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Sleep

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Original poster

3 year old, cotbed sides and sleeping bag

42 replies

PinkDaydreams · 29/11/2020 07:54

Morning!
Nearly 3 year old son is still in a cot bed and sleeping bag. I'm wondering when to take the sides off the cot bed?
He isn't trying to climb out which makes me think should I just leave things as they are? He won't use a quilt or pillow, pillow gets thrown out every night. I've tried the quilt but he gets so upset not being in his bag, it's like he associates the sleeping bag with going to sleep. I'm worried he will fall out of bed if I take the sides off and leave him in a bag though.
What should I do wise mumsnetters?!

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TotoroPotoro · 29/11/2020 07:58

Leave them be! My 2.5 year old is exactly the same and it will be a cold day in hell before I take the sides off unnecessarily. Otherwise they would never stay in bed! On the rare occasion I've tried a duvet they throw it out.

I've got everything ready to change should they suddenly decide to try and escape, but until then, they're in a cot bed in a sleeping bag!

TotoroPotoro · 29/11/2020 07:59

Re falling out of bed, you can get clip on barriers that stop this. Think ours for older DC was about a fiver from ikea

lambo88 · 29/11/2020 08:01

Our little boy was 2 in July and still in his cot with a sleeping bag...he sleeps through and hasn't tried getting out his cot and loves his bag so not changing anything...there's a fab company I've seen on Instagram called fidgetbum and it's a cover that goes around the bed to hold the duvet in place so it doesn't come off in the night and wake ur little ones cuz there cold xx

missanony · 29/11/2020 08:01

I took them off at just after 2 with dc2. Dc1 climbed out and that just turned bedtime into a massive game for about 6 months. Sometimes better to make the decision on your terms, depends on the kid

OhWifey · 29/11/2020 08:01

We use a bed guard. And sleeping bags with feet (ours are slumbersac)

TotoroPotoro · 29/11/2020 08:01

Ah sorry, a tenner www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vikare-guard-rail-white-30099293/

I'd probably get one in sooner rather than later; then if you need to convert the cot bed you can pop this on

Wtfdidwedo · 29/11/2020 08:02

I'm surprised at nearly 3 that he's happy in a sleeping bag and with cot sides; mine never took to a sleeping bag and could climb out just before she turned 2 so sadly it never worked for us! You can use bed guards to prevent rolling but they're just smaller versions of cot sides really so may not be worth the expense. IKEA do good toddler beds with mini bed guard sides included. I would probably look to try to replace the sleeping bag with a different sleep association soon as he gets older.

Dougt · 29/11/2020 08:04

I moved my daughter to a bed a month before her 4th birthday! Before that she was in her (admittedly quite roomy cot) and sleeping bag. I’ve got a gro-company zip on duvet, and we started with just a mattress on the floor.

zigzagbetty · 29/11/2020 08:05

I had the same with my lo, we couldn't get sleeping bags in her size any more so had to just change her to a duvet. We took the sides off her cot while she helped and then took her shopping for a new duvet and cover. Lots of talk of big girls bed and her new room. She didn't have the pillow at first as, like your son, she wouldn't use it. She does now at 4 but sometimes moves it away. The plan was to use the duvet with her bag the first few nights but she was so excited for her new room/bed she didn't want the "baby" bag!
At first with the sides down she didn't leave her cot but when she realised she was free there were so early morning wakeup, we then got a glo owl, thats another story.
She does kick the duvet off sometimes and I cover her back when I go to bed but I just make sure her room is warm and she has full pjs (with bedsocks in winter!)
Good luck with the transition!

EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide · 29/11/2020 08:05

I'm shocked that he's still in sleeping bag at 3! My dd is 3 and would go crazy zipped in not able to get up and walk.

zigzagbetty · 29/11/2020 08:07

Also I wouldn't take the sides off unless he is showing signs of climbing! Enjoy the peaceful early mornings!!

Original poster

PinkDaydreams · 29/11/2020 08:08

He's such a good sleeper, he does have to have white noise continuously playing but that's no bother.
I know he needs to come out of a big at some point, I hadn't thought of a rail, that's a good idea. Maybe I could take the sides off and put the rail up to start with then work on a quilt? Or like a pp said is it just replacing the side for a rail so not worth it?

