1st bed

[pipsy1]

My DD is just about ready to come out of a cot - but we are unsure what bed to buy. I don't want a full size single bed as room too small, but should we get a child's bed with guard attached - are there any good online shops? Looked at mothercare and kiddicare but feel none the wiser

DD always hated the bars, which I think considering I work in a prison may be a good sign

Seriously though. When a new born we borrowed a crib froma friend. But DD refused to sleep in it. She could be sound asleep when she was laid in it, but within minutes she was awake and upset. Lay her ona normal open bed she was fine. So we got a bedside cot and she was fine for ages, even when we put the side up. But from being about a year old and more mobile, she began to hate that too. As she got more talkative she complained about being stuck - and I thinkt he bars made her feel closed in to be honest. Put her in her toddler bed at 18 months and have never looked back

Oh I see. I'm probably ok with cot for a few good months as DS is quite happy in there (and this is the child who normally sleeps for up to 14 hours per night!)

Yes I wasn't sure when/why to move to a bed. Not sure if it will be a bad move as obviously she'll be able to get out whenever she wants, but that is going to happen sometime so maybe we'll try. CQ If I had a baby who slept for 14 hours at night then I definitely wouldn't change a thing! We are stuck at 11 and while that is quite a result from the past, an extra hour or two would certainly make all the difference!

Pipsy, his sleeping habits have changed over the last couple of weeks and he's back down to 12 hours. He went through a period of sleeping from 8pm to 10am and on one day he didn't wake up til 11.30am! He still has a couple of hours in the afternoon too (but didn't on that occasion obviously!)

Hmm..I'm at this dilemma now. dd is 2.3 and very happy in her cot with her Grobag but I think she's big enough to go into a junior bed and so does dh. She's on the middle floor though and we're on the top so worried about the fact that she may start to wander at night. Also she's only ever slept in a Grobag.

Decisions, decisions.

What's the longest you can reasonable keep them in a cot for?

My friend's little boy was in a cot until much nearer 3.

So I could hold on then you think? I think I'm stupidly dreading her going into the big bed - seems like she wont be my baby any more

Removed dd's cot side at that age (2yr 3 mth) but didn't put her in a single bed proper until she was 3. She is so little that it only really became uncomfortable for her then ! She did sleep better for the extra space though but looked lost.

I was thinking about taking the cot side off but thought it may make it unstable. Probably get dh to take a look.

If it is a drop side you may well find that it doesn't actually support the structure of the cot.

No reason at all to move into a bed if you're all still happy with the cot. And a cot does keep them under control .
We put dd into a bed when she was 2 and she didn't like it at first, then she started wandering in the night and we had quite a battle to get her to stay put.
So I'd say don't rush it unless you have to.

We have just had to put our 21 month boy into a bed. He is young but we had to do it as my auntie has started to look after him twice a week and she didn't have a cot for his afternoon nap. We have put a side on it so he can't fall out and we have put a gate across his bedroom door incase he gets out of bed. He loves it. I can't believe how well he has taken to it and how easy it has been. He still sleeps in his growbag in his bed.
Also he doesn't get out of bed but just sits up in it when he wakes up. He has been a good sleeper in his cot and he is the same in his bed. A few friends thought he was a bit young to go in a bed but it has all worked out well so far.

Just wanted to say that when we moved DS into a bed (normal single, with a portable bed rail) at 2.2 years he kept his grobag for a few months. He was also an upside down, back to front sleeper and I didn't see the need to ditch the grobag just yet, especially as it was winter. I think it helped him get the idea of staying in bed as well. When he moved to a duvet he spent the first couple of days wriggling around, and then was fine.

I looked on the Ikea website last night and think we're going to go with an extendable bed. The more expensive one - think it's £104 plus mattress. It's a little shorter at it's smallest length and that'll suit her current bedroom.

She came and sat next to me and announced that she wants "Fairy Princess pink bedding". That'll go nicely with the pale green walls and yellow curtains.....not

i think they need to move into a bed when they are trying to climb over the cot rails!! we took the sides off cot bed this weekend and so far she has not worked out that she can just get out! likes her duvet a lot.

Where can you get a really nice flat first pillow? I got one from JL a month ago but it's really 'round' and ds doesn't like it much, so it's become a back-support pillow for me! He's 19.5mo and still in his cot but we're thinking of moving him into a first bed soon.

baby shops do foam ones. They're quite thin - but flat!

I got one as part of a Kids 1st bed set from Argos. It was about £14 including a pillow, duvet and protective sheet. The official baby one from Mothercare was £15 and they didn't sell the p/cases to fit.

thanks! will have another look.

bit concerned my lil un is 21mths she has never slept well in her cot every night we get a screaming match for upto 2hours most nights i dont go into her tho i have always let her scream, she has so much energy and wont sleep in thedaytime either she hasnt had a day nap in about 8mths shes constantly on the go despite all my attempts i have been a consistant and fair mum so its not like shes unruley, the point im getting to is should i try a proper bed? get her fav tv charector cover and do think this wil be more appealing to her? pls if anyone has tips or advice im willing to listen thanx xxxxxx