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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

Is it dangerous to use a cot for a two year old (rather than a bed)?

28 replies

PeppermintPatty · 16/05/2009 19:53

DD is 23 months, still in a cot.

My mum is telling me I must move her to a bed asap. She says leaving her in a cot is dangerous cos one day she'll try to climb out and fall and hurt herself.

She reckons it's best to preempt this inevitability by moving her to a bed now.

IS she talking sense (she has had 4 kids so should know what's she's talking about)?

I don't really want to move her to a bed until I really have to.

OP posts:

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suwoo · 16/05/2009 19:55

DS is 29 months and still in his cot where I intend for him to remain until he is 3. DD was in her cot until just over 3.

Until they climb out of it, I should say they are fine. I don't think DS has any concept that he could actually try

frasersmummy · 16/05/2009 19:55

I would say if she is not attempting to climb out then there is no immediate rush to move her

smallchange · 16/05/2009 19:57

I hope not

Ds is still in his at 2.6 and I'm in no hurrah to change it.

I know my brother was still in a cot (and regularly climbing out of it) at 3+, and I think it's quite common for a youngest child to stay in a cot for longer.

To be honest, I've never heard of a child hurting themselves climbing out of their cot. Lots of babies do it - many a lot younger than 2!

TeenyTinyToria · 16/05/2009 19:57

I had to move ds just before he was 2 because he was quite capable of climbing in and out.

I wouldn't personally take the risk of leaving her too long, just in case she tries to climb out when you aren't around, and hurts herself.

However, if she's showing no signs of trying, you might get away with it for a bit longer.

If it helps at all, the transition from cot to bed has been really easy with ds - we put a stair gate on his door, but I don't think he knows he's able to come out of his room, we just hear him pottering around in the mornings!

vodkaandcoke · 16/05/2009 19:57

My son was 3 in March and still in a cot. Never tried climbing out.

malfoy · 16/05/2009 19:59

I do know a little girl who broke her arm climbing out.

My son was not a climber but it was doing my back in having him in a cot and him getting heavier.

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 16/05/2009 20:01

It never occured to dd to climb out her cot ever she also had a grobag thing so couldn't have anyway.
Houdini (ds) on the other hand spent many a comical night trying to get out of his sleeping bag and getting half way out and very early on the monkey in him showed and he climbed out but he didn't want to go into a bed he loved his cot so I dropped the side he could get out safely enough.
If it aint broke don't fix it.

littleboyblue · 16/05/2009 20:04

My ds1 is 21 months and is a climber. However, his cot is the only thing he doesn't try to climb in or out of. Sofas, yes. My bed, yes. Tables, yes. The toilet, yes. My bed, yes. Ds2's cot, yes. His cot, no. Odd.
My dad tells me the same, move him before he tries to climb and hurt himself and I say no. I'm sure there will be a few attempts that I will see or hear before he actually manages it.

pinkspottywellies · 16/05/2009 20:04

DD has just moved into a bed at 2 and a half. She did fall out of her cot aaaaaaaaages ago when she was about 20months but didn't do it again. Because she's such a good sleeper and I didn't want to rock the boat, we left her. Until about 3 weeks ago when I put her in her cot for a sleep and 10 minutes later heard her pad across the landing calling 'I had a little sleep, now I'm ready to play!'

Original poster

PeppermintPatty · 16/05/2009 20:07

She's never shown any signs that she's ever tried to climb out. I don't think she could at the moment.

My mum reckons suddenly one day with out any warning she'll try and then fall and hurt herself. I suppose there's got to be a first time and you never know when that will be.

But like others have said I don't think it's even occured to her yet.