OP posts:

Artesia · 29/11/2020 08:10

While there no rush, just bear in mind that you’ll be night potty training relatively soon, and he’ll need to be in a bed and out of a bag for that. Might be worth staggering it so he gets used to that first before you throw night training into the mix too.

Clockstop · 29/11/2020 08:10

You mean he's still in a cot? Not a cot bed if there are 'sides'?

I had to move mine to the cot bed at 16 months as they both hated the cot, were walking so I couldn't use sleeping bags. We use jojomaman sleep suits and then when they're a bit too warm or in the wash we switch to gro-sheets which are zipped to the bed. Not sure if they still do them?

Original poster

PinkDaydreams · 29/11/2020 08:12

@zigzagbetty

Also I wouldn't take the sides off unless he is showing signs of climbing! Enjoy the peaceful early mornings!!

That's what I'm thinking but then we are hoping to go away next year (this country) for a few nights and I'm thinking a travel cot will be too small for him and he will have to sleep in a bed so do I take the sides off his cot before so that he's used to it? To be honest I can see him ending up in bed with us on holiday

OP posts:

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 29/11/2020 08:13

While there no rush, just bear in mind that you’ll be night potty training

Access to a potty overnight is probably a good idea to start at the same time as daytime potty training, but you can't "night train" for dryness. It's hormonal.

Fleetwoodmacs · 29/11/2020 08:13

Mine was never a climber and loved her sleeping bag too, she just shuffled around in it no bother.

We had to move her to a bed as I was pregnant with my second, but otherwise we would just have left things as they were.

She's been happy enough with a bed guard though did go through an escaping phase. (Highly recommend a gro owl for that).

Original poster

PinkDaydreams · 29/11/2020 08:14

@Clockstop

You mean he's still in a cot? Not a cot bed if there are 'sides'?

Sorry if I've caused confusion, I thought a cot and cotbed were different things. I thought a cot was smaller than a cotbed.

OP posts:

KormaKormaChameleon · 29/11/2020 08:15

I think bag should go before sides so they aren't trying to climb out/walk around in a bag which could be dangerous.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 29/11/2020 08:15

A cotbed can be either a cot (sides on) or a bed (sides off).

winniesanderson · 29/11/2020 08:17

We took the cot sides off when my youngest turned 2. With grand plans of sitting next to her to get her to fall asleep in her own bed (she still doesn't ). She never looked to climb out of her cot and has never got out of her bed at night. She just sort of sits up and screeches instead when she wakes. We do have a bed rail and cot side just incase.

Wtfdidwedo · 29/11/2020 08:18

www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/junior-extendable-beds-45847/ this is a good next step up from a cot if you wanted to spend more for it to last. Bed guards are about £20 for the larger ones rather than just a rail.

PinGwyn · 29/11/2020 08:19

I'd introduce a cover or even just fleecey pjs to replace the sleeping bag as he'll outgrow those soon, if it's his sleep association he may not be happy and you'll have a tough time on your hands until he gets used to it.

Cot beds are so low it doesn't actually matter if they fall out tbh, we put one side against the wall and stuffed a soft draft excluder under the fitted sheet a few CMS in from the outer edge so there was a bumper there.

MerlotChiantiMontepulicano · 29/11/2020 08:19

We took the sides off DS' cot bed when he was 3 as he was climbing out, bed guard put on. He still slept in the sleeping bag for another year, he just unzipped himself in the morning. We also had a stair gate on his door so even if he woke he couldn't get out and fall down the stairs in his sleeping bag.

He's 4.5 now and still in the same cot bed.

Incrediblytired · 29/11/2020 08:21

My daughter was in a cot bed until about 3 years 3 months but with a duvet and pillow from about 2.5. She’s still in a cot bed (side off) aged 3 years 8 months. My plan is that she must be in a proper bed by the time she starts school.

Before the first lockdown she had played at a couple of friends houses and seen their big girl beds and asked if she could have one. We took the side off then and keep meaning to get a proper bed...

I guess your difficulty is that you can’t visit friends so that dc can see their proper beds. Could you read books with children in beds? And talk about their friends having big beds?

I’d definitely get a bed guard if continuing with sleeping bag and maybe when they grow out, just explain that “the shop doesn’t sell bigger ones” and enlist them in choosing a nice duvet cover?

I think as long as they’re in a proper bed by school it’s fine to go at their speed. Just do what’s right for you and your dc.

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