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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

How long did it take your tot to get used to a bed (rather than cot)

43 replies

handlemecarefully · 23/03/2004 09:24

20 month old dd has moved to a toddler bed now (Sat evening) to free up her cotbed for baby brother (due in April). Despite 'guard rails' she fell out once on Sunday night and twice last night. She doesn't sustain injury (have 'crash mats' down) but it disturbs her sleep and ours!

How long was it before your tot learnt how not to fall out of bed when he / she first made the cot to bed transition?

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marthamoo · 23/03/2004 09:34

Ds1 was in a bed from about 17 months and never fell out, and ds2 is 27 months and we can't persude him out of his cot. So not much help, I'm afraid. Where have you put the guard rails? I positioned them not at the very head of the bed, but starting about where the pillow ends - so the rail is more to the middle of the bed. It's strange as ds1 is the wriggliest sleeper ever - even now is often upside down and sideways but the guard rail always kept him in.

GillW · 23/03/2004 09:47

I don't think ds has ever fallen out after moving to a bed at 14 months when he wouldn't stay in a cot any more and climbed out the moment he was put in. Or perhaps as he's not the type to cry if he falls over anyway, and probably wouldn't have made a fuss if he did fall out, he has done but has just picked himself up and got back in and we've never noticed?

jolou1 · 23/03/2004 09:50

Sorry to slightly change tack, but I haven't yet moved my 31month old DS into his big bed and I'm wondering whether I ought to. He's in a huge cotbed and when we chat to him about it, he says he wants to stay in his cot. This suits us all just fine, but is there an age when he should really be in a bed? Or doesn't it really matter until we try to get him dry at night? (he never climbs out....)

Blu · 23/03/2004 10:02

My DS was 20 months when he moved to a bed, fell out regularly ( we put his cot mattress on the floor alongside) for a couple of months, I think, but never does now.

Jolou: if it's working well, let sleeping tots lie.

littlerach · 23/03/2004 10:06

DD was 21 months when she moved to a bed. We didn't use rails as we didn't want her to get used to having them - mean mummy here!! She has hardly ever fallen ouit, usually only when she is poorly. She also rarely gets out at night.

Sari · 23/03/2004 11:11

We moved 19 month old ds2 two nights ago. First night he fell out once but didn't wake up - I went in to pick him up and found him standing on the floor, still asleep, with his head on the bed - very sweet. Last night he didn't fall out at all. It's a normal sized bunk bed though so he's absolutely tiny in it and has lots of space to roll around without dropping off the edge. No guard rails as, like littlerach, we didn't want him to get used to them.

frogs · 23/03/2004 11:29

Our older two moved to beds somewhere between two and 2.5. We delayed it slightly with dd1 because we had a German cot with a wonderful system that allows you to remove two of the cot bars on one side, so that they can get in and out but not fall out. (Sorry, completely unhelpful unless anyone' s planning to import a cot from Germany...)

Their first bed was an old iron bedstead, very retro-chic, but not v. child-friendly as it's high off the ground. They used to fall out from time to time, but ds generally just carried right on sleeping on the floor. Useful tip (got round to it eventually!) is to revert to old-fashioned sheets and blankets and tuck it all in. Or put a bedspread over the duvet and tuck ditto.

Hulababy · 23/03/2004 12:22

DD went in a toddler bed aged 18 months. She fell out a couple of times in first 2 nights but was then okay. Infact on second night she didn't even wake up - found her half in/half out in the morning

Mind you DD nver got used to a cot, so the bed was very welcome.

Bozza · 23/03/2004 13:01

DS managed to half fall out once with the guard rail up (positioned as marthamoo describes). He was stuck with head in a plastic crate of cars and his feet under the pillow, crying when we found him. Has not fallen out since we removed rails.

Think she will get the hang of it soon. I always check DS before I go to bed and if he seems a bit close to the edge nudge him over.

nutcracker · 23/03/2004 13:06

Erm, Dd1 was put in to a bed at 18mths, and hated it for the first week but since then has been fine. Only fell out a couple of times i think.
Dd2 didn't mind moving to a bed atall, and she has only fell out a couple of times too. She is on the bottom of bunk beds so the ladders tend to stop her falling out.
Ds is still in his cot and as this rate will still be there when he's 18.

bobsmum · 23/03/2004 13:10

Vertbaudet do what looks like a fantastic idea (in theory). It's fitted sheet that you zip the duvet cover onto on both sides. I guess it's like half a sleeping bag.

Ds is 18 mths and I just can't imagine him managing to stay in a big bed without jumping out if he thought he could!

misdee · 23/03/2004 13:16

dd1 moved into a bed at around 20months and we bought a tomy bed guard which she didnt really need as she tended to sleep against the wall. dd2 moved into a bed around 16-17months as she was climbing out of her cot and kept climbing onto the bed at bedtime and pulling the covers over her and snuggling down. so we tried her in there, apart from a couple of nights really playing up and me putting her in her cot she has been in the bed ever since. she has fallen out twice, but found the bed guard and put that on so now she seems fine. but then she does a huge double bed all to herself.

