when is it time to get a bed and get rid of the cot?

[tinkerbellie]

hi, my dd is 20 months and is quite a good sleeper (she will sometimes have a token cry and stand up but she knows when she is tired and within two mins will get her self to sleep)

a couple of months ago thoug she managed to climb out of her cot (and fell on the floor which is laminate - so i should imagine it hurt), luckily she wasn't hurt though and just shook herself up a bit

this is a m and p cot and i only bought it when she was born and i thought it would be suitable for much longer

she never tried it again after that first time, but we did put pillows and locked the safety gate just incase

last night she was caught half way out of the cot again by ds - what can i do

i feel that she is a little young for a bed and donlt want to ruin her sleeping, but as it may turn into a safety issue - does anyone know of any toddler beds that have a frame around them to stop the child climbing out?

Surely a bed with a frame round is called a cot?

Anyway, yes she is coming up to the age where a bed might be better. We put a stairgate on ds's bedroom door to stop him wandering around the house in the dark and we also put the cot matress by the side of the bed for a few weeks incase he tumbled out, which I think he did just once.

It won't disrupt her sleep for long but you do need to do it whether now or 6 months.

I've been wondering this as well. My dd is only 13 months but has been climbing out of her cot for at least the last 6 months. I need to put her into her sister's room as well so not sure if I should do it all in one go or if she is still too young?

dd has been in room with ds since she was six months and while this has been fine with her in the cot as she can't go anywhere (most ofthe time) i think that they will wind each other up if she can get out of her bed and then i worry that she will try and climb into his bed which is a mid sleeper!

arghh... also then there is the space issue - a bed will be quite a bit bigger than the cot and don't think it will fit

unless we put the bed under the midsleeper - or do you think that that would be a bit scary for her?

I'm no expert and only have the one ds to go by. But I think ds was in a bed at about 14/15 months and far happier. He just got to a stage where he disliked 'the bars'

You can get safety side things to put on to a new bed specifically to stop children from rolling out. Alternatively you could also do what I did, which was to put the old cot mattress on the floor beside the bed, so that she lands on that should she fall out in the night. My dd1 was about your daughter's age when she progressed to a bed so I think age-wise you're about right to be thinking about this. Top tip was to set up the bed before you put the cot away and introduce some of her toys to it first. That way, they can try it out for her and you will find after a night or 2 your dd will be itching to join them!

Good luck!

will have to look into getting a bed at the weekend and work out where it will go!!