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Parenting

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Original poster

What age did you take children out of the cot?

36 replies

24butfeeling80 · 02/02/2021 10:32

My mum out us into toddler beds at 18 months. I also know a couple of women who have put their children into toddler beds since they were about 8 months.

I’ve been thinking about switching DD 13 months, to a bed and now we’ve been given the opportunity of a single bed by a family member.

If you have moved your children into a bed at this age have you any tips or tricks? We’ve already got a stair gate on her room.

I’m mainly concerned she’s going to get out of bed and start plying on her soft play or getting toys out but we can work around this and out toys away if it does happen.

I’m just wondering what the best way to go about it and make sure she’s safe, maybe a full length bed guard on the wall side and a shorter one on the other side. - the bed were getting is floor level so I’m not concerned about her falling out and hurting herself.

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Original poster

24butfeeling80 · 02/02/2021 10:33

Oh sorry I’ve missed out why - trying not to drip feed! - she’s starting to pull up and climb in the cot (our fault for buying soft play she loves to climb now!) - there is one lower setting on the cot but I stand at 5ft tall and even on the level she is now it’s painful on my ribs to bend in and pick her up so I’m reluctant to lower the cot again.

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 02/02/2021 10:36

Dd - 2years
Ds - 2½ years

Could you use a small step stool to help with a lower cot level? I wanted to keep the kids enclosed for as long as I could

Thatwentbadly · 02/02/2021 11:00

Bed guards are considered to be a suffocation risk before 18 months.

I have/do cosleep on mattress on the floor with my girls. DD went into her big girl bed just before 2 and DD2 is only 18 months but I’m planning on doing similar with her.

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BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 02/02/2021 11:02

We only took the sides off dc1 cot when I was too heavily pregnant to lift them in and out (they were 2.5).

We took the sides off dc2 cot at 2yo as they were dry at night so we left a potty in the room.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 02/02/2021 11:07

DD1 was about 16months. I was pregnant and couldn't get her in and out. We took the side off.
DD2 never really slept in the cot, due to cosleeping. Again the side was off, at first pushed up against my bed, then as a toddler bed until we thought DD1 would be d enough for top bunk.

As it happens, we moved abroad when they were 2.5 and 4, and the provided beds for them were tall, normal singles. DD2 needed lifting up. Never fell out though.

TierFourTears · 02/02/2021 11:09

The day they climbed out - 2yrs 3 days (the day his baby brother was born....), and then about 18 months.
Never used a guard rail.

CovidCakeConundrum · 02/02/2021 11:11

You need to lower the cot. I'm 5ft too so understand the issue but for safety you should have it at the lowest once they can stand.

Most sleep experts say to leave them in the cot as long as possible to avoid problems like them just getting up and playing rather than rolling over and going back to sleep in the early morning if they wake. But if it works for you then it works. Do you have space to trial it but keep the cot if it doesn't work? I would be too scared of baby rolling at that age tbh.

peasinmysoup · 02/02/2021 11:12

When they could climb out.

Peakedin1997 · 02/02/2021 11:20

Leave them in the cot as long as possible.

My eldest was 2.5 and she got too heavy for me to lift over the cot sides (I'm 5'2 and was heavily pregnant with DC2). It was a nightmare for the first few weeks as she realised that she could get out of bed whenever she liked ie. hundreds of times a night.

Dc2 refused to sleep in a cot from day one so at least we never had that problem.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 02/02/2021 11:36

My own mother pressured me about putting dc into a "big bed" when they were quite young and I just ignored her. She would regale me with apparently hilarious stories of how I'd climb out of bed, and pull all the clothes and toys off shelves and out if drawers and shed have to put them all back away every morning.

I just kept the sides on.

Harrysmummy246 · 02/02/2021 11:50

Floor bed from 14 months as bedsharing- DS was too heavy to put in low setting of cot and I couldn't do it without waking him. You either need to accept lowering the cot or have a bed.

