Introducing toddler to his first big bed?

[PipIsOutNow]

Any tips on this? Ds was 2 in July and I've just done his bedroom out in his favourite which is fireman Sam and got him a fire engine bed. His little brother is due to arrive some time in January so I'd like to get him settled before baby arrives as I don't want him associating all the new changes with the baby.

Just don't know where to start!

I would leave it as long as you can. DS1 was about 3 before he went into his big bed and learned to stay in bed quite quickly. DS2 was just over 2 as he could climb out and is a nightmare. He is coming up to 3 and will NOT stay in bed. I honestly don't know how you make them

I should think once he sees it, he'll be so excited that he wants to start using it right away! We started with a mattress on the floor for both of ours, so didn't bother with a bed guard. DS1 went into a big bed for exactly the same reason at 2.2 and fell out quite a lot. DS2's mattress came off the floor about 2.10 and he's only fallen out once. Make of that what you will!

Perhaps you could try and get some books or dvd's about bedtime to try and get him interested in it, I don't know if there are any or not but it helps if they are already showing an interest in something. DS1 went through a phase of being obsessed with beds and bedtime and used pretend he was going to bed all the time, he had just turned 2. Got him a toddler bed and he loved it from the first night, after about two weeks he figured out he could get out so me and DH took it in turns to sit by the bed and everytime he climbed out put him back in and said it was time to go to sleep, took two nights of that and he stopped getting out (though sometimes one of us still has to sit with him until he falls asleep but that only takes about 10mins so not a problem). He's now 2 and half and has fallen out twice in the 6 months he's been in a bed, he still loves it.
They do have to be ready though, DS2 was born when DS1 was 21 months so we tried putting him in a bed earlier at 19 months and he just screamed and cried and was very distressed so we put him back in his cot and bought a second cheap small cot (compact cot from kiddicare) for DS2 so DS1 could stay in the big cot for longer.