Moving to big bed
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Forum Name: Toddler Times
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Topic: Moving to big bed
Posted By: weegee
Subject: Moving to big bed
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 11:01am
Ok so I have done a search and know there are HEAPS of threads on this, but I have some specific questions and since there are so many threads it was easier to start my own than to bump one with my own questions 
Right, here goes. Baby #2 is due in July, when JJ will have just turned 2 (hopefully they have separate birthdays!). We will need the cot that JJ is currently in for #2 to go into, once #2 outgrows the bassinette (JJ outgrew it by 4 months). The reading I've done suggests it's a bad idea to make any sort of major change within 2-3 months of baby's arrival, and if you're talking about the cot, it could be a source of jealousy if the transition out of it happens too close to baby going into it. So I guess the best course of action is to get JJ into a big bed as quickly as possible. So I have a couple of questions! - I guess the first step is to wean him from his sleeping bag? We have wooden floors in the bedrooms and if he climbs out of bed in a sleeping bag he's going to faceplant. - The endpoint of the process will be that JJ will be in a completely new bedroom, in a new bed. Are we best to transition him slowly (side off the cot, big bed in the same bedroom he's currently in, big bed in the new bedroom), or make a big fanfare about the big boy's room and go cold turkey? (I don't think he'd really get the fanfare side of things, but I have seen it suggested elsewhere.) Any other helpful tips? ------------- 
Mum to JJ, 4 July 2008 & Addie, 28 July 2010 |
Replies:
Posted By: weegee
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 11:03am
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My other thought was should we go the whole hog or should we try day sleeps first - either day sleeps in the new room and night sleeps in the cot in the old room, or day sleeps in the big bed (currently in his room next to his cot) and night sleeps in the cot...? -------------
Mum to JJ, 4 July 2008 & Addie, 28 July 2010 |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 11:28am
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Issy wouldnt sleep in the cot with no side .. she kept saying broken, broken and pointing at the side, after a week we gave up and put the side back on.
The next week we bought a toddler bed and she slept in it from then (we took the cot down two days later - we left it for awhile just in case). We also just did all sleeps in her new bed, she never went back into her cot. I would probably put him in a bed in his room .. then once the bed becomes his "haven" then put the bed into his new room. ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year  http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 11:58am
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I found the whole side off the cot thing awful. The only way that Daniel learnt about his new bed was getting rid of the cot altogether and just having a bed in his room. When there was both he wanted the cot . It took a couple of days but it worked so much better that way.
I'd either put the cot in the new room and let him get use to that and then move into a big bed or move into a big bed, let him get use to it and then move into the new room. Personally I'd probably do the first option. |
Posted By: LJsmum
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 12:13pm
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we made a big thing about luke being a big boy and needing a new bed, telling him his cot was too small now. took the cot out he helped pack it down and wrap it up. the best bit as he could use "tools" like daddy!
We brought the bed put the mattress in the lounge he could see it , e.t.c told him it was just like mummy and daddy's bed. He's so lucky to have his own special bed, went shopping for new sheets, deuvet cover e.t.c with him. started day sleep, then night sleep. This was in his own room. after a month or two. We said time to move in to a new bedroom. there are too many toys e.t.c in here, so lets move to the bigger room. worked wonders he helped moved his toys e.t.c he is older though was about 2.5yrs when we did this. we did this in september, baby due december. he loves his bed and new room, no problems at all. I have found with moving to big bed/ new room and also having a new baby. Doing the before preparing work has proved a success. We talked about both big changes a lot in every day conversation and included others. Like telling nanna, poppa he has anew bed and making a huge deal about it. Same with being a big brother, talked about it heaps for a good 3 months before then read stories about new babies, e.t.c about 1 month before baby was born. Focused on he won't be able to play with you, will cry a lot e.t.c why we have to be gentle e.t.c. But keep it simple. had no problems, no jealously at all. good luck! -------------  
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 12:35pm
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with gabriel we were lucky in that we had bunks already for my husbands older boy and we put him to sleep in there for day sleeps first. it didnt take him long to really like it so went in full time. he wasnt quite two when toby came along so he was quite young when in a bed. We didnt use a sleep sack with him so cant help on that, other than maybe a rug on the floor so its not too slippery.
with toby there wasnt the urgency so we took down the side of the cot to transition him. and that was a disaster, he treated it like a cot still so would wriggle about and kept falling out. as soon as we put him in a bed he stopped falling out! Eden is nearly 2 and is still in her cot and i havent even thought about putting her in a bed!  ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 12:37pm
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We did the whole lot in one go! Mum had him for the morning and we set up his new room competely and then brought him home. We kept the door to his old room shut for about 4 weeks.