If I put her in a bed she'll play in her room all evening instead of going to sleep. She likes to pull all the clothes out of her drawers and try them on ATM so I can imagine the mess that will greet me in the morning

OP posts:

Meglet · 16/05/2009 20:09

DS is 2.6 and still in his cot bed. He has a grobag and hasn't tried to climb out yet. In fact I suspect that if he did try now he's tall enough and agile enough that he wouldn't do himself much harm. Unless he climbs out I'm not taking the sides off until he's about 3, he has a stairgate across his bedroom door to prevent any night time expeditions when he's older.

picklesmama · 16/05/2009 20:15

Fine if not climbing out (or close). Had a friend whose little girl of 2.5y was constantly unzipping her grobag and climbing out, apparently it was perfectly safe "she's really agile you know"

FreshlyFrozen · 16/05/2009 20:16

Dd climbed out of her cot at 1.10. She was in a huge temper about going to bed, and had never tried it before. Because of the temper, I was outside the bedroom door and heard the thump as she launched herself out. It was a cot bed and we took the side off the very next morning.

3littlefrogs · 16/05/2009 20:18

I had to move ds because he climbed over the end and got wedged, upside down, between the head end of the cot and the wall.

SydneyB · 16/05/2009 20:23

DD, 2.5, is in giant cotbed and there she will stay until she is bursting out of it! Esp. now she is sharing her room with 7 mth old DS. Have heard too many stories from friends of their 2 yr olds appearing in their rooms at 4am to want to move to grown up bed until absolutely forced to. AND I don't want her prodding DS awake.

Meglet · 16/05/2009 20:23

I'm relieved I found this thread. I always feel like a bad mummy as all of ds's little friends are in beds, but he isn't.

littleboyblue my ds is a climber too, but thankfully not from his cot.

mumeeee · 16/05/2009 21:35

All my children stayed in cots until they were over 2.

herbgarden · 17/05/2009 21:27

DS is nearly 3 and still in his cotbed. I'd only be taking the sides off it and as he has no need to get out he's staying where he is. I'll only restrain him with a stairgate instead

elkiedee · 17/05/2009 21:49

ds1 just turned 2 this month, and shows no sign of climbing out however, he's being very resistant to sleeping in his cot at the moment and we're considering whether we should turn cot into bed now, and how to do it safely.

I don't really want to do it now either but fear we have no choice - we also have a 3 month old in our room and it seems like whatever we do is going to mean problems getting enough sleep.

amberflower · 17/05/2009 22:01

I think that unless they start to show signs of trying to climb out (in which case then yes there is a safety risk) then leave those cot sides on! If possible leave them in a sleeping bag to as this, to some extent, can hinder any thoughts of escape.

I left DS in a cot until he was three, as did my 2 ante natal class friends, and none of us had a single problem in the cot-to-bed transfer. Those who have made the transition earlier - either due to the child's attempts to climb out, or just because they felt at 2 the child 'should' be in a bed - were fine eventually but seemed to have far more interim problems in terms of settling the child to sleep at bedtime, night waking/wandering and early morning waking. An older child definitely seems to cope with the transition better from what I've seen and heard.

Regardless of when you make the transition though I would highly recommend putting a bed guard on the bed. Minimises chances of child actually falling out in their sleep and also provides security for them.

nickytwotimes · 17/05/2009 22:04

Ds is 2.9 and has just moved out of his cot.
He'd have stayed in it for longer, but I couldn't lift him in and out. He never even tried to climb out.

I agree with the sleeping bag thing too. We kept him in his for the first few weeks in his big boy bed so he felt secure.

copperbottom · 25/05/2009 20:35

DS1 is a climber and has just moved into his "big boy's bed" at 20m. It's been traumatic to say the least...

He'd been in a grobag but that appear to hinder his acrobatics much...

I'd definately recommend leaving your DD in the cot as long as possible unless she shows signs of climbing out. How about pacifying your mum by putting a cot mattress next to her cot as a soft landing "just in case"

FabulousBakerGirl · 25/05/2009 20:36

We moved DS2 into a bed when he fell out of his cot for the second time, he hadn't had his 3rd birthday by then.

FabulousBakerGirl · 25/05/2009 20:37

BTW he did hurt himself - he has a wooden floor though.

Divvy · 25/05/2009 20:38

Are cot-beds better then, as they are closer to the floor?

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