First grown up bed for a toddler

[Pupuce]

Advice needed. DS - 2 yo - currently sleeps in a cot bed but I am keen to pass it on to his sister and buy a new bed for him...
Is 2 YO too young to move into a big bed - anyone has any views ? Hod did you achieve a good transition ?
Also which sort of bed did you go for ???
Thanks

My first Ds moved into own bed(in principle anyway) at around 2years.

We involved him in chosing one (habitat iron bed not to far off the floor). he also choose his duvet cover and helped his dad put it together.
It certainly helps to make it part of a 'growing up' game.

Pupuce we moved my son into his 'big bed' when he was 2yr 4 months. We also got him to choose his duvet cover and made a big thing of going out and buying it. He couldn't wait to go to bed the first night!!! I don't know who was more excited him or me.
We didn't really have too many problems, occassionally he would come downstairs after he'd been put to bed but we would take him straight back upstairs again. For a time we used a bed guard that fits between the mattress and the base of the bed as on a couple of occassions he fell out of bed.
Best of luck

Pupuce, we have recently been through this too. Got a John Lewis pine bed which is slightly lower.

He was very involved in putting it together (much to hubbies joy!!) and then after lunch made a 'den' with his brother, blankets, all the teddies etc and general welcoming of the bed!

Definitely involve them in duvet choosing (ninight.co.uk) have some to look at.

We had a big cushion on the floor, he fell out once, head on cushion feet still in the bed and could have probably gone back to sleep in that position. Havent got a bed guard as out oldest didnt need one, so we are hoping we wont need one this time. They soon work out the boundaries.

But the strangest strangest thing of all is once he's in he doesnt get out. Most peculiar. He can get out, when we go in in the morning, but otherwise this monster toddler of ours who we thought would be running round the landing like a loonie stays put!?

PS: He is 2 too.

We moved our twins at about that age and eventually it worked...
One boy was openly bereft at saying bye to his cot and wept solidly as I lay beside him in his big bed on the first night. The other seemed wholly unmoved at the time but months later still sometimes talks about his cot in rather a wistful manner. I think it's quite a big transistion really.
From our point of view the disaster- once we were pretty sure they were both feeling secure to sleep in the new beds- was their new found ability to leap about and drive us nuts after bedtime! Eventually we put a stairgate at their door which they loved, surprisingly and still insist on closing at bedtime, even though they can now open it easily. It was a pretty difficult time though and I think in retrospect they were too young- I believe your mate Gina recommends keeping them cotbound till 3yrs or thereabouts? For me that would have been good advice but I think the horror was compounded by the two of them egging each other on!

The choice was made for me at 2yrs when dd realised she could climb out of her cot. We already had a mattress, so she slept on that on the floor for a while - firstly so that if she fell out, she wouldn't get hurt, and secondly, cos we didn't get round to getting the bed frame for a while! We also had to do the stairgate at the door for both dds, and I felt that was an ideal compromise between locking the little darlings in (tempting, but just seemed too cruel), and having them runing riot around the house until the early hours!

Pupuce we moved our little boy into a bed at this time partly as we needed the cot for his sister.It is just an old single bed which we had anyway. he was a little apprehensive. we took down the side of his cot and said it was broken ( one of his favourite words, he seems to like the concept!) but then pushed the cot up against his bed ( the non broken side) for the first few nights so he still had the bars at one side as per usual.
Like Ems it has been a source of amazement that he makes no attempt to climb out.
Good luck

My two were both about 2 when they moved to a bed...we bought the pipeline beds with a trundle underneath, which was great as a "step up" so they could get in and out by themselves, and the mattress on the trundle was handy if they rolled out of bed (which only happened a few times, and often they didn't even wake up!)

We moved dd to make way for ds's arrival, but we did it about 6 months before he was due so she didn't feel like she was being "kicked out" specifically for him. She took to it like a fish to water, we were amazed. Dd ended up in a bed on a farmstay holiday and loved it so when we got home we took his cot apart and put him straight in his bed (which we already had luckily) and he was pretty good too.

My tips would be to let them be involved in choosing the duvet or even the bed itself or where in the room it should go. I love the bed-warming idea of ems! Also make sure you take the cot down so it's no longer an option or they might "try you out" to see if you'll give in and put them back in it! And just be firm once you decide, and keep marching them back into their room if they wander out!

Good luck!

Well D-Day has arrived faster than I thought. DS was suppose to have his nap this afternoon but I kept hearing him banging his feet against his cot bed, I went to tell him it was nap time... and a few minutes later, I heard a loud noise... went to check and he had climbed (fallen) out of his bed... so DH has just spent the last 30 minutes transforming the cot into the bed... DS was very excited. He has already gone into his bed, put all his teddies in it, etc
I will now see how he is getting on and hopefully in a fortnight I'll buy him a regular bed, and give the cotbed to DD... We'll see how it goes.
My current problem is to find a bed I like... any advice on shops ? I have yet to look at Habitat.

No advice about shops, (you could look in JLP, M&S, Frasers etc) but I'd recommend buying as good a bed as you can afford. I like Slumberland and Sleepezee beds. They're better made and last longer. I once bought a set of Airsprung twin beds - what a load of cr*p! The mattresses had to be replaced after just a couple of years, due to the innards working their way out, then the divan frames fell apart. A decent mattress protector is a must, too. HTH.

My ds slept in his cot from 2weeks old during the day and 8weeks at night, before that he was in a carrycot (part of the Britax pram set up). No2 is due when he will be just 18months and am in a quandry about sleeping arrangements. Do I buy a second cot for no2 (perhaps a cotbed for no1 and no2 gets the old one) or keep him (its another boy) in the carrycot for 5months or so til No1 is old enough to go into a bed? I avoided the stress of persuading a 5month old to move from carrycot to cot last time, and having read some of the horror stories would like to get no2 in his own bed. Anyone any thoughts?
Pupuce-obviously I've no experience of choosing kiddies' 1st beds, but M+S do a great "stowaway" range. Then you have a handy spare bed for ds's friends to sleep over or a spare bed for other visitors. They may be a bit high for a child though, but are really well made, with an excellent mattress. We've certainy had no complaints from our adult guests. They range from all wood to all metal frames, or some wood frames with iron bedheads/feet. May be worth a look.

Do you know anyone who could lend you a cot for a few months, Honeybunny, to tide you over until your eldest is ready for a bed? Then you wouldn't have to shell out just yet. Also, I think there might be an older thread somewhere about when to move your older child.

Honeybunny, I'd agree with your first idea. Buy a cotbed for number 1 (mine was 129 GBP and really good) and give the cot to number2.
The cotbed can last quite a long time so when number 1 will be 3 (or so) you can buy him a proper bed and give the cotbed to number 1 who will go on using it until he is older, as a bed this time.
My problem is that number 1 is in a crib so she is outgrowing it.
DS slept really well in his bed last night and is currently napping... so fingers crossed he has liked the transition but now I still need to buy him a regular bed because DD will need his cotbed. Or do I just buy another cotbed... still hesitating.
Thanks for the M&S idea....

Strangely, no Suedonim, most of my baby rearing friends are either still using their cots, or like me are about to produce a new baby to put in the old one. Think I'll go along with Pupuce and get the cotbed. More money in the long run, but who knows, I might be tempted to try for another after this.

LOL, Honeybunny, at the reason for trying for number 3!! Good luck, when No2 comes along.

You probably know this already, but whatever you buy, check www.kiddicare.com. Great prices.