Big bed

[Sazzy]

Hi All

So I am 27 weeks pregnant and Im thinking about moving my 2.4 yrs old into a big bed and then using her cot for the new baby.

What age did you all move your children into a big bed? Any tips?

The alternative is to buy another cot for the baby and then wait until next summer until we move no.1 into a big bed. She will be 3.5yrs by then and I think that that is a little late.

Would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks

[plumtree]

Hi Sazzy

I had a similar experience and also posted for help here (i guess you could search my old thread). I have a 2.5 year old and a 8 month old, and about 6 weeks ago tried to move toddler into a big bed so baby could have his bed. To cut a long story short, the bed was a total disaster as toddler actually likes the security of being in a cot. He also started waking at 5am and making LOTS of noise, waking the entire household (and probably the entire block).

To cut a long story short, the offender is back behind bars in a cot, which he's actually happier with. We ended up getting a cot from a friend and baby's in a cot as well. In fact they're both in cots in the same room, which is great.

Your 2.4 year old may well be very different from my toddler and will probably love her bed. But I guess it goes to show that anything is possible! Good luck

[Frenchy]

Hi Sazzy... we are in the same situation as you. Baby n.2 arrives soon and we tought it was a good timing to put our 2.5 yo son in a big bed. The point is that his room is not big enough to put a real bed !
So we just bought a mattress (90*190) and put it on the floor, against the wall.... and he loved it from the very first night !
He took him some time to understand he could get up on his own, did it a few evenings, but now he is just staying in his room, takes some books or toys around and goes back to sleep on his own.
We just bought him some sheets with his favorite characters (Thomas and Cars) and he is just so proud to have a big bed !

Good luck... might be even easier than you think !

[plumtree]

Wow Frenchy, I'm envious. I seem to have an opinionated little guy who likes things EXACTLY how he wants them!

[nicolejoy]

I just did the same thing - although my daughter was only 18 months when we moved her to the big bed. A bit of an adjustment but she's doing GREAT now. I was a bit worried because in the cot, I never knew where I'd find her - but amazingly with the bed, she's always head up like she should be.

I started moving her into the big bed when I was about 28 weeks pregnant so that she'd have plenty of time to adjust before the baby arrives. I'm glad I did it that early because it did take probably about 3 weeks for her to get used to it, but now she's awesome with it :) She does wake up (or at least get out of bed) an hour earlier though! I think when she was in the cot, she'd just play there when she woke up - but now that she CAN get up, she comes into our room as soon as she's awake. It's kinda cute though, and she's most cuddly in the morning so I actually like it ;) Although I need to adjust our bed time an hour earlier too I think!!

[Frenchy]

We've started to explain him one week before that his baby bed was going to be changed to a big boy bed, and when we bought it I let him choose his own quilt cover (definitively not the one I would have prefered, but he was so determined !).
When I have a look at his room late at night, I generally find him sleeping in every possible way, but it does not seem to be a problem for him. Might be when we will have to put a higher bed !

[southside852]

my son was 20 months when he moved into a big bed. i decided to skip the toddler bed b/c we felt it was just a waste of money since he would eventually need to be in a regular twin size bed. the first months were hard in transitioning, but for the past 4 months, it's been great.

[Sleuth]

We moved our first into a big bed (not a toddler bed), with a safety railing, when he was about 2.5. We did not have any issues with the move. Cribs are for babies and he was now a big boy.
Also he was already starting to climb out of the crib, which is not a good thing.
For the longest time he slept in the bed with the railing. Then he realized really big boys don't use railings, so the railing went.
But now he really loves his mattress on the floor.
Still he has never asked to go back into the crib.