What would you do, move to 'big girl bed' or toilet train first?

[chody47]

As the heading says, what do you think is best to do first?

I 'think' DD is ready to be toilet trained (she will say 'nappy changed' and then go off and does a poo) and I also want to get her into a big girl bed (or at least take the side off her cot). My concern with toilet training first is that, if by some chance she really takes to it and wants to go to the toilet during the night (probably a slim chance, but possible I guess), I don't want her to be stuck in her cot..... On the other hand we can't find a 'big girl' bed we like and I'm a bit hesitant to just take the side of the cot off as if it doesn't work its going to be annoying trying to put it back on in the middle of the night....

Any advice or experience?

[Tinks]

Go with the toilet training because it sounds as though she's ready. She will still wear nappies overnight and during naps for a while yet.

[~Kim~]

If she's happy in the cot, I'd leave her there. You could always put her mattress on the floor to see how she goes without the cot.

FWIW even though my two both day TTed by 2.5, one didn't TT for night until 6, the other is nearly 4 and showing no signs of night readiness.

[chody47]

Thanks for the advice! I wasn't sure if day and night training went hand in hand or not. She is very happy in her cot so i may concentrate on the too letting first. Hmmmm I wonder if it'll be warm next weekend???

[~*Niadalla*~]

I'd personally do the bed thing first. DD was 2 years and one month and toilet trained day and night in 8 days. had we have had her in a cot it would have been painful. Just another point of view.

[Chrispe]

With my older 2 I did the big bed first. But that's just us.

[briggsy's girl]

we did day training and day naps in big girl bed at same time - night training came after she was day trained quite a while (due to surgeries for all of us and the resultant upheaval on her) - she was in a big girl bed well before that. she resisted the change to no cot, so one day while she was away with granma, we just took the side off and gave her no choice. she coped fine.

[~me~]

I have TT trained 3 kids, to be honest, I never actually 'thought' about which came first. Just went with the flow, if they were ready to TT, we did it, they all also took a while to night train so it all worked out. Two of my kids scaled the cot early so were in a bed well before TT occurred.

We are actually TT this weekend and she has been in her bed with no sides for quite a while, she was one of my climbers.

If you think she is ready for day and night together, you really need to take the side off the cot and stick with it. I wouldn't be putting a side back on in the middle of the night, give it a few nights to start with, you may be surprised just how well she goes

[chody47]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm not sure if she would day and night train at the same time, but if she seemed keen I wouldn't want to discourage it!

I'm probably just as undecided about what to do first now lol. Maybe I should take the side off the cot first???? I guess I should get some sort of bed rail so she doesn't fall out though. Where do I get them from?

[~me~]

We got our side rail from Baby Time. Baby Bunting, Clark Rubber, a bed shop like a Captain Snooze would have them.

[<3 Mumofthreetobe <3]

We moved my little girl, then 18mths, to a toddler bed (cos we needed the cot for her brother) then started TT at 2. She is still not nap/night TT, but she's only 2.5 now.

[Rowellen]

We got a bed rail from target. They had them half price in the big baby sale they had not long before DS moved to his big boy bed. I think from memory they have that sale in Jan or Feb, but I can't be sure if it'll be on sale again.

[Amaunet]

I saw a tip on Pinterest, when you put a pool noodle under the fitted sheet (on the side where the cot side is missing) instead of a bed rail to stop the rolling out. So a cheaper option if it works

[MummyNaomi]

We did the big bed first, only cos DS was rolling around like a mad man in his sleep waking himself hitting the cot rails

Also, re the TT, we day and night trained at the same time, worked a treat. One thing to consider is if you put the nappy back on at night you may confuse them, or if they are only comfortable to go in a nappy they may hold on ALL day until the nappy is on - just something to think about, you'd know best for your own LO though

[Gigi]

i think if your LO is showing all the signs of understanding when she needs to go, that's great, i would encourage that and go with the tt-ing. My LO didn't seem to go to the loo at night, when she night trained, took her years before she actually got up and used the loo, in the middle of the night - but she is a light eater and drinker, so maybe just didn't have the need to go.

In your shoes, i would give the mattress on the floor trick a go. So your LO CAN come and go to the loo, if she needs it. Takes the pressure off you finding the big girl bed in a hurry. Cos yes, i think night training in a cot sounds unsafe and unwieldy for you.

congrats to your LO, my LO day and night trained at 2.5yrs, when she was ready and showed me signs, it took about a month for it all to happen, from start to finish. Every child is different and i'm sure every tt-ing experience is different too.

i used tt-ing aids (living with WHITE rental carpet in her room). e.g brolly sheets for bed, training pants with hidden PUL waterproofing, carseat mat, potty in the car boot, potette for going out. So every time she wanted to go, it was possible. We did all this before she learnt to talk, so that added another dimension (!!). Got many wonderful and useful hints on the tribal baby website (meant for ec-ing newborns, but i adapted them to use with a toddler tt-ing).