Starting the cot to bed transition?? Share your journey here.

[BrightSparkles]

So..today we started the transition from cot to bed. We have done a couple of day sleeps in the "big girl bed" previously with success but due to circumstances we couldn't keep going.
DD has always been good at self settling so I'm hoping the whole process isn't going to be an overly long one.

DD had her lunch at 12pm, started the wind down process about 12.30pm to be ready for bed for 1pm.
Layed DD in bed, layed next to her while I read a book to her, gave her her bedtime doll and her bottle, kissed her, told her mummy loves you, put her music on and walked out closing the door behind me. All the same routines.

First time up - went in, put her back into bed and sat for a while stroking her hair. She started looking dozy so kissed her and walked out again.
This went on for sometime (about an hour and a half).

After many tears, many up and downs out of bed, much banging on the closed door, a number of times opening the door and DD walking out and 2 hours - she has FINALLY gone to sleep.
Lets hope she sleeps for a while now. Ready to do this all over again tomorrow.

My plan is to do this with day sleeps for the next week while i'm off work and then on days when i'm at home. (DD is in daycare for 4 days a week). We'll keep this up for a month or so then see how we are going.

I felt so horrible sitting outside her door and up the hallway a bit out of sight listening to her crying (not screaming - just a whinging cry) but I know that this is going to be a process that has to be done.


Feel free to join the journey and share your experiences along the way.

[Indadhanu]

We've just started transitioning from the cot to ... well I'm gonna sound like a terrible mum but ... to a mattress on the floor!

This was more Jazzy's doing than ours, she sleeps terribley in the cot, and is used to the mattress. I suspect it's either because it smells like us, or because it used to be our bed mattress (that we co-slept on) before we bought our new bed earlier this year so she's used to it.

Anyway, she keeps waking herself up in the cot, she's a night crawler so not sure about an actual bed yet.

We want to buy her a bed (we're going to go single instead of toddler bed as they are the same price anyway) but worried about her night crawling so not really sure. So we're giving the mattress a go, and trying to encourage self-settling more now rather than feeding to sleep. Eeep! The last few nights have been a bit disasterous, with her not going to bed before 8pm since before Christmas, crying-rocking-patting-cuddles and eventually at about 9pm she'll fall asleep exhausted after crawling around the mattress like apuppy dog finding the best place to sleep.

She does so well self-settling at night, she doesn't even cry, just wakes up, has a little chat to herself, finds a new psot to sleep in and goes to sleep. It's so hard to encourage self-settling during the day and at bedtime without tears so at the moment we are feeding to sleep still. Would love to not be, buts ARGH she's so stubborn!

[BrightSparkles]

We've just started transitioning from the cot to ... well I'm gonna sound like a terrible mum but ... to a mattress on the floor!

This was more Jazzy's doing than ours, she sleeps terribley in the cot, and is used to the mattress. I suspect it's either because it smells like us, or because it used to be our bed mattress (that we co-slept on) before we bought our new bed earlier this year so she's used to it.

Anyway, she keeps waking herself up in the cot, she's a night crawler so not sure about an actual bed yet.

We want to buy her a bed (we're going to go single instead of toddler bed as they are the same price anyway) but worried about her night crawling so not really sure. So we're giving the mattress a go, and trying to encourage self-settling more now rather than feeding to sleep. Eeep! The last few nights have been a bit disasterous, with her not going to bed before 8pm since before Christmas, crying-rocking-patting-cuddles and eventually at about 9pm she'll fall asleep exhausted after crawling around the mattress like apuppy dog finding the best place to sleep.

She does so well self-settling at night, she doesn't even cry, just wakes up, has a little chat to herself, finds a new psot to sleep in and goes to sleep. It's so hard to encourage self-settling during the day and at bedtime without tears so at the moment we are feeding to sleep still. Would love to not be, buts ARGH she's so stubborn!

We've gone straight to single bed here. I put a rail on... but she just goes to the end and climbs off LOL

[Indadhanu]

It's not the climbing I'm worried about, she literally crawls while she's asleep, so I'm worried she's going to crawl right off the end of the bed?

[BrightSparkles]

Lots of pillows around I guess.
Starting off on the floor is a good idea then if shes likely to crawl off.

