sleeping arrangements for 21 month old

[agendabender]

Hello, looking for some advice from experienced parents!

Our 21 month old slept in his cot in our room until we moved a month ago, since when we have only managed to get him to sleep in our bed (superking, space not a problem). I love this, but my husband is keen to move him into his own room. This week on holiday he has slept in his own single bed in our room quite contentedly, even without feeding to sleep which has become a norm at home.

I have wondered whether a proper bed would induce him to sleep in his own room, but it's a very small room and while toddler beds are cheap second hand, I'd rather not have a second hand mattress and new ones are quite costly.

I am considering putting his cot mattress on the floor of his room as a compromise, is there any obvious reason that hasn't occurred to me that I shouldn't do this? Does anyone have any other advice?

You were OK with a hotel mattress so I don't really understand the objection to a good second-hand one. A mattress on the floor OTOH could put him in the way of draughts and dust.

I've been researching Montessori and noticed that sleeping on the floor is recommended. It's very common in other cultures too. I'm sure it would be fine.

Example <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=montessori+bedroom&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1365&bih=635&tbm=isch&tbnid=eaOyvcoo_q3-mM:&imgrefurl=stephbrownthinks.blogspot.com/2011/02/marshalls-montessori-bedroom.html&docid=vovw9DglBrdx7M&imgurl=4.bp.blogspot.com/-zA7i646wPNU/TWbRMDgvE1I/AAAAAAAAIqI/f2z4bbdLtk4/s1600/018.JPG&w=1600&h=1074&ei=HnvTT_yeL4XZ8QPVu7ilAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1015&vpy=91&dur=7819&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=129&ty=110&sig=103566627731314434103&page=1&tbnh=159&tbnw=212&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:90" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here

I am keeping my 21mo in his cot until he is a teenager though- he doesn't sleep anyway, if he could get up and help himself to toys and books night time would not exist.

Have you got an Ikea near you? Toddler beds/mattresses decent but not expensive there.

I wouldn't put a mattress directly onto the floor, they need ventilation underneath. Having said that, ds2's is only raised by the slats from ds1's old cot bed - he's on a mattress under ds1's high sleeper bed.

thanks ladies.

Cogito It wasn't a hotel, it was my parents' holiday home, only family really use it, but I take your point.

EBT I think you may be me, I had planned to keep him in his cot forever but have been using some montessori and was thinking along those lines. No toys in the bedroom, only clothes and a box of bedtime stories that gets rotated.

Cock the ventilation was my concern too. not worried about drafts.

Does the base of your cot remove? You could put the slats of the cot under the matress as Cockadoodle suggests.

P.S. What other Montessori stuff are you doing?

Our toddler mattress was 35quid.
Look at kiddicare.

can you just take one of the sides off the cot and move it into his own room?

ooh thanks ItWas will check it out. sadly the base isn't slats but a board in which I have drilled holes, and if we took the side off i think it would collapse but will give it a go. It was my cot, and i have three younger siblings, so DS is baby no. 5 for the cot.

EBD we did the thing where you put the toys and clothes out in organised and accessible ways, and tied it in with baby-led weaning so he makes his own lunch etc. We were doing cloth nappies anyway, and we avoided things like high chairs and buggies. He went to a Montessori until we moved, so am going to step things up a bit at home. What are you doing/thinking of doing?