Refusing to sleep in cot and buying toddler bed

**LoveKnowsNoBounds** · December 21st, 2013, 09:46 PM

My DD aged just over two has decided she will not sleep in the cot anymore. All of a sudden she throws her body trying to get out of the cot, tantrums hysterically in the cot etc etc.

We weren't expecting this and now with Xmas it's the worst time to order a cot with delivery etc. I've got her sleeping on her mattress on thd floor in her room for now with the door closed.

Any tips on where you bought your toddler bed? I'm in Sydney. And did your little one ever do this? I've been worried about why this has happened all of a sudden.

Thanks

**Ladylove** · December 21st, 2013, 11:28 PM

Can you take the rail off the side until you are able to get a bed? Maybe that will be enough for the short-term.

**HotI** · December 22nd, 2013, 01:04 AM

you could go straight to a single bed, no need for a toddler bed.

**chody47** · December 22nd, 2013, 04:48 AM

I was gonna suggest the same as HotI. We took the side off the cot at around 18 months and then went straight to a 'big girl bed' just after 2.

**possum magic** · December 22nd, 2013, 06:20 AM

Our 'cot time' with DD1 ended suddenly the day she learned how to climb out! I was worried she'd do it again and fall and hurt herself so I also put her on a mattress on the floor the same day. It takes time to order a bed as you say- even when it's not xmas- so the mattress was the only solution. I looked around for a bed I was happy with but I took my time. She spent a few months on the single bed mattress before she got her 'big girl' single bed to go with it!

**possum magic** · December 22nd, 2013, 06:26 AM

Oh, forgot to say: I think it's a normal developmental stage. They decide they want to be big. You can go straight to a normal bed if your cot doesn't cover to a toddler bed; we bought a 'bed rail' thing they make for young kids (at 'Baby Bunting' baby shop) so she wouldn't fall out. When she was ready we took away the bed rail. DD2 now has it on her new big girl bed : )

**Taurean** · December 22nd, 2013, 06:42 AM

We took the cot sides off with DD1 at 20 months (I caught her climbing out so that was it!) and she was in a king single at around 26 months.

DD2 has recently started throwing her leg over the side of the cot so we bought her new big girl setting last week. She'll go into her king single this week. As we did with DD1, we'll put a baby gate on her bedroom door and a bed rail on the side of the bed so she doesn't fall out. We also anchor all the furniture to the walls as our girls are climbers!

Sounds like your DD is definitely ready for a big girl bed. Her behaviour sounds normal to me

**onthefly** · December 22nd, 2013, 08:08 AM

Both my kids were sleeping in regular beds at around 2. Personally I would skip the toddler bed - it seems an unnecessary expense when they'll need a normal bed shortly anyway.

**beansbeans!** · December 22nd, 2013, 08:37 AM

Skip the toddler bed and go straight to a bigger bed.
Toddler beds aren't worth it really.
I agree if you can drop the sides and turn current cot into toddler bed, if not go straight to big bed.
(We skipped the toddler bed and went straight to big beds, we didn't see the point in buying a middle sized bed with such a short term of use)

**~TT40~** · December 22nd, 2013, 09:00 AM

Spock is in a single bed buy it is a trundle so the legs fold down do atm it is at floor level.
Being young she actually doesn't try to escape and doesn't fall off (except when fighting sleep at bed time but I stay in there with her and she is slowly foing it less and less)

**~Kim~** · December 22nd, 2013, 09:54 AM

My DD1 was the only one slept in a cot, and she did dactyl as you're describing at 16months old - the week before we moved house. However for her a toddler bed wasn't an option as she was already nearly too long for the cot mattress at that age. Both she and DS started sleeping independently on a mattress on the floor.

**LoveKnowsNoBounds** · December 22nd, 2013, 11:18 AM

Hello, sorry I meant one of those car beds. A single bed lower to the ground. Are they the same size as a single bed?

Thanks for the reassurance. It's good to know its a developmental thing. I was really worried! She's a determined little person! It will have to be the mattress on the floor until we get the bed.

Did you get gates for the door or just close the door? We close the door when she slept in the cot but it's hard when they are upset

**possum magic** · December 22nd, 2013, 11:51 AM

We closed the door when Dd1 was little but by the time she was out of the cot she wouldn't let us any more so we put a baby gate on the door to reduce the amount of times she was coming to visit us in the lounge room! It meant her room wasn't too dark and she could still call out for us but encouraged her to stay in bed. We left it open over night so she could come to our room if she needed us.

**~Kim~** · December 22nd, 2013, 11:58 AM

Call me stupid, but I never thought to put gates on the door so they couldn't get out....my big kids just didn't

DS has a car bed and he loves it. It's great too because even at 5 he's all over the bed and this helps stop him falling out without the bedrail lol. And besides I need it for DD2.

**HotI** · December 22nd, 2013, 01:58 PM

I have always left the door open. if my kids need me, they come to me.

**chody47** · December 22nd, 2013, 02:37 PM

We've never used gates either. We leave the door open when they're going to sleep and shut the girls' doors before going to bed ourselves. They both have monitors in their rooms so we can hear them if they need something at night.