Advice on switching to big bed

[blumberg]

My dd is now 16mths. She is perfectly happy in cot, but I am due in feb (she will be 21 mths), and I will need her cot!! She slept in our room for first 3 months (just - very noisy sleeper!!), and plan to do the same. But am worried about when should move her - she will have the new room as is bigger, and thought might be good idea to move before new baby so doesn't feel ousted. but am worried about her in big bed at only 21 months. any of you experienced people out there got some good advice??

It worked out OK for us in similar circumstances. DS was just over 2 when DD was born. I too wanted him settled in his new room, in a big bed before baby was born. He went straight into a full size single with the minimum of fuss. He did fall out a few times but we used to pad out the floor, didn't happen often enought to even warrant buying a bed guard.
I was glad that I did this as whan DD was born things were rather hectic for a while but DS was settled in his lovely new room.
W got his new room ready and for the first few nights gave him the option of sleeping in the baby bed or the big boys bed! It worked every time.

We put up our dd's bed a few months before we took the cot away so she got used to it. She would play in it and eventually stated saying she didnt want to go in the cot but in the bed. She was 18months when we did this

hi blumberg, we recently moved ds into a proper single bed in a new room (he is 25 mths) and he does get up a lot crying in the night. The night before last, we started controlled crying and it's working a treat. The first night he cried for 1 hour exactly before putting himself back to bed and last night it was 1/2 hour. We also let him use the room as a playroom for a few months before moving him in so it was familiar. Oh, and a nightlight is comforting...

I would think getting her used to her bed before the baby comes might be better - as Dingle says, you'll have enough to think about later on! And I don't think a couple of months will make much difference.

There are two issues; falling out and being able to get out. The falling out one is easy - put the bed against the wall and get a bed rail for the other side (loads on ebay). Or put the cot mattress on the floor for her to fall onto!

But the fact that she will be able to get up when she wants is trickier. A friend has a stairgate across the bedroom door so at least her dd can't wander the house. I worried about it with my dd and in the event she got up once of her own accord, and now just lies in her bed calling to be got up like she did in her cot.

Dd was just over two but could have done it earlier if I'd got organised and bought the bed sooner. We moved her from Grobag to duvet at the same time and I don't think any of it bothered her at all. We worried more than she did!

IMO leave her in the cot as long as you can!! Put the new baby in a moses basket for the first 3 months or so and that'll get you until she's 2. Or buy an other cot - maybe second hand? I would hate for you to have a night wanderer on top of the night feeds - you'll be shattered. We put DD into a bed at 18 months and in hindsight it was the worst thing possible. I put her back into bed one night 33 times !!

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