From cot to bed BEFORE age 2?

My 16 month old DD keeps waking up at night when she hits the top of the cot (there's a bumper, but she ends up squished up against it).

A few people suggested to move her to a bed. Most 'official' info I've found says toddlers generally move to a bed at age 2 at the earliest.
But I've also found a lot of anecdotal evidence from mums whose bubs moved to a bed much earlier, even younger than my DD.

I'm just not sure how she will go in a bed - with her head at the top, near the wall.
At what age are they allowed to use a pillow?
Should I go with a toddler bed, or a single bed with a rail to stop her falling out?

Not sure whether to give this a go...

What do you feel comfortable with? I dont think its wise to use a pillow yet? What about a small toddler bed with a rail? and maybe some cushions incase she falls out?

Sorry I am not much help we co sleep so the boys have all the room :P
x

We've moved both our DD's before they were 15 months old. DD1 didn't get a pillow straight away though, and DD2 is 15 months at the moment and doesn't have a pillow. We think she would be fine with a toddler pillow though, just haven't gotten around to getting one yet.

DS1 was in a single bed by the time DS2 was born when DS1 was 19 months old. I think he'd been there from about 16 months. We used a bed rail to stop him falling out and he was fine. He didn't get a pillow until later though. I think every child is different and you know your child better than any book!

I gave up on the cot by around 8 months, but DS slept on a mattress on the floor till he was around 22 months when we moved him to a bed (we just waited till he was comfortable sleeping alone most of the time).
Maybe try a mattress then go to a bed if that seems to work well...? 16 months would be fine for pillows, I think. I'd go to a single, just to avoid having to get another later. We never used rails - he fell out once or twice, but quickly learnt not to thrash around so much after that.

Thanks all.

Oh, I didn't think of just a mattress! A single bed mattress, you mean?.. Maybe I could put her cot mattress on the floor....

With my first two boys there is only 19mths between them so we kinda needed DS1 out of the cot :D
We started at about 17mths I think and just did day sleeps at first to get him used to it. Then we moved onto the night sleeps. It did take a good few weeks to completely transition him and there was times when I thought it was too soon.
Be prepared for lots of getting in and out of the bed (great new game just cause they can now) lots of stories and I also spent many nights falling asleep next to him in his bed.

Definately go for the bed rail. All of my kids are huge rollers and movers in their sleep so although they may start out up the right way on the pillow that is never where they end up. :lol:
Rail on one side and wall on the other, we used a thin pillow and also used bedding from his cot just to make it as smooth as possible.

Good luck in your decision

Yeah, that might be ok if she doesn't move around too much. DS was on a queen size (with me for much of the time, I got a tiny sliver of bed and he took the rest)

I'm one of 4 kids, and all of us were given a bed for our 1st birthday, and we were moved into it that night as part of our "big kid" prezzie.

It wasn't a big deal, and we're all fine :)

This is what we're planning on doing with DS.

My DS2 was 13 months when he moved to a big boy bed. I never had a rail. If they fell out, they fell out. Only did it once or twice each...

We moved DD into her bed a few months back, she'll be two at the end of this month. She started with one of those flat toddler pillows, but she now falls asleep with a normal pillow, but always ends up in with us anyway. The change was incredible. She went from being tense and unhappy, even in sleep, when we tried to put her to bed, to her willingly going into her own bed. climbing in, pulling the blankets up and waiting for her story. Best thing we did at the time. I was also concerned, she was so little, everything I had read said wait until two, but as I've learned on here - trust your instincts! And she has never fallen out either. I had her fold out couch beside it for a few weeks, but she never fell out.

Hmm she does move a lot, now that I think of it... sometimes she's upside-down in her cot!

I actually don't know if she'll 'notice' that it's not her cot, firstly because of her age, and secondly because she only sleeps there at night. (Day naps are on my lap while being breastfed.)
At night we breastfeed to sleep in the dark, and then put in the cot when she's 99% asleep.

I guess I will find out pretty quickly whether she 'notices' or not!

If it's a bigger mattress you can maybe lie down next to her to get her to sleep. Might even work for day sleeps, who knows?
DS was all over the place when he was on the mattress, but moves much less now - I think they learn to (or else fall out). Mind you, he's still upside down or sideways hanging over the edge sometimes.

DD went into a bed at 16months. She didn't have a rail but she sleeps like a log and I just never got around to it.

DS is just 2 but has never slept in a cot only ever in a bed with a rail.

Thanks, yeah maybe one day she will be able to sleep without a breastfeed!.... If she does I will collapse in shock :)
I think maybe when she's old enough to reason with, she might do it. I'd be very happy to take naps with her in our bed every day, but she just doesn't know how to sleep without the boob. Feeding her while lying on the bed doesn't seem to work, for some reason...
She has fallen asleep in the car TWICE in 16 months, and only because she missed her nap.

She's always been one of those babies who fights sleep. I remember when she was just born and we were still in hospital, and I'd read that newborns couldn't stay awake for more than 1 hour, tops.
Our beady eyed little one was awake for 5 hours straight on the day we left hospital!

Thanks again everyone, you've given me some great ideas.

Great thread, I'm getting loads of info to. We plan on ttc again soon which means ds will be in a bed at around 18 months if not before if all goes to plan with getting pg. Good luck with your decision, just do whatever your comfortable with

DS went into a bed at 18 months. We got him the Malm single bed from Ikea as it's low to the ground but still a normal single size bed. No rail, just gave him my body pillow and then some more cushions on the floor. He has a toddler pillow. Tontine make them and they're called My First Pillow or something like that. He fell out a few times over the first couple of months and then was fine.