Cot to bed

[Cric]

Our DD (23months) has started climbing out of her cot during day time naps. Is it time to move to a bed? Any tips?

Yep I would be taking the sides off the cot now (if yours is a cot bed). The first time dd climbed out she caught her foot and fell down quite hard so it's best to move her into a bed to be on the safe side

Dds bed was against the wall so we put a bed guard on the other side. She actually stayed put for the first few weeks but now she can play up and come out but we do rapid retreat. We don't engage with her, just take her back to bed everytime and say 'it's bedtime, night night' They soon give up.

We have a cot bed and the side drops. Is it bed to keep it low with no side/ buy a new guard? Or are you meant to move the base up a little bit and drop the side as a guard? These questions sound silly but I am clueless!

We just took the sides down. We decided against a rail as the bed is very low. The first week we put loads of cushions and blankets down next to the bed. He fell out a lot and visited us A LOT. Seems to be much better now though, doesn't fall out anymore.

I think if your DD has learned how to get out it probably is time.

We did similar to Cinnamon - first step was removing one side of the cot and putting the base down to the lowest setting with a thick folded blanket tucked under the legs that side so he didn't just pitch straight onto the wooden floor when he fell out. This was paired up with already having a sturdy stair gate on the landing and latches on the doors into the other rooms (so he couldn't drink shower gel or climb up the shelves in our room!). Once he got the hang of that, we got him a standard single bed.

Thanks everyone!

Ours did this. We took the sides off. Turns out she was dropping the nap and kept getting out of bed regardless. Had to stop napping. I nearly cried!

Oh don't say that!! I love nap time!

I wouldn't take the sides off the cot just yet. Firstly consider why is she climbing out?

It is much easier to climb out of bed than it is to climb out of a cot. Is she climbing as a means to refuse to sleep? Or is she still napping OK in there? Is she going to bed OK at night?

If it is an a means to refuse sleep, then the problem will get a million times more difficult in a bed. Consider if you feel she still needs a daytime nap and also if she'll stay in bed at bedtime if she wasn't in a cot.

If she is going to sleep perfectly OK, then no reason to think she wont be the same in a bed so I would change cot to bed.

If she is climbing in order to procrastinate about going to sleep, then this is more behavioural and with your presence and repeated lying back down, she can be taught not to procrastinate in this way.

She (touchwood) sleeps really well. She fell head first out of the cot yesterday afternoon so we took the side down. She was more upset by the stairgate that is now on the door than the bed! Once she was asleep she slept the night through (although ended up in the middle of the room!). I got a bed guard today haha. Thanks everyone