Cot to bed advice

Legacy_user

Am just beginning to think about this as our daughter is 18 months and quite an adventurous climber! Not planning any imminent move, but as she has been in a grobag since she was 6 weeks old I was wondering how I'll get her adjusted to a duvet as she still moves around the cot, swapping ends frequently.

Tonight I've tried leaving off the sleeping bag and using blankets. Tucked her in all nice and cosy telling her she was being a big girl like mummy - just looked in on her and the blankets are all kicked off and she's got her head the wrong end ::).

What on earth's going to happen when she switches to a bed?! Should I be bothered - is it something she will just adapt to when we make the move? Would rather get her used to different bedding whilst in the cot so there is less for her to cope with when the time comes.

Anyone got any advice?

Jay-Jay_4

Hmmmm! :-/

I'm casting my mind back to when my eldest went in a proper bed. She was 2yrs and 3 months old and seemed ready for it.

I used to put her in one of those fleecy pyjama suits in winter. That way, if she kicked her covers off she was still warm enough. I didn't pile on the thick duvets though, just a very light one until she got used to it.

It doesn't take them long to learn to pull their covers over when they get chilly so wouldn't worry about her freezing.

I also bought her one of those bed rail things that fits under the matress and stops them from falling out of bed. It was about twenty quid but the number of times I found her right on the edge of the bed with only the rail to thank for holding her in.....! ;D

If she seems 'very' acrobatic, my advice would be to wait as long as you can before making the change or you'll be forever listening out for thuds from her bedroom ;D

16011996

when mine went in, i made an apple pie bed, yucking the sheet in at the top, and folding it back up halfway up, then a blanket over the top. worked wonders, tucking the sides in, but always made sure they had something warm on so if they kicked the covers off they were warm enough. they still kick the covers off now thou ::)

System

I agree with 160 make sure they have enough clothes on before they go to bed so that when they kick the covers off they arent cold.

My son still kicks the covers off and he is 8.

System

Well my idea of giving her a blanket last night backfired. Am used to her waking up around 8am - this morning it was 6!

Its difficult to put her to bed in too warm pjs as our house is always baking in the evening (especially her room as next to the airing cupboard) - think the temperature drops in the early hours of the morning hence her waking up cold.

Thanks for the tips

16011996

persevere and you'll get there, all mine started waking earlier when they were in a bed, but it went back after a couple of weeks, when they had got used to different covers, bed etc.

Yoga_Girl

My boy was in grogags until he moved from cot to bed when he was 2 and a half. In the cot he would move around in the night so the grobags were ideal, however since being in the bed with a duvet he hasn't been as fidgety.

We didn't bother trying to get him adjusted to new bedding before moving to a bed, but we got him to pick his duvet cover (moon, stars & a rocket!) so going into the bed was a special thing for him. He's got a bed-rail on as well, they're really useful.

For the 1st week he kept getting out of bed and running around upstaires, getting very over-excited, so we put a baby-gate on his bedroom door for a while til he re-learnt that bed means sleep! That only took a few days, and he only gets out of bed now to trot to the toilet.

Good luck!

Jay-Jay_4

Good point yoga girl, a baby gate is an absolute must when going from cot to bed. I'd totally forgotten about ours.

jockettuk

i put my daughters cot inbeside the room with her new bed .. .. granted we had just had a extention done so had a bigger room to do that. we also had a stairgate put up at her bedroom door and it stayed there for months as it meant once in the room i knew exactly were she was, also stopped her calling in the dog.. if you are worried abt the change from a grow bag why dont you get a sleeping bag .. there are smaller ones on the market nowadays and let her pick the one she wants ie.. tweenies barbie etc..

System

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to do the same as Yoga Girl and just wait to do the transition all at once and keep her in grobags until she is ready to go in a bed. Seems that the key to success is not to do it too young, so will delay as long as I can.

Sarahsaver

I had to move my oldest son quite early because hes so big, on the 99.9th centile, so a cot was a bit crowded!
With littlun, he dismantled his cot :-[ so I had to move him, and used a bed with one of those guards at the side. Also i put a large cuddly toy or a folded sleeping bag on the floor in case he fell. He still thought of it as a cot!
My 'big' son just had a mattress on the floor, which suited him fine.
As for kicking off covers I never thought of that, kids wake up if they are too cold, but not if they are too hot, which is worse. Mine all had duvets, but went through a stage of just having a fleece blanket.