's getting late but if you haven't got her bedding can you take her out to help choose it? Or if you have it, get her to help make the bed and talk about her sleeping in her big girls bed.? Ham it up as much as you can.. she'll be just like her big brother! Have confidence in her and she'll feel more confident if mummy really thinks she can do this.

We were very succesful (ha! one of the only bloody things we got right in the past 2.6 yrs ) I hope you are too.

Don't suppose you've got a travel cot, have you? Might bridge the gap.

So far so good -- she's deigned to get in the bed without making a massive fuss. Had to send ds to bed early to keep her company, though! Have promised to reward him with chocolate in his lunch tomorrow. She's now muttering darkly to herself, which is an improvement on full-throttle screaming.

Will await developments. Have just texted dh and told him to bring a bottle of wine with him -- if I need to sit on patrol outside dd2's bedroom half the evening, I do at least want to ease my suffering with drink.

Turn the duvet the other way, so that it is widthways over the bed.
Then yu can tuck her in really tightly and minimise escape and possible falls.

DS went into a bed at 19 months and has been fine about it. Has fallen out occasoinally but I put a duvet on the floor or a bedrail up, so hasn't been hurt.

We bought our cot for 20 quid from our local 2nd hand shop, just a thought....

How's it going Frogs?

DD2 went into a bed at about the same age - actually thinking about it so did DD1. The only trouble is that they - ahem - tend to climb out at nap time and drop the afternoon nap, I find.

Can she scale a stair-gate frogs?
Wow, this puts dd's plaintive bed-time chirps of "need a hog" into perspective.
Respect at packing them off at 6.10pm though and you must have promised that boy a lot of chocolate!

Morning update -- the night was okay, considering the potential for a Lord (Lady) of Misrule scenario.

She did get out a couple of times, but ds yelled out to alert me. By the time I got up she was rather sheepishly trying to get back into bed, but couldn't quite manage the climb in her grobag.

Then later on she woke and sobbed a bit, but that was it. Tho' I did hear her at 5.30 this morning, exclaiming to herself, "Ooooooh! Wow!", obviously rather taken with her new surroundings.

glad the night was nt too bad frogs, my dd will be in a big girls bed a little before that as il be having the next one when she turns two and as she went into cot at 2 months in own room i wanna try that again. so will prob try when new baby comes with the 'you'll be such a big girl/big sister' as it seems to be working atm with walking and things and shes only 17 month! lol

you just have to try and keep it as exciting as pos i thinkand they wont see it as a bad thing!!!

(Your dd2 is glorious, frogs, but you knew I thought that.)

How solid is the bed?

bink! Her new bed is massively solid -- victorian cast-iron arrangment with a nice saggy mesh base which should help keep her snuggled in the middle.

Just remembered that my children have form for wrecking cots -- ds broke two in his time. But not from tantrumming, just from sheer boyish exuberance. Whereas dd2 has been shaking it so hard you could hear the cot feet banging on the floor. Her most recent bedtime tantrum lasted from 6.30pm until half past ten, and could be heard out in the street. And she's such a delicate little slip of a thing. With determination like that she's destined to go far, clearly. Not sure where to, but definitely far.