Recommend a good bed for 2.6yo?

[BettyButterknife]

I need to get our DS out of the cot and into a bed before July, as DC2 is due then.

Ideally, I'd want to put him in something that'll last him a long time - don't want to buy a junior bed AND a single bed.

I've looked at a few of the IKEA ones, as well as looking online at JOhn Lewis ones.

Other than price, is there anything in particular I should be looking at?

And what's the best way to get them used to sleeping in a bed rather than a cot?

I bought a really good bed from John Lewis for my DD (my DS now uses it!) - it certainly was a lot less than what the specialist (Aspace) beds go for and it is just slightly smaller than a single, but takes single fitted sheets.

With regards to falling out the bed, I do think you can get guard rails. However, I just put down pillows as the bed wasn't that high off the ground and one side was against the wall.

I think the best thing to do is to make sure that you get the best mattress you can and get a good, waterproof mattress cover.

Having their own linen and being told that she was a big girl and how esciting it was also helped.

The other thing we did do was to make sure that we moved ger well before DS arrived on the scene ...

Thanks, that's really useful. Did your kids ever fall out or is my concern a misguided one? I was thinking of wrapping a single duvet across the bed and tucking it in each side to make him feel more secure.

How soon before your DS arrived did you make the change?

I was a bit concerned about her falling out the bed, but it was quite low to the ground and I put her pillows along the side so she would fall on the pillows if she did! (I must admit that she fell but of the bed once but she had a soft landing on the pillows). I am also a kind of mum who prefers not having any barricades (only if really dangerous) as I like the idea of my children not being confined .. but then my two are very restless sleepers who move about a lot ...

I took my DD out of a cot after about 18 months (we were off on holiday and didn't have the option of a cot or travel cot) so we had a bit of a baptism by fire (and a very odd holiday!!) but she was quick to move into her bed!

Good luck - hope it all goes well.

dd (2.6) is in a proper narrow single from JL (in fact it is this one which was our spare-room bed for many years)

it is high but she has step (type meant for toilet) to get in and a bedguard

it's 2'6" so normal single sheets are too big, but you can get 2'6" fitted jersey sheets easily and cheaply from MOthercare (in fact we bought form there before having kids when it was the spare bed), and we got a waterproof cover from Panters

we moved her at 2.1 after she spurned the travel cot on holiday and slept in a big bed for a week - seemed opportune as dc2 is due any day now. We did the whole 'big girl big bed' thing and she chose fabric to cover the headboard and make a pillowcase - apart from that she gets the plain cream stuff form when it was the spare bed.

our ds spent his first night in his single bed lastnight and loved it we got him the westport one from next as it isnt to high its great...
we put a pillow at the side to and it was fine.

our ds spent his first night in his single bed lastnight and loved it we got him the westport one from next as it isnt to high its great...
we put a pillow at the side to and it was fine.

here are some reviews

We got this one for DD. She went into it just a week or two after her 2nd b'day. It is a full sized single, which is big enough even for a very pregnant me to sleep in (I have been known to migrate there when DD has come into our bed in the early hours ).

To go with it, we also got these, as recommended on here and they are brilliant - DD hasn't fallen out of her bed yet! Think you can buy them from Mothercare, etc.

we have this low sleeper for ds and got a comfort mattress on offer in Argos. I have an ikea bedguard that has helped keep him from rolling out of bed.

Great, thanks for all the advice. I'll look into all the suggestions and hopefully make a decision when pay day comes round!

Thanks