Even at 3y7mo, DS very rarely gets out of bed. He falls out occasionally as we've just taken the guard away but he's got the floor bed beside to fall onto- big crash last night but he just got himself straight back into bed, sometimes if he rolls off, he just stays asleep

mistermagpie · 02/02/2021 12:13

Leave them in for as long as possible in my house! Both my boys were just about three. Never needed a bed guard at that point really, they went straight into a single bed with no issues.

My daughter is 14 months and will be staying put for a while longer.

Mine have all been in gro bags so I think that prevented them climbing out, either that or they just aren't very adventurous.

coffeeandjuice · 02/02/2021 12:20

Agree with the long as possible for all the above reasons. It is such a pain when you're short and have to lug them out. That moments discomfort is probably better than them exploring their new found freedom early though.

birdybirdbird · 02/02/2021 16:55

Mine is nearly 2.5 and still in his cot. Plan to have him in there (and not marauding round his room when he’s supposed to be asleep!) until he climbs out by himself.

letsmakethetea · 02/02/2021 16:56

Mine is 3 and still in the cot. They sleep well and I'm afraid that any change will result in having to get up all night again. I'm aware this needs to change.

jiggetyjig · 02/02/2021 17:02

DC1 was 20 months old and able to climb out the cot on at the lowest setting.
DC2 was 23 months and again was a climber.
Both went straight into a single bed and neither fell out.

FoxtrotSkarloey · 02/02/2021 17:09

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

Hey12345678 · 02/02/2021 22:12

Everyone saying leave them in there as long as poss - what about potty training don’t they need the sides off incase they need to use the potty in the night ? Mines still in the cot & I was going to start soon sorry if I sound dumb.

dementedpixie · 02/02/2021 22:15

Ds was dry at night by 2½ years so that's when he moved to a bed (in case he needed the toilet). Night dryness doesn't always come at the same time as day dryness

Smartiepants79 · 02/02/2021 22:18

About 2 and a half for my eldest as her sister needed the cot!
Then youngest was about 2 and 3 months- I can’t remember why we did it and I sort of regretted it for a bit as she never took an afternoon nap again!
Potty training doesn’t usually happen at night until much later. It’s very common to put toddlers into pull ups for sleeping.

Magicbabywaves · 02/02/2021 22:18

Eldest two were aged 3 and my youngest is still in the cot at 2.5. Keep them in as long as you can and they’re not climbing and hurting themselves. I have friends who are regularly woken up by wandering toddlers and I have no desire for that!

Babdoc · 02/02/2021 22:25

15 months. I was 8 months pregnant with my second child so needed the cot ready for the new baby’s arrival.
I put DD1 on a mattress on the floor, so there was no risk of her falling out of the bed. She was thrilled with her “ big girl’s bed” and pleased to get rid of the cot bars. I put all her teddies on the mattress and showed it to her in the afternoon, rather than springing it on her at bedtime. She sat and played on it for ages, and had to be coaxed down downstairs for tea!

MySocalledLoaf · 02/02/2021 22:30

As late as possible, around 2 years 2 months both times after they managed to climb out.
You don’t want them wandering around without you knowing.

riddles26 · 02/02/2021 22:59

Just under 3 years for eldest (would have been longer if BIL didn't need a cot at the time) and youngest is almost 2.5yrs and not coming out of the cot before he's 3.

Hes has attempted to climb out but its not possible in a sleeping bag so we put that with a t shirt on top so he can't take it off himself.

I second all the above PP who say keep them in cot for as long as you possibly can. So many things in the room can be a hazard for a toddler, I sleep much better when they're in a cot.

EachBleachBlairTrump · 02/02/2021 23:04

DS was two in November, still in his cot, grobag stops him climbing out. If he was in a bed, he would get up, climb his furniture, empty the drawers etc. I'm hoping i can keep the sides on for a while yet. Also good room is fairly small so I'd like to wait until he could manage a midsleeper for extra storage

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