Toddler bed | Mumsnet

Ellayxx · 2025-08-13T22:01:00+00:00

My son is 18months, when he was new born up until he was able to pull himself up onto the sides he slept in a next to me cot. I tried transitioning him into a cot in his own room after this, he has never taken to the cot I have tried following sleep training guidelines but he just will not stop crying going in his cot he is hysterical and ends up back in my bed. I think he now associates the cot with being upset he won't even sit in it never mind lie down. I've been thinking about buying him a bed but unsure what type to get him I have read good things about floor beds, but also unsure if he would stay in that on his own?or if getting him a toddler bed and having it in my room would work better for him or am I just going to make it harder for him to go in his own room eventually. I know it's probably just trial and error at this point. I'm a first time mum so this is my first experience of this. I feel like I'm the reason he doesn't like the cot, people say I spoil him but the thought of leaving him in something that makes him so upset doesn't sit right with me.

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

KatRee · 13/08/2025 23:10

Don’t know if this would help, but we had a travel cot in our bedroom which our son slept in between around 6 months and 1 year, when we moved him to a proper cot in his own room. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to set up/pacck away if you just wanted to see if he’s happier in your room for now and could maybe try his own room again in a few weeks or months. I often found with mine that sometimes he just wasn’t ready for something but would take to it much better a little later down the line without a massive effort on our part or any distress on his

AnneLovesGilbert · 13/08/2025 23:14

My DD hated the cot we got her when she outgrew the next to me so she had a floor bed from 8 or 9 months in our room, same floor bed when she moved to her own room at 2 (she kept coming in with us at some point every night till she was nearly 4) then a normal single bed. With DS we skipped the ballache of finding out he hated a cot so he’s never had one. We used the next to me till he was too big then a floor bed in our room then straight to a normal single bed when he moved rooms at a bit over 2.

I love a floor bed, lie with them then roll away! Feed lying down if you bf. You can move it easily, cheap to buy, you can take it on holiday. I’d definitely give it a go. With DD we used the mattress from the cot, with DS we used a folding travel cot mattress.

I’ll never forget the difference the first night after I ditched the cot with DD. She woke up at night for years but when she was in the cot she’d wake, get up, grab the bars and holler. The night of the floor bed she woke, sat up, rubbed her eyes and sat peacefully happily waiting for me to give her a cuddle then went straight back down. I couldn’t bloody believe it.

Original poster

Ellayxx · 13/08/2025 23:15

KatRee · 13/08/2025 23:10

Don’t know if this would help, but we had a travel cot in our bedroom which our son slept in between around 6 months and 1 year, when we moved him to a proper cot in his own room. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to set up/pacck away if you just wanted to see if he’s happier in your room for now and could maybe try his own room again in a few weeks or months. I often found with mine that sometimes he just wasn’t ready for something but would take to it much better a little later down the line without a massive effort on our part or any distress on his

I will definitely give this a go thank you! My MIL has a travel cot which I can use x

OP posts:

Original poster

Ellayxx · 13/08/2025 23:18

AnneLovesGilbert · 13/08/2025 23:14

My DD hated the cot we got her when she outgrew the next to me so she had a floor bed from 8 or 9 months in our room, same floor bed when she moved to her own room at 2 (she kept coming in with us at some point every night till she was nearly 4) then a normal single bed. With DS we skipped the ballache of finding out he hated a cot so he’s never had one. We used the next to me till he was too big then a floor bed in our room then straight to a normal single bed when he moved rooms at a bit over 2.

I love a floor bed, lie with them then roll away! Feed lying down if you bf. You can move it easily, cheap to buy, you can take it on holiday. I’d definitely give it a go. With DD we used the mattress from the cot, with DS we used a folding travel cot mattress.

I’ll never forget the difference the first night after I ditched the cot with DD. She woke up at night for years but when she was in the cot she’d wake, get up, grab the bars and holler. The night of the floor bed she woke, sat up, rubbed her eyes and sat peacefully happily waiting for me to give her a cuddle then went straight back down. I couldn’t bloody believe it.

Amazing, thank you so much for the advice. I really appreciate it! It makes me feel better that there are others out there who have gone through something similar

OP posts:

AnneLovesGilbert · 13/08/2025 23:23

Oh my goodness, you are so not alone! I only knew about floor beds from the fb group Beyond Sleep Training which someone recommended on here. I first asked for advice on there about trying to move DD into the cot without waking her, I’d feed to sleep on our bed then try to figure out when I could pop her in and it was driving me completely insane. After a horrendous night of wake ups, my husband was in hospital, I was absolutely desperate, I just took the bastard cot apart with an Allan key and swore there must be another way. Cots have their fans but they’re not even a thing in large parts of the world. My daughter clearly thought it was a cruel and unfair baby cage and was having none of it.

DS is a far better sleeper and might have taken to one fine but I wasn’t going to consider risking it!

Original poster

Ellayxx · 14/08/2025 07:13

AnneLovesGilbert · 13/08/2025 23:23

Oh my goodness, you are so not alone! I only knew about floor beds from the fb group Beyond Sleep Training which someone recommended on here. I first asked for advice on there about trying to move DD into the cot without waking her, I’d feed to sleep on our bed then try to figure out when I could pop her in and it was driving me completely insane. After a horrendous night of wake ups, my husband was in hospital, I was absolutely desperate, I just took the bastard cot apart with an Allan key and swore there must be another way. Cots have their fans but they’re not even a thing in large parts of the world. My daughter clearly thought it was a cruel and unfair baby cage and was having none of it.

DS is a far better sleeper and might have taken to one fine but I wasn’t going to consider risking it!

Can I ask where you got your floor bed from please And if it was one of the Montessori ones? I've tried so many different things to help him I want to make sure I get the right one😂

OP posts:

Original poster

Ellayxx · 14/08/2025 07:49

AnneLovesGilbert · 13/08/2025 23:14

My DD hated the cot we got her when she outgrew the next to me so she had a floor bed from 8 or 9 months in our room, same floor bed when she moved to her own room at 2 (she kept coming in with us at some point every night till she was nearly 4) then a normal single bed. With DS we skipped the ballache of finding out he hated a cot so he’s never had one. We used the next to me till he was too big then a floor bed in our room then straight to a normal single bed when he moved rooms at a bit over 2.

I love a floor bed, lie with them then roll away! Feed lying down if you bf. You can move it easily, cheap to buy, you can take it on holiday. I’d definitely give it a go. With DD we used the mattress from the cot, with DS we used a folding travel cot mattress.

I’ll never forget the difference the first night after I ditched the cot with DD. She woke up at night for years but when she was in the cot she’d wake, get up, grab the bars and holler. The night of the floor bed she woke, sat up, rubbed her eyes and sat peacefully happily waiting for me to give her a cuddle then went straight back down. I couldn’t bloody believe it.

Please can I ask where you got your floor bed from? And what type you got😊

OP posts:

AnneLovesGilbert · 14/08/2025 08:39

With DD we just used the mattress from her cot, it was a large cot bed so a decent sized mattress. We stored it upright when she wasn’t using it so it got aired. When we moved her into her own room we used a standard single mattress then in time for a bed frame for that.

DS went from the next to me to a travel cot mattress on our floor then straight to a single bed with frame and normal single mattress in his room.

You can buy all sorts of floor beds, some very pretty. But I used to lie with them till they nodded off so didn’t want a frame that was above the ground I’d have to worry about falling off.

AnneLovesGilbert · 14/08/2025 08:39

I really recommend that fb group for great ideas, they’re a lovely bunch and very knowledgable.