When did your toddler move to a 'big bed'

[Arimeh]

I think DS was about 21 months - it was a few months after Miss M had arrived, and we needed the cot for her.

He was always banging his head on the end of the cot though - so for a year we put up with constant wake ups. He's better now, his bed is an IKEA one so its really low to the ground, so even if he falls out, he doesn't really fall, just slides.. lol...

We were thinking of moving Miss M soon, just because she keeps on hitting her head too on the end of the cot, and I don't want to put up with a year of constant waking up every hour cos she has shuffled to the other end of the cot!

As for outside - DS will play outside now for a little while by himself, but prefers me to be out there so we all go.

[SammyRo]

Trill and Arimeh - when you moved the older ones out of the cot to make way for the new baby, how did they cope? DD will be 22months when the next bub arrives, and the plan was to move her into a bed and then the cot will be free. But did you do it a while before the new bub came along, or when bub came home from hospital? I;m just worried about whether she'll get jealous about losing her bed to the baby.

[Evie76]

Hi Nettie

Daniel went in to a big bed around February because we knew the new baby was coming (one day - or so I've heard!!) He had a bed guard on, but we've since taken that off. He doesn't fall out. We went out and made a big deal of buying a Lightning McQueen quilt and new sheets with cars on them. We still call it "Daniel's big bed." He really likes that. He never slept this well in the cot either.

As for playing outside. Not for ages yet. But I suppose it depends on your set up. If I had the pergola set up so I could cordonne it off (with gates), I'd probably happily let him play on the porch unsupervised. I don't know that I'd let him out in the yard by himself though. But my yard is still under construction, so probably not a good example.

[~*Niadalla*~]

DS decided he finally wanted to sleep in his single bed a few weeks ago and we've not looked back since. It was very very easy. We need the cot for DD soon too, so it was great timing!

[PinkPalace]

DD ws 18 months when she went to a big bed.
Gosh i wish i waited until she was 2..

it was a long painful exhausting 6 months!

[misskate]

lachlan was 11 months straight into a single bed... he looked so funny in it at first but he is very good about it

[Evie76]

If they're ready, they just don't look back. Daniel never complained once and was just so content.

I think he liked the idea he could get out in the morning, of his own accord, and play with his cars even though we were still in bed. He just wanders down to see us if he wants to. Whereas, in the cot, he couldn't get out on his own terms so he would get really agitated and always woke up crying.

He never gets out of the bed in the dark though, so he does lie there calling us. BUT.... I remember doing that as a kid too!

[Jac]

Gosh, I think I have the oldest cot sleeping toddler (29mths), and it's going to stay that way until I absolutely HAVE to move him! I can't imagine having a child under 18mths in a big bed.

With regards to playing in backyard alone - this happened around 2 years as we have a very safe, enclosed area. Still check on him all the time though.

[Arimeh]

Trill and Arimeh - when you moved the older ones out of the cot to make way for the new baby, how did they cope? DD will be 22months when the next bub arrives, and the plan was to move her into a bed and then the cot will be free. But did you do it a while before the new bub came along, or when bub came home from hospital? I;m just worried about whether she'll get jealous about losing her bed to the baby.

Miss M was about 2 months old when he went into his bed.
We let him choose his bed at IKEA and then put it together for him - in front of him, whilst saying it was his bed. We then set both the cot AND his bed up in his room, and said to him at night, this is his bed, and kelti's cot - so he didn't seem fussed at all when we moved it into the other room about a week later and she went into it - cos we'd told him for a week or so that it was kelti's cot and he had his big bed.

Never been any issues here.

[Trillian]

Trill and Arimeh - when you moved the older ones out of the cot to make way for the new baby, how did they cope? DD will be 22months when the next bub arrives, and the plan was to move her into a bed and then the cot will be free. But did you do it a while before the new bub came along, or when bub came home from hospital? I;m just worried about whether she'll get jealous about losing her bed to the baby.

The Erin and Paige were 3mths old when they needed the cot, so there was enough time to get Lindsay, and then Erin used to the idea of being in the bed and not the cot. We already had the beds set up and they were using them for day sleeps for 2-ish mths before the final move. Luckily it was never an issue for us, but we've had friends who ended up getting a second cot on loan for a little while.

Jac, I think Alister will be at least that old before he moves out of the cot too LOL, so you wont be the only one.