what age can you move a baby into a bed?

[Blondi]

My ds will be one next month. We were given a cot when he was born from some good friends whose three children had all used the same cot.
My ds is quite strong and uses the sides as something to hold onto to bounce on the mattress and it is now hanging off on one side.
What is the earliest age you can put a baby into a small bed? Or what age did you put your children into a bed?
Any advice would be great
Thanks

At 15 months my ds was climbing out of his cot and landing with a big thump the other side and running into my bed. At that point a bed of his own was the safest option - he still ran into my bed when he woke up...

My DTS will be 4yo soon and they are still in cots.

They show no interest in coming out them, they don't even try to climb out.

They start school in September so DH has said that we should put them in beds before then so I reckon it will be July or August before we get round to buying beds.

I would invest in another cot tbh
the thing is once tey are in a bed they keep getting out of it
a one year old is too young to ffer rewards/incentives to staying in bed
you will spend all youtr time putting him back to bed
keep themin a cot for as long as possible

Also is your ds crawling or walking? When you are in bed how will you know he is safe because he might be wandering about the upstairs looking for you...

DD went into a bed at about 18 months cos she was outgrowing her cot, and we have had no problems at all. My nephew is 3 and still in his cot-bed. Your DS is still very little though, so perhaps a new cot-bed would be a good solution for you? Then you can convert it into a small bed when he is a bit older.

I think the earliest I put a child in a bed was 18mnths, similar situation to you - hand me down cot fell apart. I used a bed guard and was fine. If you are planning to have any more children though, it might be worth you buying another cot. My dts are 2.5 and still in their cots. They can climb in and out, but they have plenty of space and are comfortable.

Hi Posie - DS is walking and has been for about 6 weeks so it would be almost impossible to keep him in bed. I hadn't even thought about that!!! I haven't called myself Blondi for no reason!

Thank you everyone for your comments, I think a cot bed is the way to go for now even if DS is only in the cot for another few months.

dn was moved at just over a year - they didn't get an unbroken night !

I moved dd1 into a bed (proper single bed as there was one in the room that I used to lie with her on when putting her to sleep anyway) at about 16mo, because she repeatedly climbed out of the cot and fell on the floor. She started doing it at 9mo (I have no idea how - she was barely even crawling at this point) so it had been coming for a while.

She was fine. I had a stairgate and nothing unsafe on the landing and left my door open so that was the only place she would come.

Had to keep putting her back sometimes for a couple of weeks but she got the message and slept fine in there from then on!

DS is nearly 16mo and we have him in a cotbed with a soft safety rail on the side.

Also have a cheap mattress beside the bed just in case he falls out (also have a rolled up towel under the mattress down one side so it tips him toward the wall, IYSWIM).