When did you switch to a 'big kid bed'??

Hhhmm now that I'm thinking about it, is there a 'best way' to help them adjust, like putting the bed in for a bit before they have to sleep in it?

We did day sleeps for a week prior to trying night sleeps with DD2. With DD1, she slept better in a bed than a cot, but we were in denial that a 16 month old would climb out of a cot, so we put a mattress next to the cot and would lay on it next to her... she started sleeping on the single mattress until we bought her the junior bed.

Personally, if we were going through it again, I would keep them in the cots as long as I could. As long as they sleep well, don't go changing... if they don't sleep well, try whatever works best for your family!

we didn't do anything special. We just took the cot away and put the single bed in. no drama's for us. I agree with Christy about leaving them in the cot as long as possible if they're sleeping ok and there aren't any problems. For us, we did it because DD just wasn't sleeping in her cot that well.

For us it was also a new room for her, so we were setting the room up for her for a few weeks, and telling her all about her "big girls room" and "big girl bed" - took her shopping for bed linen etc.

when it came time for her to actually sleep in there we moved her cot into the new room to help her transition - but she didn't want to sleep in it - she wanted the bed! And that was it, no dramas :)

I think preparing her in advance really helped.

I moved DS into a bed when he was 15 months. He hated his cot with a passion, so it was what was best for us. It was a cot that turned into a toddler bed. DS was used to sleeping on a normal bed as he co-slept with me for ages. That's how I knew it was the right thing to do. I slept on the floor on a foam mattress while DS was adjusting, and just eventually stopped doing that after a few nights. He now sleeps in a regular single bed....(new room and move overseas) and doesn't get out.

As with everything each kid is different and you'll know when the time is right.