What age should you change your toddler from cot to bed?

[nadinet9]

My lo is nearly 20 months, she wakes up between 5 and 6 and makes a fuss until we get her out of her cot. I was thinking of changing her to cot to the bed, so that she can get up and play. Is it too young to change her to a bed?

If you think she's ready then go for it, my DD was a similar age when we moved her and it has been fine!

when they climb out of the cot, fall and whack their nose on the floor. My DD did this at 2 and my Ds at 17 months... sigh...

Same as Captain. When they climbed out!
DS2 was about 18 months. Give it a go if you want to. Be warned, it makes getting out of bed at bed time a fun game for some kids!

My eldest was 20 months and worked really well, he never got out of bed and he went from rubbish sleeper to sleeping through most nights. My youngest is 14 months currently and still in a for but aim to make the transition when he is around 20 months too.

*cot, not for!

Same as above about 20 months. First was because 2nd baby was on the way and we wanted the change over done before baby 2 was here, second was because it felt right.
No issues with either getting up randomly.

My DD was about 21 months - we were worried that she might climb out. Weirdly she wouldn't get out of her bed in the mornings and would call for us for the first few months.

Same as Pico, once we put ds1 in a bed at 20 months he wouldn't get out until we went to him in the morning..... This lasted until he was...... 5 years old! Lucky, I know!

In our case, it DD was not quite two when she went into a bed. DD2 came along and needed the cot.

When they climb out here. DS1 was 22m, DS2 was 2y10m and DS3 is still in his cot at 3y4m lol.

I've been thinking about this too. DS is 20m and doesn't much like the cot to settle down in. He'd rather fall asleep on the floor. I think I'd need to thoroughly toddler-proof the room first, I can wholly imagine him playing with duplo all night.

Do they not fall out of bed?

We have a pair of beds where one rolls under the other. We put DD on the one that rolls under, so it's close to the floor. We also put a bed guard side thing on it. We actually wanted DD to be able to come into us as we are a bit lazy. I'm not sure what we'll do with DD2.

Oh yes, I should invest in a bed guard shouldn't i?

Ds is 18 months and we're hoping to move him to a bed by the time he's two to avoid buying another for dd (this is strictly "in theory"- he loves his cot so we won't evict him early!). Can I just ask if your dcs just learned how to sleep one way up? When I go to ds to check on him he's often turned 180 degrees/is right up against the headboard/bum in the air etc

We thought this foam bed guard was fab;

www.purpledaisies.co.uk/shop/bed-guards/

We moved DD at 19 months (DC2 due and so we wanted the cot back!). She was fine.

I did bed with bed guard first.

He could get safely over it but it worked well as a mental barrier.

Removed the bed guard at about 3. By then he was a lot better at staying in bed and only got out at acceptable times.

DS was just under 2. It was only because XP had bought him a bed rather than a cot.

For some miraculous reason he doesn't get out if it. He lies there shouting for me to come and get him. Very strange!

We moved dd at just gone two years old because I had just got pregnant and lifting her in and out was straining my back. She was quite happy in the cot otherwise. For the first few nights we put a pool noodle under the bottom sheet to stop her from falling out. It was fine, although she still shouts for us in the morning, the fantasy of playing with her toys quietly didn't really work out.

we removed the side of the cot when dc fell out at around 18m...

sleeping 'one way up', well my 8yo still dosen't...

I don't think there is a perfect age.
DD asked to sleep in the single bed in her room at 14 months, did so and never looked back.
DS1 was 2.2 and refused to sleep in his cot the first night we moved house.
DS2 was about 21 months because we needed the cot for DS3.
DS3 was 2 years 9 months, he slept very well so we stuck to the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' way of thinking. Until he learned to climb out.

We never bothered with bed guards. I can only think of a couple of occasions when any of them have fallen out of bed.

As late as possible in my house

Remember being jumped on at 5.30 am and returning to bed 100+ times!

Dd was nearly three. She still liked the cot tbh, but we were a bit sick of it! She got quite into the idea of a bed, anyway, so all is well.
She still, several months in, does not seem to have realised that she could actually get up out of it during the night. She'll shout things like "dinosaur's on the floor!" And we shout "pick him up, then!" But she won't!

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences