What age from Cot to bed?

Kayalana99

Hiya Guys,

As much as I hate to admit it my DS1 has gone head first over his cot this morning (climbed out). He is nearly two.

I don't feel like he is ready for his own bed he's a bit behind with his speech / understanding development and even if we managed to get him into bed and asleep he tends to wake up and go head first in another direction (i.e he'll sit up and just lie down another way) so I think he's very likey to bang his head on the wall or the bed guard...but I guess it isn't safe to not upgrade at this point?

Aunty-Pickle

how about a mattress on the floor? you can still put guards around it (pillows/blankets next to the wall) but then if he falls out it won't matter. that's what my brother did with my niece.

dandelionclock30

I'd get him a futon like I've got, very comfortable and its only a couple of inches off the floor. Better for backs than a lot of matressess plus when hes a bit older he can have it as a settee in his bedroom.

mehmetfizer

There is no set time that you should get rid of your child's cot and put him in a bed, although most children make the move sometime between ages 18 months and three and a half that what wiki says.

welshbookworm

I started my children in a bed for their daytime naps once they could toddle and kept their cot for night times. It was also useful getting them used to a bed, so when they changed to a bed at night, it went quite smoothly.

peachyprice

If he's climbing over the side now is the time to change, he's at far more risk of hurting himself climbing out of his cot than he is of hurting himself by banging his head on the wall (don't understand that bit really, surely now he bangs his head on the cot bars anyway) or falling out of bed.

As soon as mine started climbing over I took one side off the cot and used it as a bed with a spare duvet on the floor for a soft landing, cots on the lowest setting are usually closer to the floor than beds are so it's not as far to fall until they get used to it.

DigForVictory

+1 for abandon the cot qua cot & move to bed you can both tolerate!
A mattress on the floor may be more than your back & knees appreciate, but is a load safer than freeclimbing...

Do not be suckered into a child bed (& bedlinen etc) if you have space for a "real bed". Save yourself a bundle & move him to a real single bed but rig it (we used crates of books, If I recall correctly) so he can't "slide down" too far.
Also site it, if possible, so you can switch ends rather than have to remake the whole bed in case of accidents? (The minor sorts.)
All the best, and hoping you can all sleep easier!

notanewuser

DD was 18 months when she vaulted out of her cot (wearing a sleeping bag!). Her bed arrived a week later and she went straight in it. It's a full size bed with a pull out trundle underneath, which we pulled out rather than use a bedguard.

I did read that there's no need to switch even when they can get out of their cots, but didn't feel happy doing that!

notanewuser

DigForVictory wrote: »

.
Also site it, if possible, so you can switch ends rather than have to remake the whole bed in case of accidents? (The minor sorts.)
All the best, and hoping you can all sleep easier!

When potty training if you make the bed as follows:

Waterproof mattress protector - potty training pad (reusable or disposable) in the area their bottom would be - fitted sheet - another training pad - single flat sheet folded in half and just across the middle of the bed

you can just whip the top flat sheet and wet mat off without having to remake the whole bed.

mumonashoestring

peachyprice wrote: »

As soon as mine started climbing over I took one side off the cot and used it as a bed with a spare duvet on the floor for a soft landing, cots on the lowest setting are usually closer to the floor than beds are so it's not as far to fall until they get used to it.

Ours never showed that much inclination to climb but we've just (at nearly 2 1/2) taken the side off his cot and, as peachyprice suggests, left the cot on its lowest setting with a folded quilt to cushion the little fidget when he falls out of bed. He still has the security of being in the little bed he's used to and we don't have to worry about him falling as far.

onlyroz

Can't you take the side off the cot and put a gate over his bedroom door?