Too old for a cot??

Nicola - we changed paris into a double bed on her own at 11 mths but she couldn't roll etc or get out - was and easy transition really.

Ayja we didn't have that luxury of - we didn't have a bed for her and didn't have the space in her room for even a normal single bed so got her a convertible cot - we have just taken the side off and have found a few times with her liking to get out etc, but mostly has been ok. Have a look at his cot and see if the drop-side could be safely removed so that it's more like a normal bed - it's a good way to help transition them to the idea of a normal bed without too much big upheaval. That way his bed will essentially be the same, just less baby-like, it still has the same familiar surroundings though. The main thing you will have to deal with is him realising "hey i can get out" but perservere - we left the side of her cot against the wall in her room for a few days under the understanding that if she was silly, the side would be put back on - which she did not want at all!

In reality he's going to have to move from it sometime and while it's normal not to want him to feel displaced - he's going to anyway so if you take the side off now - then by the time baby's ready for a cot you can turn it into a positive special occasion special for him to get new bed and new duvet etc as a big boy! it doesn't have to be a case of "we're moving you outta here cos we need it for the baby" It can be done so that he feels really neat and special for getting a new bed and then he can give his baby his old cot cos he doesn't need it anymore. lol.

We are planning on getting Ayja a normal bed probably next year as she's finally getting a bit tall for her bed and she needs a bit more width now cos she rolls out of bed sometimes -portacot matress on the floor helps prevent ouches - also we find her sleeping on that sometimes in the mornings cos she's obviously fallen out and stayed asleep on there!

Good luck

Edited by mum2paris

I took Quinn out of his cot at two, only because we were due to have baby number two and needed the cot.

But he was happy in the cot, we never had any issues getting him to sleep and he never tried to climb out. If I could've I definitely would have left him in there longer.

I don't think I would have the energy at the moment to deal with Alex if he was getting up and down for 3 hours!! I will try taking the side off, and see how he goes.

I did think about buying a second cot for baby so Alex could stay in his.

Will just have to see how we go I guess!!

Personally, if he is happy, I would just leave it. Charlotte slept in portacot bassinette for ages cos Jake was still in the cot, and she was fine in there. Jake put himself in the big bed, after having it in his room forever, then choosing a duvet cover I thought he might like, and we read stories on it or played on it, so it was normal for him. I didn't pressure him at all, and one night he just wanted to be in there, and has been ever since!

Edited by fattartsrock

How tall is he? I was told that if the side comes up to 2/3rds of their body height that they can climb over it. Only takes one day for them to realise or try. I'd remove the side for now - and shut the bedroom door if necessary (our kids get one chance each night and then if they have to be put back to bed the door also gets shut). Since baby is so close I'd leave him in the cot for a couple of weeks, I agree that you don't want to move him out for the baby and all of that unsettling stuff.

I disagree about getting another cot though. How long do you think baby will fit in the bassinette? Our bassinette only fits up to about 6 weeks but some fit a lot longer than that. You'll likely need to move him into a big boy bed before he is 3.

One thing about moving. When I moved Hannah out of the cot I also changed her bedroom. It made sense for me to leave the cot as is for the next baby and put Hannah separate. But that was quite unsettling for her until I bedded her in the old bedroom again. If you can either introduce a bed soon before moving house OR keep him in the cot until a couple of weeks after moving, you may find the transition goes a lot better.