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Parenting

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Original poster

Transition from cot to bed

23 replies

puppie · 21/01/2010 08:56

We are going to take the plunge tonight shivers in fear

How did it go with your DCs? DS is 2.3. We are converting his cot bed into a bed tonight and wondered what to expect from him. Will he stay in it at all? How do we stop him from coming into our bedroom now? I dont want to shut his door (he can open it anyway).

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

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Original poster

puppie · 21/01/2010 12:47

Bump?

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MrsJamin · 21/01/2010 13:00

I was quite anxious about this a few weeks ago when we moved just-2 YO DS to a bed. the first night was a bit tricky, I made sure DH was around to help out. After about 45 mins he had calmed down and agreed to sleep. He was just quite excited by it. You just have to be consistent and insistent that they stay in bed. Stories in bed really help to get them warmed up and comfortable. We also 'blow out' the light which he loves, so we count 1,2,3, and blow together and I turn the light off. Friends of mine have a stair gate on the door if their children can open the door (DS hasn't worked this out yet, we shut the door).

Good luck with it all, it will be worth it!

Rhian82 · 21/01/2010 13:04

We have a stair gate on DS's door (he's 1.3, still in cot but it's great to leave him playing safely for a mo when popping to the loo) which works well, and I think will be good for this situation when it comes.

I'm paranoid about staying at IL's once he's in a bed - they have no stairgates and the bedrooms are right at the top of the stairs!

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Original poster

puppie · 21/01/2010 13:34

Ta MrsJarmin, They have been doing some bed time role play at the childminders so hopefully that will help too. So would I just keep putting him back in his bed every time he gets out or put a stairgate on door and ignore until he climbs back in bed himself? Was alo wondering if I should sleep in his room with him for first couple of nights or if that would make it worse...what do you think?

Rhian82 Take the stairgate with you when you go to in-laws!

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PureAsTheColdDrivenSnow · 21/01/2010 13:40

Rhian - not a gate as such, but great on holiday and at ILs

Rhian82 · 21/01/2010 14:17

Ooh PureAs, that looks perfect, good thinking!

MrsJamin · 21/01/2010 15:04

I think try to assume the best - that your DS will understand that he now sleeps in a "big boy bed" and don't assume that he'll get out etc. Just keep putting him back in and going on about what a big boy / clever boy / good boy he is for being in a bed. Do let us know how it goes!

AmeliaJaneAgain · 21/01/2010 15:09

We worried about this and in fact it was absolutely fine. One thing I think helped is that once we had converted the bed we didn't let DS play in it that day - so getting in and out didn't become a game.

DH took the side off while we were downstairs and we did his dinner and bath routine exactly as normal. When we took him into his room to put PJs on he just sort of looked at the bed as if to say 'hmm, something's different' then we put him in as normal and he has never got out of bed in the night.

Hope it goes OK.

wheresmypaddle · 21/01/2010 15:28

Can I ask a related question? DS (2.8yo) usually stays with my parents or in-laws once a week. He is still sleeping soundly in travel cot but I think he will have to sleep in a bed soon.

My mum's house has deep, steep horrible stairs with stone cald floor at bottom. In-laws have open stairs. DS can climb stair gates, and open doors.

Both my mum and in-laws have said they will just close the door when he first goes to bed, then once he is asleep they will lock the door.

At first I thought locking him in sounded terrible- but now I am calmer I am wondering if this is actually OK. They have a monitor so would hear him if he woke up. Sorry if I have missed something but the only potential problem I can think of is a fire- but he is too young to esccape without help anyway.

So can anyone tell me if they think its OK to lock him in once he is asleep-or not?

PureAsTheColdDrivenSnow · 21/01/2010 15:32

Rhian We had one for our holiday - it was perfect Bit of a fiddle to get right initially, but once you have the hang of it, it's great.

