Moving from cot to bed

Help with this transistion would be much appreciated.

DS is 19 months, quite a big boy already fitting size 2 or 2.5 clothing. He's not a climber so isn't climbing in or out of the cot but I find that whenever I check on him he has a leg or two hanging through the bars or his heads pushed right against the bars. Basically he doesn't seem comfortable.

We have bought a bed that I would call a junior bed, it's quite low to the ground. We have the bed arriving in a few days.

I would love to hear anyones experiences and tips. Not sure whether to get rid of the cot and he can only sleep in the bed or give him the option of the cot or the bed. I heard that it's good to start with the day sleep. DS has always been a great sleeper so don't want to go backwards and have to stay in the room until he falls asleep.

Thanks!

I'm just making the transition with DS this week! I took him shopping to choose linen (which he wasn;t interested in), and then we made up his bed and played on and in it, which he thought was quite exciting. This week I have been putting him in the bed for day naps, but nights in the cot. The first two days were great, the third he realised he could get out of the bed but not back in, so ended up sleeping on the floor, and the next few he has slept okay in the bed. He has slept just as long as usual, anyway. I have been pushing the cot up against the side of the bed to give him some security, so next week I will take that away and see how it goes. Maybe the week after I will put him in the bed at night too, but might leave the cot there for a few more weeks after that, just in case. But it's all new territory here!

DS is 18 months and we are working on the transition - first day sleep in a bed tomorrow. He's not a climber, but he's quite tall and he looks so uncomfortable in his cot. Our second isn't due for another 6 months, so there's no rush to get him out of the cot.

Sounds like your DS might be ready for the switch. At the end of the day if he's not into it you can just revert back to the cot and try again in a few months. I've heard that it's not ideal to make changes like this at the same time as a new baby arrives. So, best to do it a couple months before or after bubs arrives.

Best of luck.

DS is 18mths. Will be 21mths when the little one arrives.
I don't think he's ready for a bed, so I'm putting it off for now. I figure the new baby will be in the bassinette for 3mths (ish) so I've got 6mths to sort it out.

With the pillows on the floor thing - I think that's more likely to cause problems with climbing out onto an uneven surface. I think I'm planning on putting the mattress on the floor at first.
DS's cot is DH's family cot so it's one of the smaller old size ones. On the one hand I think it's lovely to have legacy stuff that's come down through the family, on the other I think it's be easier if we had one of the fancy cots which have the completely removable sides and a base that lowers, then he could have a cot & bed at the same time.

Tried the bed out yesterday. DS is definitely not ready for it yet. He loves to play on it but when it came to actually sleeping in it he freaked out. The whole thing must have been very confusing for him, seeing the cot next to him and not being able to sleep in it and wondering why mummy & daddy are trying to get me to sleep in this bed. Also, the safety factor, he gave us quite a fright when we first made the bed up, he fell head first off it - fortuntely my husband grabbed him in mid air. We have the cot right up against the bed, but there would still be the bottom of the bed and even with a mattress he could still fall awkwardly and hurt himself. He just isn't aware of the dangers and rolls around on the bed without a care in the world. I phoned Plunket this morning and the nurse I spoke to basically said it's a lot easier waiting until at least 2 years, because they can communicate so much better. It will be easier to explain that the bed is where he sleeps now and that he's to stay in it at bed times. Our 2nd baby is due in 6 months, but we actually have up to year to transition DS to a bed because baby will have a bassinette for a while. We have decided to leave the bed in the room but we won't be trying to get him to sleep in it for at least a few months.