12 Months too early for toddler bed?

[The[cookie]Doctor]

I am keen to make transition to toddler bed sometimes soon, but MIL said it was probably too early.
Has anyone else put the kids in a big bed this early before?

The dimensions say it is 66cm high... how do you keep them from falling, etc? DS is pretty clever on our bed, he doesn't go to climb off it or anything, but he tends to wake up, crawl around and chat himself back to sleep in the middle of the night. He also starts at one end and ends up twisted from here to tuesday in the morning.

Part of me thinks that his beahviour in the bed means he is not ready?

[~Trish~]

I guess it depends on the bub as to whether they are ready or not, DS#2 wouldn't be ready atm and he is 15 months old. I don't know if he'll be ready when bub#3 arrives either (he'll be 22 months) so I have a spare cot just in case. DS#1 was 23 months old when he went into a toddler bed.

You can't really stop them falling out unless you put a barrier all around it I guess, but I would be hesitant in case he stood up against it and toppled over it. I just put a mattress on the floor for DS#1, because it was a toddler bed he didn't have far to fall and the mattress stopped him from hurting himself. The bed already had rails at the top half that would stop him from falling out, but sometimes he would wriggle down to the bottom of the bed and fall out.

Good luck deciding

[Rouge]

Honestly, I think its too early. Goodluck xxx

[maz]

Depends on the child babe

Nikolaus was in a normal bed at 14 months - Wilhelm at 16 months and Vy at 10 months. Mateauz...well there's another story..I dont think he's ready and I dont think im ready .

Make sure that you have a bed safety rail if your putting them in a normal bed.

Good luck babe

[Freya]

Both my boys were in normal size beds from 12mths with a safety rail. Granted they were both climbing and/or walking so they could get in and out without too much trouble. We put a spare cot mattress on the floor next to it while they were still that bit too short to reach the floor when hopping out.

We've never had incidents of falling out until our Ds1 was close to 2yo! Both mine are movers in their sleep too which is why the mattress was on the floor next to their bed in the beginning. We've had no issues with giving up the cot or bedtime antics related to a big boy bed, it was probably too easy a transition

[Kazmar]

Ash its prob a little to early

I know there's prob alot of bubs out there that have gone into a bed this early, but think about him getting out and playing at night, unsupervised so able to hurt himself

I just wont put Annabelle into one until she's at very least 2! She has a shelf full of toys and i just know she'll pull it on herself!

[maz]

I know there's prob alot of bubs out there that have gone into a bed this early, but think about him getting out and playing at night, unsupervised so able to hurt himself

I honestly think that depends on the child. Most children searching for their mum or dad at night as they are scared BUt that's if they do wake up

Only you know Ash if A is ready for a bed..and as I just re-read its a toddler bed.
if you are worried about him 'playing' at night..then make sure their is no light on in his room.

[kristy J]

I think it too early.

for the same reasons everyone else said, hurting themselves and stuff.

we plan to keep DS in his crib as long as we can, he is now almost 2 and i hope he will stay in there another 10 - 12 months. his cot turns into a toddler bed so when he starts to climb out we will take the sides off.

also My DS would get up too early if he had a bed atm he will lay back down and sleep but without sides he would get up at 5am every day so i would get less sleep too.

[Arimeh]

I think its up to the bub - I think DS was about... um.... 19 or 20 months? and we only did it cos we needed the cot for Miss M cos she had grown out of the bassinette!!!

But we got a bed from IKEA - its really really low to the ground, but is still pretty long so he'll be in it for ages. We wanted one close to the ground, cos like yours, he moves all the time. Last night before we went to bed we went in to check on him, and he was at the other end of the bed with his face smushed into the end panel.. lol... but sometimes we go in and he's asleep on the floor

Oh - and he never touches his toys. Dunno why. Wish he would instead of coming in and waking us up at 5am!!!

[Je$$_84]

Cookie,

Part of me thinks that his beahviour in the bed means he is not ready?

This part of you message makes me think that deep down you feel he isnt ready.

With my DS he was walking at 10 months and at 13 months was climbing out of the cot all the time he would climb up onto the rail and just drop down onto the floor. It was very dangerous. My cot didnt turn into a toddler bed but one side dropped down and i just un-did the screws and took of the side. This way it was still his cot but without 1 side. I tried him in it for few times to see how he went. I didnt have a mattress to put on the floor so i used the lounge cushions at 1st. we had issues with him climbing off the bed and being naughty so i put the cot back together again and tried again a month later. he must have learnt if he wanted no side that he had to stay there.

So my point is if you could take the side off to try him then you'll see how he goes. saves buying the bed only to find out he's not ready. After 6 months with the side off we went to a BIG single bed for him and he's slept well ever since.

GL

[aussienic]

I thin it depends on the child.. why not trial it for day sleeps and see how he goes..

then on the odd night try it for the night.. if you have room for the cot and a bed that is..

my Ds2 went into a normal sized bed at 16 months and my Ds3 went into a cot bed at 21 months.. he coudl have gone earlier but we didn't have the bed lol..

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I think it is a bit early too but as it is only toys and cot in his bedroom, with heaps of room to spare I might grab the bed and trial it out. That way it is there when he is definitely ready. We put the mattress on the floor a few times, while we were moving, and once he was asleep we had no trouble... getting him to stay in the one spot instead of crawling aorund looking for toys was the problem!!

Will keep thinking, thanks!!

[Madham]

I think it is up to the child definetley.
My Dd was in a bed at 12 months, she had been walking since 9 months, she could climb out of her cot and she was ready. She never got up during the night and played etc.

Being that it is a toddler bed they are fairly low to the ground anyway and if you get a safety rail to avoid falls he should be ok but only if you think he is ready.