[Indadhanu]

LOL yep thats why she's there , she has crawled around and off the double mattress a few times, but jsut crawls back on without a fuss. I wake up and hear her in themonitor but she goes back to sleep, makes my night easier if i don't have to free her legs from cot bars or pick her up and put her back in bed after she's jolted awake crawling off her bed LOL!

[BrightSparkles]

Things are going well so far.
Only 10 mins to get to sleep for our day sleep here today in the big bed and shes been asleep for just over 1.5 hours
So proud of my little princess!!

[Indadhanu]

YAY Jen, thats great news!!!


Jazz went down last night about 7.30pm, fell asleep without a feed (we fed first and then moved to her bed and I layed with her), she had a whinge that I wouldn't feed her again, and pulled at my top a few times, but was asleep within a few minutes. Also woke last night crying through the monitor about 2am I think it would have been, but was quiet before I even had a chance to leave the bedroom, and was back asleep without any help and slept until 5am
She probably crawled off the bed but at least she got back on the mattress and went to sleep without a fuss.

Day sleep was ok, slept about 90minutes, didn't go to sleep in her own though. I don't even know how to start that. She does alright when I'm not here but putting her self to sleep for day sleeps is impossible if I'm around.

[Ella]

Yeah going great here. DS fell asleep 5 mins before we got home, so I just carried him to bed, he lifted his head went "hhhmmm" and then went straight back to sleep.
Slept for just over 2 hours which is a little shorter than normal, but hey I'm super happy he's doing so well!
How liong did Jorja end up sleeping for Jen?

[BrightSparkles]

Yeah going great here. DS fell asleep 5 mins before we got home, so I just carried him to bed, he lifted his head went "hhhmmm" and then went straight back to sleep.
Slept for just over 2 hours which is a little shorter than normal, but hey I'm super happy he's doing so well!
How liong did Jorja end up sleeping for Jen?

Day sleep yesterday - about 40mins
Last night - went down at 7.30 woke at about 7am
Day sleep today - down at about 12.45 and still asleep

[Ella]

Good work on the sleep today, sounds like she's adjusting well!

[BrightSparkles]

How's Jazz going Leasha?

Hows things there Ella?

[BrightSparkles]

WOW. What a night!!!!
7.30pm - down for the night, no problems
11pm - awake and wondering out playing with her handbag and necklace, back to bed with a little bit of milk
12pm - awake again, screaming, out of bed - put her back to bed and sit/lay with her. This process goes on for an hour and a half.
1.30am - DH is over the screaming and brings her to bed
2am- after 30mins of fidgeting, talking, playing with our faces, DH puts her in the cot. More screaming, tantrums etc. DD climbs out out of the cot (over the rails) and falls onto the floor
I go in and lay in her bed with her until she eventually falls asleep at 4.45 this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm exhausted!!!!!!!!! Shes been awake since 7.15 this morning! Does she not understand what sleep is? Shes only had like 2.5hours of it!

[Indadhanu]

Jazz put herself to sleep last night at 8.30pm (well Shel was laying with her, but no booby), and she slept through til 6am...

Oh Jen, I think a big strong coffee is in order for you today She'll get there I think we are having it 'easy' because we used to co-sleep on this mattress so she's already used to it. I dread when we try to bring in an actual bed!

[BrightSparkles]

Go Jazz! Good work!!

[BrightSparkles]

OMG!!! I'm going insane!!!!!!
Shes had 4 hours sleep since midnight last night!!! When is she going to crash??? Maybe i'm doing this too soon!?!?!

I want to scream in frustration at the moment!!!

[Ella]

Oh we had an awful night too, wouldn't go to sleep till about 4 hours after his usual bedtime and then woke at 3am and I had to sit there for like 45 minutes even though I was about to burst my bladder.
I had the same thought, is this too soon? But then I also thought, now that they know the cot isn't a magical prison they might be more likely to climb out.
Also won't we just have to go through this all again????
I don't know, I think we are all doing incredibly well. Maybe just a little more perserverance?
PS DS didn't have his day sleep yesterday either.... argh

[BrightSparkles]

So...
we seem to have 2 or 3 really good nights in a row then 2 bad nights in a row. Hopefully it'll start to settle soon

How are all the other little ones going?