Big Girls Bed

Hi,
We are having battles at the moment with the "big girls bed" that is in Jenna's room. She is getting in and out of it constantly, and wanting to sleep in it every nap time! She gets hysterical wqhen we have to say - no this is Jenna's bed!
So when did you put your child into a bed, and are there any advantages? We were thinking of letting her have a daytime sleep in it this weekend - putting pillows all over the floor and letting her go for it to see what happens.
I'm hoping its just a phase, but she really is asserting herself at the moment with everything from feeding to sitting in a chair at the table, so I'm thinking maybe she's just ready for the next step.

For Matilda there were heaps of advantages going into the big girl bed. BUT it was hard slog at night. Then again, most nights are hard with Matilda LOL. Matilda transitioned by having day sleeps on the mattress for a few weeks before we moved her into the bed at night as well. We put the cot mattress next to the bed so if she rolled out it would be onto that.

Emily was only about a month older than your DD when we made the move - we needed her out of the cot for the new baby and didn't want to do it close to his birth.

I think if she's showing interest like that I'd run with it! It might be very easy if she actually wants to do it.

We had a few issues with her getting out of bed but they were mostly solved with time (and a toddler gate across her door - we couldn't bring ourselves to close the door and it's too dangerous to risk her wandering around the house at night while we're asleep.)

You can get mesh railings that slot in between the mattress and bed base and come up the side of the bed if you're concerned about her falling out. We have one it's great.

I know the feeling Christy - Jenna is often a beast at night too, but she is getting slowly better! What age did you move her into the bed?
We can't really take the bed out of the room or put a mattress on the ground as the house is on the market, and I dont think buyers would be too impressed ;)
ETA Flea - thanks for that. We shut her door every night as we have a cat that causes alot of damage to fabric if left to roam at night, and we still have the monitor on in our room. We would still be getting up to Jenna at least 3-4 times a week at the moment. The nights where she sleeps through are pure bliss!
Eventually we will haev her door open - we are moving to NZ and leaving the cats behind, so I'm guessing we will do it then.

Matilda went into the big girl bed at 16 months and that was because she was climbing in & out of the cot & it was getting dangerous for her landings. ATM we have her cot mattress slid under her bed & we pull it out when she goes to bed so there is a soft landing if she falls out. The first time she fell out of bed was 2 nights ago!

Well I think we are going to have to go down this road as I just had the most unconsolable child screaming "bed, bed, bed" while bawling her eyes out.
Darn it all! It means a reorganisation of the room doesn't it! I guess the change table will have to go too, as it will be a climbing frame for her, and god knows what we will do about the wardrobe doors....
ARGH! Shane's prob this weekend - I'm on to NZ tomorrow afternoon without either of them!

LOL Shane can deal ;) Fi we had to empty Matilda's room out of everything because things became climbing frames as you said. Generally though *fingers crossed* she's only emptied her wardrobe twice. So they do get the idea...

There was a single bed set up in Maddys room & so when she was about 16 months old she started climbing outta the cot & into the bed & thats where we founf her after putting her to bed in the cot, so I put the cot against the bed so she couldnt fall out & put her in the big girl bed & she never ever got out of it, she thought it was great!
We are thinking of getting bunks soon with a double top loft style bed & a bottm single one, so Maddy & Indah can share!!! Not for a few months yet though!

Good Luck...... Shane!!! hee hee