Moving a toddler from his cot to the bed, struggling.

[LadyFlumpalot]

Does anyone have any advice for me? DS is 2.3. He is very rapidly growing out of his cot. We don't have a toddler bed due to lack of funds, so he is going straight into a single bed (with bed guards) we were given that is already in his room. He will snuggle down in it for a story, but as soon as I leave the room, he's out and rattling the stairgate, calling for me.

I try to put him back, and the same story. When I put him down in his cot though, he goes straight off to sleep and usually sleeps the night through.

I don't want to force the issue as he is, by nature, a bit of a contrary child and I think that if I force it I will just put him off indefinately.

Is it better to just give up trying for now as he's not ready, or should I keep on gently trying in the hope he will fall asleep there one night?

We have had this issue with DD, just 2. We were worried about climbing out the cot. She was a really good sleeper happy to self settle till we converted her cot to a bed. Then we had three weeks with no good nights. Out of frustration from her getting out of the damn bed ten times a night I propped the old cot sides back alongside it between the bedside table and the bed. Wouldn't you know it she slept through.

I think she feels more secure with the cot sides there. In the morning she pushes the cot side out the way and gets up and plays with her teddys on the floor.

Just wondering whether it would be an option for you to remove one cot side and use the no doubt much lower cot with a bed guard as a half way house to moving to a big bed?

That's a good idea. I shall try that! It's not a cot that's designed to be a cot bed, but I think that if I get DH to fix some supports underneath it to compensate for the missing side it should be ok structurally.

Thank you!