30 month old suspect Autism bed

[Ejhdah18]

Hi,

sorry titles shocking 😂 just some advice on what others have done.
so my daughter is 30 month suspected autism still being assessed. She doesn’t follow instructions or understands to stay in bed she will just play and play as much as she can. Now she’s the youngest of 4 and I never had any problems transitioning from cot to toddler bed. She still sleeps in a cot but she’s getting too big now my partner said buy the same cot and he’ll be able too attach them together so she has a bigger sleeping area but then I’m convinced we’ll do that and she’ll learn how to climb over 😂 she still shares a room with me but she has her own corner so I don’t disrupt her too much but I know if we where to just have her in a bed she can leave she would never go sleep.
what have others done in this situation?

thank you

What's the suspect autism behaviour?

A 2 1/2 year old too big for a cot needs to be in a bed. Nothing you have said suggests autism.

The op isn’t asking you to assess if her daughter has autism, she’s asking about a bed.

Our youngest had a toddler bed with a raised side that stopped her falling out. Would something like that help?

Bit like this one, though I think ours was Ikea.

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-kids-avery-toddler-bed-cream-natural/p112093155

A normal cot bed is 70x140 so surely she hasn’t outgrown that at only 2 and a half? Do you have a smaller crib size at the moment?

No but the OP must think it was relevant to the situation to mention it so if she says what issues she thinks are impacting on sleep situation people will be able to give her advice.

I don't really understand the question. She's two and a half, you can't trap her in any kind of bed much longer.

if you keep her in a cot she will likely just climb over the sides, which could cause her to hurt herself. You need to. I’ve her a bed then work out the sleep issues.

I would put her in her own room in a bed and just see how she goes. Maybe keep her up a little later till she's ready more to sleep if needed. Maybe having something playing a story for her to listen to would help keep her in bed.

A normal bed in a very minimal bedroom and a safety gate on the door. I did this for one of mine who was a bit of a wanderer. He’d often wake up have a bit of a play and get back in bed.

I would try a normal bed. You can remove toys if they are distracting and minimise other furniture in the room.

There are specialist beds for DC with additional needs if that’s needed.

This is nonsense

I’d go with @TheKateColumbo’s advice. Montessori style bed for safety - very low to the ground. No risk of injury if essentially rolling off a mattress.

minimise as much as you can in the room - maybe a hammock style book shelf and soft toys. Dim lighting and create a routine.

ds1 was a nightmare for going to bed (AuDHD) when he was a toddler. We created a routine of tea, play, bath and bed. Transitioning from play to bath made bedtime easier as bath time was gentle and soothing. Stayed in bedroom to dry off and put in pjs, nappy with low light. Cuddles and stories in bed followed by whoever was doing bedtime gradually withdrawing from the room as he settled down. It did mean I spent a lot of time laying on the floor stroking him and over time sitting further and further away from him. we also had low music nursery rhymes on.

it’s not easy but consistency is honestly the best thing we ever did for DS. He’s 13 now and still not a great sleeper. But he has to share a room and he knows he has to stay in bed. But he can read with a small light if he needs to.

We had this problem and transitioned to a bed. Was and has been a disaster ever since (and DS has been diagnosed). Once our son was out of the cot he realised he could come in our bed, and despite always putting him down in his bed he comes in our bed in the middle of the night. Started at 2.5 years old.

Looking back I would have preferred to get a toddler bed in our room that could go next to me and have a rail around the outside. A mattress on the floor is another idea to see if he would cope without the rails of the cot.

but at 2 and half they risk falling out which is dangerous

Hi sorry for my late replies let me explain a bit better,

so Rae is none verbal, doesn’t follow any instructions or has any understanding of things that are asked of her. IE Rae stay in bed, Rae lie down. She absolutely wouldn’t understand anything and would stay awake as she’s not where she normally would be. There isn’t the option of putting her in her own room as my house isn’t big enough.

I was asking advice of mums that have been in similar situations. Not for other mums to voice there very much unwanted opinions.

if you have no advice please don’t comment.

thank you

Thank you for the recommendation I’ll have a look xx

I definitely wouldn’t use the word trap 😂 if you read my post you’d have read Rae has suspected autism doesn’t talk of communicate. This leaves her at a lot of risks around the house that’s why I specifically asked for advise of mums in similar situations. Not every child is the same 🙂

The list is long
none verbal
doesnt have any for of communicate in anyway
can not follow any instructions
doesn’t have any understanding of danger
repetitive behaviour that becomes obsessive
I could honestly go on but these are the main things we struggle with.

Has DD had a home OT assessment? This can look at making the house safer for DD and better meet her needs. Not just in relation to the bedroom/bedtime, but in other ways too.

If DD doesn’t have her own bedroom, have you looked at a DFG?

Hi thank you for the reply,
I’ve not really had any involvement with them yet as she’s still being assessed. This is all very new too me, I’ll speak to my health visitor and see if she can help with getting in touch with OT. Thank you

You don’t need a diagnosis for an OT to undertake a home OT assessment or for a disabled facilities grant.

I did read the post and still don't understand how you think you can confine (or whatever word you want to use) her to a bed for much longer.

Perhaps you aren’t aware, but there are specialist disability beds that are available for much older DC (or even adults) that require a carer to open. They are for the users safety. Although they aren’t used lightly.

Thank you I’m going to get in touch with them tomorrow.