Doesn't open, but it's small enough to step over (and I'm a relative midget at 5'4")

shivster1980 · 21/01/2010 19:04

My DS was just over 2 years when we moved him to a bed. He didn't realise he could get out for about the first 2 weeks . Seriously! He would still call me to get him up in the morning and I played along for a bit lifting him out of bed! He had a stairgate on the door for a while anyway though - just in case.

AmeliaJaneAgain · 21/01/2010 23:12

WMP I can't get myself comfortable with him being locked in but can't really think of a great reason so am probably being a bit irrational.

I keep thinking that if there was a fire then wouldn't it be more fiddly to get to him, in the dark, when you'd want to do so quickly?

I know the chances are very remote and am sure lots of people will come along and say they do it all the time - perhaps I just need to toughen up...

melrose · 21/01/2010 23:20

Where's my paddle - don't feel pressured to move him too early! DS1 was in his cot till almost 3 (normalcot not cotbed)a nd DS2 is still in his at 2.5 and I ahve no plans to move him any time soon. I have always been slightly confused by the onsession to move them into a bed tbh

scarletlilybug · 21/01/2010 23:40

I'm with you, melrose. None of mine were out of cots before 3.

shivster1980 · 22/01/2010 08:22

My DS was out of a cot before three because he could (and did) climb out ! I wouldn't have moved him before otherwise - it was only really to avoid a trip to casualty!

cityangel · 22/01/2010 08:32

I really wouldn't lock him in. The time it would take under pressure in a smoke filled room to find the key and unlock it could make all the difference.

could you put a couple of these across the door and stairs and leave some toys and books by it to distract if he woke up?
www.johnlewis.com/230130957/Product.aspx?source=14798

Rhian82 · 22/01/2010 09:04

I'm sure the instructions with my cot said to move to a bed once the top of the bars was at chest level - too dangerous once they can climb/swing out of it.

How do people find travel cots with older babies? DS is a small 15 months, but the travel cots we used at Christmas when staying with family are already starting to seem too small, and he seems uncomfortable. But he's definitely too small for a bed yet.

melrose · 22/01/2010 09:30

Mine ha always been in grobags which helps with the climbing out bit! I have never found travel cots an issue tbh, and both ahve slept in them comfortably, as long as they can lie flat I don't thnk space is an issue.

PureAsTheColdDrivenSnow · 22/01/2010 09:39

I don't think it's an obsession to want to move Ds to a bed - he's 2.2 now, and doesn't fit in his travel cot anymore. We'd like to be able to stay at our parents houses and go on holiday without worrying about finding somewhere with a cot. Him being in a bed will make this much much easier for us.

wheresmypaddle · 22/01/2010 11:14

Thanks for answering my question- DS is still in cotbed at home, no plans whatsoever to move in him. He's in travel cot at GP's and at 2.9 its a squeeze- he cant stretch out but does still sleep like a log.

Will suggest the kiddyguard stairgate to them, they can't understand my reluctance to lock him in. I cant really explain why but it just feels wrong.

Luckily though, they won't do it if I put my foot down!!

Rhian82 · 22/01/2010 11:39

I'd feel wrong locking them in as well. It really could make the difference if there was a fire.

DS is in a sleeping bag, but can stand up and walk around his cot just fine! He moves around a lot in his sleep at the moment (so definitely not ready for a bed yet), so I think that's why he finds the travel cots too small for comfort.

PeggysEvilTwin · 22/01/2010 22:41

Can't add anymore to these great suggestions. I worried about this one untill we took ds(nearly 3) to centerparks last week and he had to sleep in a single bed.

He was absolutely fine. Loved it, in fact. So as soon as we had unpacked our bags when we got back, off came the cotbed sides! No problem. Just have a gate on his door, that's all. It's so lovely to be able to sit on his bed and read a story too. Good luck.

Original poster

puppie · 27/01/2010 14:02

Well its nearly a week later and Im pleased to say that he hasn't tried to get up once Of course it could be that it just has not occurred to him yet and I may be revisiting this thread when and if he does realise he can get up. Thanks for all your replies.

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