Top Tips For Transitioning From Cot To Bed
The move from a cot to a bed can be an exciting milestone in your parenting life, although many parents consider the process to be stressful. It’s not an easy task to persuade your child to stay in bed when they can easily get out. Nonetheless, with some persuasion and parental trickery, you will eventually convince them to accept their beds.
That said, how do you know when it’s time for your toddler to go from cot to bed? As the studies have already shown, it is essential to get the timing right as moving too early will reduce the quality of your toddler’s sleep and your sleep!
It’s important to know there is no “perfect” time for the transition. However, most parents make the change when their child is between 18 months and four years of age – most children make the switch at around three years of age. However, you may notice that your toddler is ready to make the move way before then.
As toddlers mature at different rates, the age at which they are ready for the transition varies greatly. There’s no hurry and no golden rule; wait until it’s the right time for you and the right for them.
Ask yourself a few questions:
Are you worried about them falling out of the bed in the middle of the night? Are you concerned that they may go exploring?
If you have thoughts such as these, it is an indicator you aren’t ready and can save the cost of purchasing a new bed for another time!
However, if you’re worried about them trying to escape their cot, or perhaps they’ve started toilet training, they could be good indicators that you are ready for them to make the switch to a toddler bed.
If you have a new baby on the way, then it may be necessary to move your child to the bed so that the cot is vacant for the baby. Some tips you can use include:
Generally, babies having older siblings will transition quicker because they’re looking to imitate their older brothers or sisters.
- Make your child's bedroom/house a safe environment.
- You're giving them unsupervised freedom, perhaps for the first time when your child moves from cot to bed! With this in mind, it would be advisable for you childproof their bedrooms and the rest of the house. Consider limiting access to the rest of the house with safety gates and doors.
- Cords for curtains and blinds should be placed well out of reach; these are strangulation hazards.
- There are many chocking hazards in every home - particularly childrens' bedrooms. Marbles, coins, small balls, broken crayons... the list is endless. Store them all out of reach.
- The same goes for all types of medicines and cleaning fluids etc.
- Heavy furniture is another danger, so consider attaching them to the wall with brackets. The same goes for chairs, stools, ladders - anything that they could climb on.
- Electric appliances and sockets are also great risks. Keep all appliances out of reach and use socket protectors.
- Many items of furniture also have sharp edges. Consider using edge and corner protectors.
The tips above aren’t rocket science. They’re simple but can be very useful. Typically for toddlers, it’s the simple little things that make all the difference when there are changes to their routine.
There are no hard and fast rules on when to make the transition. It could be as early as 18 months, or some parents might wait until their child is 4. Look out for the signs and make the switch when it’s right for you and most importantly, when its right for them.
If they start showing signs like climbing out of the cot, then they may be ready to make the switch. Only make the change if you are comfortable with it and not before. There are no set rules, as a guideline most transition between the ages of 18 months and 3 1/2 years of age.
As above, they are ready when they start showing signs and when you are comfortable. There’s no set rules, the guidelines state that most children make the switch between the ages of 18 months and 3 1/2 years of age.
They can sleep in a cot or if you think they are ready to make the transition they can switch to a low toddler bed.