Original poster

handlemecarefully · 23/03/2004 13:18

Thanks all. I think I will try to move the bed rails further down (rather than top end of bed), and / or tuck dd in with a sheet over her growbag to limit movement. She is a 'messy' sleeper - i.e. not uncommon for her to sleep cross ways on the mattress (if that makes sense) or turn 180 degrees upside down - which has been possible for her because she has been using a grobag. I'm a bit tired this morning because she fell out at 23.30 last night which so thoroughly woke her up that it took over an hour to settle her back down (and we get up at 06.00 ish)....

Dh started ranted about his sleep being disturbed last night (as if it was my fault) so I told him that his whingeing was causing me stress and banished him to the spare room for the night with instructions to shut the bedroom door so that his precious self was not disturbed by the unwelcome noise of protesting toddler! (He was appropriately apologetic this a.m.)

OP posts:

dot1 · 23/03/2004 19:43

Hi HMC - looks like we're doing the same things re: toddlers and pregnancies! We've just put our 28 month old ds into a bed and he's fallen out 4 times so far - the last time was last night, but before that he hadn't fallen out for a good week or so. He's also a 'messy sleeper' - when we go to bed we always have to turn him back around and stick him under the duvet. A couple of times when he's fallen out he's been in the process of climbing back into bed himself - it's the horrible thud noise I don't like..! We're hoping he just learns not to fall out - we need the cot..!

Original poster

handlemecarefully · 23/03/2004 21:36

Dot,

I guess they'll get used to it in time - bless 'em

OP posts:

Demented · 23/03/2004 22:45

Jolou1, my DS1 was such a nightmare when he moved into a bed that DS2 is staying in the cot until he is 21 (years not months ).

Original poster

handlemecarefully · 24/03/2004 08:05

Progress report:

Bobsmum and Frogs very simple but effective advice about 'tucking in' I must say...I put her in bed as usual then used a thin sheet to tuck her in (over her other bedding) and it worked a treat! - no falling out of bed an interrupted sleep! Why didn't I think of that!

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 24/03/2004 08:14

DS1 and 2 both went from cot into mid height loft beds at 2 1/2 and (luckily!) have never fallen out. I think this is because these sort of beds have high rails all the way round so it's virtually impossible to fall out unless it's through the ladder space.

We've never bothered turning them round if they end up sleeping upside down, we just cover them up when we go to bed and leave it at that. I assume that if they wake up cold, they'yll soon learn to pull the blanket back over themselves (cruel evil parents that we are!)

Redwood · 25/03/2004 22:39

Talking about sleeping bags and bedding, did you all move to quilts or sheets and blankets when they moved to a bed? My Dd is 15mnths and still in a cot but getting a bit big for her sleeping bag. I'm also wondering how she will ever keep the sheets on her as she moves such as lot in her sleep.

Freddiecat · 26/03/2004 11:22

Redwood - buy a bigger sleeping bag. DS is nearly 2 and is in the 18-36 mths Grobag and still has lots of room in it.

I am thinking of putting him into his bed within the next week (same as some others - baby due in July will need to cot - not until October but will be in same room so want him totally used to the bed!). I am not sure whether to leave him in his Grobag as when he wakes up in the morning I don't want him to injure himself trying to walk around in his Grobag. He can undo the zip but it's never occured to him!

Moomin · 26/03/2004 16:26

Freddiecat - dd is 2 and a half. She recently moved into a bed with rail but still sleeps in her big grobag. When she wakes up in the morning she just sits up and calls for us or cries - she hasn't tried to get up in it yet. I was wondering whether to try a quilt or whether I should just leave it as she seems happy and sleeps well?

elliott · 26/03/2004 22:30

I'm interested in the bed/sleeping bag issue too - recently tried ds1 (28 months) with a duvet but went back to his grobag as part of a campaign to stop his night wakings - his sleep is much better but of course I don't know how much going back to the grobag helped! He's still in his 6-18 month one but its getting quite small so I need to decide whether to splash out on the bigger one or try again with the duvet - I had thought it would be better not to be in the grobag once he's in a bed (suspect he'll take it off to get out of bed though so I guess it doesn't really matter...) Does anyone else use a grobag in a bed?

Toots · 27/03/2004 11:43

You could try a fleecy suit Elliott. DD refused her bag so she goes in vest, pj top and piglet fleece suit (£9.40 in sale Mothercare) with quilt on top that ends up scrunched underneath. They do seem to be warm and even not in sale cheaper than a grobag

Toots · 27/03/2004 11:44

forgot to say she's two and a half

lialocket · 31/03/2004 15:57

Well - she has been in her bed since Fri night and success! Slept brilliantly. Excited to go to bed! What more can I say. She is just 2.
However, did have to put a gate at her door - for the 'run around session'. So far so good.

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