Thinking about taking bars off the cot tomorrow for DD - any advice?

[chloejessmeg]

Hello. DD is 1 year old and not yet walking. She is in a cot bed and only has bars on one side (other side against wall with bed guard to stop her falling down the gap).

I am pregnant with baby number 2 and have been offered both a cot and a bed second hand if we want one from friends so it is just a matter of choosing.

Was thinking about trying her without the bars tomorrow as DH is off for 4 days (he does shifts) so will have somebody to help with the struggle. What we would actually do is probably just turn the cot round for now so the side with just the bed guard is on the outside.

The thing making me what to go for the bed with her is that she is climbing on everything and although she hasn't managed to climb out her cot yet, she has done it in her playpen (which obviously had much more in it than her cot, but is similar hight, bars etc).

Where as the reason in some ways I would like her still in the cotbed is that it takes up less space.

The bed isn't a full size bed, it is a child's bed but is bigger than a toddler bed iyswim.

So if we get DD in the new bed, and the baby in her cotbed, we wouldn't have to worry about getting anything else for years, when the new baby eventually grows out of the cotbed. When we can probably get bunk beds or something.

Anyway, thought I would give it a go, before she starts walking. Any tips? What do I do if she climbs/falls out of the bed? Any tips on how to make it not so stressfull for all of us?

keep the cot! there's a big difference between standing on something to climb out and just climbing out. in a cot, you know where they are, and they can't escape at bedtime.

plus she will fall out with no cot side. mine were on a matress on the floor for a while after leaving the cot.

Really? I just thought it would be good to get it sorted before the new baby comes so she isn't "stealing" DDs cot?

well she won't be stealing it if someone gives you a new cot will she? keep the cot for as long as you can. ds2 is 2.4 and I'm thinking of putting a lid on his.

well she won't be stealing it if someone gives you a new cot will she? keep the cot for as long as you can. ds2 is 2.4 and I'm thinking of putting a lid on his.

I guess not.

I read a post on here, that the earlier you put them in a 'grown up' bed the better as it just becomes normal - and after the 6th time tonight of putting 2.5yr old dd back in bed I have some sympathy with the idea!

You can put cushions/travel cot mattress down by the side of the bed so if they fall out they have a soft landing, and ime pretty quickly they 'learn' not to fall out anyway. You can also put a stairgate at the top of the stairs or on their bedroom door if you are concerned about nocturnal wondering/falling down stairs.

Thanks Heated. I have heard that too which is why I thought it would be a good idea! But now I am not too sure! We have a spare cot matress that can go on the floor by her bed incase she falls off, and can "child proof" her room a bit more incase she does get out of bed. Have a stairgate at the top of stairs but might move it to her room if we do it just to resrict her a bit more. We have a baby monitor all the time anyway so should be able to hear her straight away.

Any ideas if it is best to start at Nap time or night time? I guess nap time because we would then be awake/around when she wakes up to know what she will do.

Was also thinking if we put her in a sleeping bag she shouldn't get out? With a bed guard on.

Waswondering - can I ask what was it that made it too early? We wouldn't be unassembling her cot so wouldn't be much hassle to go back if it doesn't work.

bump

a grown up bed becomes normal at some point whatever age you start at surely?

I imagine by "too early", ww meant that dc fell out or kept getting out of bed.

Oh I still don't know what to do!

I put DD1 into a full size bed at a year, she hated her cot and I was also due to have DD2, she loved her bed.... we put an old mattress by it for the night rolling (which she did and sometimes didn't even wake) and locked the stair gate in case she crawled downstairs....worked for us!

That is sounding hopefull MrsD. Thanks for that. Did she climb out at first? Did you use a bedguard?

Didn't climb out really, that I remember, no we never used a bed guard for any of our DCs but they are a good idea as extra protection from rolling out I suppose.

I wondered if the bed guard would be more dangerous than without it, as if she did get out of bed, it would be from over the top of the bed guard. But she does move about in her sleep so would help prevent her falling out. We already have one so not an extra cost or anything.

I wondered if the bed guard would be more dangerous than without it, as if she did get out of bed, it would be from over the top of the bed guard. But she does move about in her sleep so would help prevent her falling out. We already have one so not an extra cost or anything.

MrsD - could your DD walk or climb in and out by herself when she went into a bed? Was it quite near to the ground or high off the ground like a divan?

Good point Nappy addict. Would be interested to know. DDs cot is very low down, can't fit a storge draw or even big packs of nappies under there.

Hello! My DDs bed was a full size single pine bed, she couldn't walk when we put her in, didn't take long though, and with the spare mattress (kept underneath bed, pulled out at night) it was easier for her to get in and out...eventually

The other thing that would be good, is that I struggle to keep bending over the cot with my big bump in the way! She has had an early morning nap so haven't done it yet. Got to sort her room out a bit first so not sure if we will get the chance today but maybe tomorrow.

Good luck

We have just taken the sides off ds1's cotbed and he's 3 . We'd have done it earlier but he insisted that he liked the bars . But he was only 14 months when ds2 was born and I felt that it was easier to keep ds1 in a cot so that at least I could put him in there for a minute if I needed him to be somewhere safe (we lived in a 2nd floor flat at the time and there was much ferrying of things/children up and down stone stairs for a while).

DS2 is now nearly 2 and I, like Senorapostrophe would quite like a lid for his cot - wouldn't dream of taking him out of his yet.

I had to take the sides off of dd's cot when she was about 16/17 months old. In all fairness she did manage to throw herself over the bars of her cot so that was kind of the straw that broke the camels back.

I would hold out as long as you possibly can with it. I only did it because she would have seriously hurt herself if I didn't. I now have a saftey gate on her bedroom door, however my dad put it up to high and the wee madam is now crawling under it. I beg of you!

MrsD - oh yes sorry i should read what people write properly - you said she was crawling. Could she crawl in and out of her bed at first or not?