Any tips for the cot to bed transition?

[TheChicOfIt]

We put DS in a bed for the first time last night - naturally he was really excited and he kept getting out of the bed and coming over to the door (we put a gate up). After about half an hour, I ended up going in and lying on the floor next to him, but again he just kept getting out. Eventually I ended up cuddling him to sleep on the spare bed and then lifting him into his bed. He was fine in the night and didn't get up at all - I slept in the spare bed that is in his room.

I have just tried again for over an hour to get him to sleep in the bed himself, but to no avail. I resorted to cuddling him to sleep on the spare bed again as I was starting to get impatient.

He's not upset at all - very happy and excitable, but he must have been tired as he only slept from 10pm-7am last night and I took him for a run around in the park all morning.

I am a bit anxious about just leaving him in the room as he is so excited about getting in and out of bed that he is running about the room - I am worried he is going to fall into something.

Any success stories?

How old is he?

Sorry I should have pointed that out! He is almost 24 months.

At the moment it's all a huge novelty, so you could try spending the next week just staying with him whilst he settles, and see if he calms down once the bed is less of a "new thing" to him.

HOWEVER

Just my opinion, but unless you have safety reasons for the bed transfer (i.e. he climbs out of the cot) I would put him back in the cot tonight and not attempt the bed transfer for another six months at least, preferably 12. If you need his cot for a new baby, try and get hold of another cot, or a cot bed.

I am sure some children do go into beds around age 2 and continue to sleep as well as they did in their cots, but I've yet to hear about one in 'real life' (though I'm sure you will hear from some MN'ers who have had success). Virtually every single one of my friends who put their toddlers into beds at that age had issues, to some degree, with not settling at bedtime/waking through the night/waking very early in the morning, when the child had previously slept very well in the cot. By contrast, I know lots of people who have waited until their child is nearer to 3 before they made the bed transfer, and not one of them had a single problem, because the child was by that age a lot more mature and able to cope with it.

Obviously it's up to you, and of course he will adapt eventually if you leave him in the bed, but unless the bed is literally the only option you have I really, really would just put him back in the cot.

Thanks diet coke.

The reason we moved him was because he was pulling himself over the top and teetering - I was worried he would fall over the top.

It is a cotbed so it took DH over an hour to dismantle and rebuild it, so I don't think he would be too happy at having to put it back together again!

Actually he is doing a bit better - the night before last he was running about with excitement, but last night he got in bed and stayed there, fell asleep, and stayed in bed all night. I heard him talking at 7am and went in his room to find him lying in bed talking to his bunny. So I think I'm going to persevere with it just now - thank you for the advice anyway.

I moved my DS into his bed just after he turned 2 and it's worked very well.
We basically kept taking him to the shop before the bed arrived and kept talking to him about being a big boy and how he would soon have his own bed like mummy and daddy.
We bought new duvet and sheets etc with diggers on and a safety gate for the bed.
When the bed was built we effectively had a little party in his room for his to get his excitement out and said 'when the gate is on the bed you mustn't get out but call for mummy or daddy'.
He has slept like a dream in the bed for 6 months and has not once tried to climb over the gate!
Some of it might be down to him not sleeping very well in the cot, I'm not sure but he seems to love it.
He isn't asleep when I put him in but we do 2 stories and then it's sleep time. If he doesn't want to lie down I hug him and leave him, usually I go back in 15 mins or so and he'll be asleep or talking to his teddies and then nods off.
I'd say persevere as it's just excitement just now.