He then did all his sleeps in his "big boy" room from day 1. We used a safety sleep for the first week and have had no problems since. We made a big deal and made him show everyone that came into out house his new room. He was only about 17/18 months at the time. -------------  
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Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 12:43pm
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we took the cot sides off first when Ella was around 17 months and then at 21 months moved her into a big bed- unlike the others I found removing the cot sides really helpful. For the big bed, we just took down her cot in the afternoon put up her new bed and put her to sleep in at night- no problems at all. Didn't make a big fuss about it (just that she was now a big girl so could have a big girls bed). ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 12:57pm
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i wont be much help cause it hasnt worked for us..we have 2 year(and one week) gap and had to buy another cot..we did slowly change things though so he was in different room (but ugh that we are moving a week before bubs now!!)
i took sleeping bag off him and that was quite easy..people said not to worry but i did that he would go head first.. but he refuses to sleep with blankets.maybe different in big bed.. for us i think the whole hog with sleeps in his bed all the time would be best..but then we havent succeeded despite tying everything just yet so i dont think he's ready. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 2:11pm
Did you try a bed then revert back to a cot? ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Four_eyes wrote:Posted By: maysie
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 2:57pm
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We changed over at about 16 mths so kinda early. Taking the side off the cot didn't work and she was more likely to fall out so we scrapped that idea after 2 days. You could try making the bed a cosy place to sit and read before sleep, making it familiar? Lily loves to snuggle into the corner with a book and then she pulls the sheet up, lays back and closes her eyes (all for show of course!). This probably only worked so well for us because I still stay with her while she falls asleep though
BUT, don't forget to shut the other doors along the hallway in case they get up in the night and go walkabout!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: weegee
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 3:07pm
We've always read on the bed and done the bedtime/nighttime breastfeeds on the bed, so he's already pretty happy there. He's currently having his afternoon nap there  - just kinda worked out that way. On track for a normal length sleep, yay!
Our door handles are really high, he won't be able to reach them for years and years 
ETA - and on the odd occasion I'll co-sleep in that bed with him, so it's not like he's never slept in it -------------
Mum to JJ, 4 July 2008 & Addie, 28 July 2010 |
Posted By: first
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 3:15pm
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Weegee I wouldn't worry about getting rid of the sleeping bag. I have just moved Daniel to his big boy bed and all I did was take down his cot (Daniel helped) then popped himinto his bed. I sewed the bottom of his sleeping back to the fitted sheet so that if he tries to get out of bed he falls. Not much fun and he's only fallen out twice.
I think if you don't make it a big deal then its not a big deal to them. Just be excited about him sleeping in his big boy bed. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/"> 
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Posted By: Natalie_G
Date Posted: 08 July 2010 at 7:49pm
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Arianne doesnt seem to like her cot being tampered with. I have tried taking one side off twice and she has been hysterical.
I might just have to buy a big bed and put that up and slowly get her use to it that way. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: FreeSpirit
Date Posted: 08 July 2010 at 7:55pm
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I'm going with the new bed thing - take all the sides off and put toddler bed ends on, and hope for the best. We'll be making the move after her birthday. ------------- http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 08 July 2010 at 8:01pm
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We decided that we'd move him into his bed when we moved up here in December.. for various reasons it didn't work that way so he ended up in the cot.
We went cold turkey on the sleeping bag too once it got warmer. One day we decided to take the cot down (#3 helped) and DH took the legs off the bed so it was easier for him to climb into (he had issues climbing onto the bed as it's a king single and quite high). We haven't looked back. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 09 July 2010 at 12:14pm
We've just moved Callum to a big bed this week. We all went out together on Sunday to buy the new bed and Callum got to have a play on it in the shop as well. Then he helped Daddy build it Sunday night and on Monday we washed all the new linen and made the bed. Monday night he went to bed in the big bed with no fuss at all It's all been a bit "too" easy  and I'm worried it's going to turn to custard at some point but am enjoying the ease of it for now.
We kept C in his sleeping bag as that's a big bed time association for him. We will probably try and go cold turkey with that soon as we have wooden floors too (although they don't seem to stop him walking round with the sleeping bag on) and our bedrooms are upstairs so IF he got out the bedroom door and through the safety gate somehow, I worry that he will trip and fall down our very high stairs. C is 19 months today. The cot is still in the bedroom as we need to take it down to get it out of the door but the mattress is under the new bed - we pull it out for nap time/bed time in case C falls out. ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |