When to move to big bed?

[AllyRose10]

Edit- title should read When/why!

Apart from the climbing out of the cot, for what reasons did you decide to move your toddler into a big bed, at what age, and how did you find the transition? Thanks for the advice.

2nd birthday, She'd never really slept in the cot and we wanted to see if she would be better in a cot and she was.

Age 3 when I was pregnant with our second so the cot could be used by the new baby. The second didn’t use it for anywhere near as long and escaped not long after he turned 1! No issues whatsoever with the transition in either case.

22 months because I was 9 months pregnant and could no longer lift him over the bars and get him in the cot. He did amazing. Although it was a cot that then converted into a toddler bed so that may have helped that it was familiar. He is also a good sleeper. He then went into a single bed 6 months later so baby could have the cot.

Aged 3, when we'd been thinking about it for a while but not quite got round to it. People often say you have to move them when they could climb out, but he wasn't climbing out and we hadn't time to convert it to a toddler bed. Anyway, one day he said 'I think I'm ready for a big boy bed now', so we got on with it. He adjusted really well, probably because he'd asked for it himself. We also introduced a Gro Clock at the same time, and he believes in its authority so he doesn't get up until it says, unless he needs a wee.

This, word for word same situation x

She was 2y 9m when she moved - she'd been sleeping really well in the cot and wasn't trying to climb out so didn't want to move her and make nighttime sleep worse. She had a single in the room as didn't have any other rooms it could go in when we moved and we figured she'd need it eventually.... anyway we moved her when she announced one bedtime that she was going to sleep in the bed now 😆, I don't think she could believe her luck when I let her.

Ds1 - 20 months. Climbed out.
DS2 - 18 months. Climbed out.....

Just before DS 2nd birthday. He went straight from a cot to a standard single bed (with a bed guard) and didn't bother with a toddler bed as it just seemed like another expense. It had a guest bed underneath too for guests. It lasted until he was about 10 years old.

Age 2. Luckily with both of mine it was fairly easy. We had a Gro clock so they knew what time they could get up.

IME (3 kids) it becomes clear when it's the right time, don't overthink it.

DS1 never had a cot, he coslept and then went into a proper bed once he started kicking the covers off me and being too wriggly at night (about 2).

DS2 changed some time between 2.5 and 3, because I was pregnant and I couldn't lift him over the cot bars. Though it was a European kind where three bars are removable to create a "door", we knew we needed the cot for the baby and we had another bed for him, a mid-sleeper with a slide, to move to and he slept in both for a while. I used to block the gap at the ladder with books!

DS3 we took the sides off the cot and made it into a toddler bed when he started to climb out. No idea how old he was. Then he had the toddler bed underneath the slide bed, and then DS2 started to become anxious that the slide bed might break when DS3 was under it so wanted to sleep elsewhere. We put a spare mattress on the floor for him. The bed is fine and wouldn't break (we wouldn't use it if it did!) but he liked having a separate bed, so we bought another bed from IKEA and let DS3 try the slide bed, which he loves. Everyone is happy.

12 months with a bed guard at the side to avoid them rolling out. We coslept a lot, so it meant I could go in with the little one to give dh a break, or little one could theoretically wander through to us, if they woke up alone and needed company.

They didn't however as I am a light sleeper so appeared by their side as soon as they called! We often used to joke that they thought there was an invisible barrier around the bed as they just stayed there and waited for help!

Mine were all in beds at a year. They all climbed out their cots prior to that…

I clearly bred little terrors!

We had cot beds for our dcs from birth. They are suitable from birth until 5 years so were the best value. We just took one side off when it seemed they were going to climb out (around 14-16 months) and that turned them into toddler beds. They stayed in those beds until 5 and 6 - it was clear they needed to move then as they were too long.

We transitioned last month. He is 2 and a quarter. He was climbing out. When he appeared at my bedside when I was trying to get to sleep we made the decision to convert the cot to a toddler bed. However... It has been a nightmare to get him settled. We also have a futon in the room too and he flits between each of them and has actually spent more nights on that than the bed 🙃. We have to stay with him now to make sure he goes to sleep otherwise he gets upset. Made a rod for our own backs!

We did it at 22m when we potty trained so that she could get up to go to the toilet if she wanted to. Never had any issues with her getting out etc. Friends that waited until they were older and/or climbing out the cot had a lot more problems with the transition

With both of mine we took the side off the cot when they toilet trained at 2.5, to give them the option of getting out and using a potty. Moved them into single beds when they were 3.

We’ve just moved ours a week ago at 17 months. She never slept well in a cot and would always end up in bed with me after 2/3 hours. We have another baby arriving in a few weeks and I wanted my partner back in bed to help with that 😂.

We tied it in with a move into her own room and bought a double size floorbed. Obviously that’s only possible if the room is big enough though (mines a real wiggler annd I knew a single wouldn’t work for her) and you have to really babyproof the whole room. So far though it’s gone really well, we’ve had our first proper sleep throughs and she’s always really happy when we go in and get her in the morning.

We moved our son around his second birthday. He was getting tall so we were concerned about climbing out of the crib. And he didn’t seem to like being cooped up.

But mainly we were just fed up of lifting him in and out the cot, and we knew we’d have to do it eventually so just wanted to get it over and done with.

If you feel it is time, then it probably is. Recently moved my 26 month old to a toddler bed and he has been so much happier. Always felt the bars were a bit like prison. He is much happier climbing into bed himself and happily lies there til he falls asleep. Obviously each child is different. Was more of a battle with my eldest who liked to have his hand held til he fell asleep, whilst youngest once tucked in bed, happily stays there. Every child is different. I would say try it but keep the cot in case you want to revert.

Recently a few months before her 3rd birthday. Still couldn’t climb out but was getting too long (we have the smaller standard cot rather than a cotbed). Also pregnant with our 2nd and wanted to move her before I found it hard to lift her.

My son, went straight from his crib at almost 6 months into a single bed largely due to lack of space.. He only ever fell out of bed once and never had any escaping or climbing out problems. Much safer.