Toddler Bed - when to move

Hi All ,

I have just spoken to my daycare - to see how Kaitlyn is going as she has been a little out of sorts and they have told me they are putting her to bed at the moment - in a bed not a cot???.

I am concerned as :
no1: I asked them not to move her to bed as I did not believe she was ready

no2: is this age to young? will this cause confusion as she is in a cot at home?.

Just wanted to see what you all thought as I am a little clouded in my judgement as I am just a little upset they went ahead against my wishes.

I'd be having a serious talk to them. They have no right to go against what you desire for your child. I think you have every right to be concerned. My 2.3yr old is not ready for a bed yet, how can a 1.5yr old be???? Come off it. I think you need to speak to the manager of the center! Every child is different, but as a mother/parent, our wishes should be respected.

I put both of mine in a toddler bed at 18 months, but they were ready for it, if you think Kaitlyn is still not ready then that is your decision to make, i would be furious with the daycare centre for going against what you see best for your daughter, have a stern word with the centre director

Its sounds weird. I havent' been to a daycare centre that has actual beds - ours has only cots, and the bigger kids sleep or rest on floor mats.
Unless its family daycare which I assume would have beds..

Firstly if you've told them not to put Kaitlyn in a bed then they should be following your instructions. The daycare that Gem goes to puts the toddlers to sleep on a mat on their own sheet/blanket on the floor. I'm really happy with that as Gemma is also not in a bed yet shes sleeps in her portable cot as she moves allover the place.

I put Mya in a toddler bed at 16-17months. She was ready tho. I never had any problems with her at all. Also i wanted her to be used to her bed by the time this bubby was born. She sleeps in a cot at her nan & pops house & it doesn't seem to confuse her. Although she doesn't spend alot of time there atm.
I would be furious at ur day care provider & would definatly be talking to them

Thanks girls ..I am a little peeved...as they tend to not listen to the things I ask and go ahead with what they think it best. And they are a big centre!. The bed is more like one of those fold out cot things ..the ones that sit close to the ground. But it is still very very different to being put in a cot.

I am so confused I am still a little unsure of how I feel about it all ....I know it seems silly but it is a huge deal to me . And I feel like I want Kaitlyn and I (plus daddy of course) to work out when and how she moves forward with such big milestones. I think a phone call would have been nice.

In Saying that though I just called them and she has been asleep for 1.5hours - normally she sleeps 30-45mins all day at daycare , she is knowns as the quick nap girl. So do you think maybe it is a good thing for her?. Should I see how she goes for the week before commenting?. I also dont want to upset the carers and have that affect they way they treat her IYNWIM

Cass - Nothing that you say to the carers should affect they way that they treat your daughter. Have you experienced this not to be the case (i.e. it does have an effect) in the past or are you just concerned that it might?

Its up to you whether you want to complain or not. I think if it were me I'd let her go and see how she goes with it, but still have something to say to the director of the centre becuase you made a specifc request (that I assume was agreed to at the time) and its been ignored.

I asked for Milo to be put to bed in a sleeping bag (which I provided) at his creche. A few months later I found they had not been doing it, and that they told me he would not settle in the bag (which at the time was the exact opposite of at home). Anyway I let him go, and now he will go to sleep either way, whcih I figure has to be good. Its nice to know he is not dependant on it.

Having said that, I think in your case, there is a safelty issue there as well as the fact that they're not following your wishes. I would definitely follow it up regardless of whether you let her stay in the bed at daycare or not.

Matilda's sleeps at care are always different at home & she wound up in a bed heaps earlier there. (well a mat on the ground...) but she sleeps around 2-3 hours at care where I sometimes don't get her to sleep at all. So.. maybe its just she wants to be out where the action is and sleeps better there...

Having said that, the centre should be talking about this with you & saying why they would do something different than you told them too. I would ask the group leader of the room why and why weren't you informed before the change was made. Its important that they understand that this is something you want to know about before they do something different. With Matilda, she was climbing out of the portacot at her family day care so the carer rang me to ask if I minded if she tried a mat on the floor.

HI Cass :D We're gonna start day sleeps in her single bed next month - when Ella's 18months. That way she'll have 3 months to get used to it (gradually building up to night sleeps too) by the time Tia arrives. I do agree that it was a move that should have been decided by you guys though - not the centre. Maybe she is ready for it - but it's your move. Good to hear about the 1.5hr sleep!!!