Today I’m sharing some things to consider when moving your toddler to a bed. A friend is about to start the process, and was asking me for hints and tips last week, so I figured I’d share our experiences here. Keep reading for tips and tricks when moving your toddler to a bed.
Moving Your Toddler to a Bed
When I was pregnant with Sam – twelve years ago now, I did a lot of research into baby sleeping solutions. In the end, we opted for a Moses Basket, then a Travel Cot in our own bedroom, while we decorated what was to become his nursery. This was a great plan for us, as we couldn’t fit a cot bed in our bedroom, and knew we’d need a travel cot at some point.
Once the nursery was complete, we opted for a cot bed, so it could grow with Sam and go on to become a Toddler bed, when he outgrew the cot bars. Personally, I’d urge any parents to be to do the same. If space was of a premium and toy have to have a smaller, standard cot instead, there’s definitely more to think about when you’re planning on moving your toddler to a bed.
Is my Toddler Ready to Move to a Bed?
The team at Raising Children had this to say about transitioning to a bed from a cot…
Most children move from cot to bed when they’re between two and three years old.
There’s no hurry, though. And there are some advantages to leaving your child in a cot if they’re happy there. For example, your child can’t fall out of the cot. And you can put off the cost of buying a new bed and bedding for a while longer.
It’s also best to wait until your child is emotionally ready to move to a bed and physically able to get in and out of the bed safely.
Sometimes the shift to a bed brings a few new bedtime challenges, and you might want to choose when you deal with these.
Single vs Toddler Bed
Sam was 26 months old when we took the sides off his cot bed. He kept climbing out, so we knew he’d end up falling and hurting himself. By the time Sam was 33 months, he was getting too big for his toddler bed. So we ended up replacing it with a single bed just before his 3rd birthday.
For this reason, I’d urge everyone who is considering buying a toddler bed to skip that and just opt for a single bed, instead. If you’re worried about them falling out of bed, you can always put on a bed guard. (This is what we did for Syd).
It’s worth considering a single bed with a pull-out guest bed too. Sam’s autistic and he used to wake at 2am and take hours to settle back to sleep. Being able to pull out a mattress for me to sleep on was a game changer. It made it easier to sneak out of his bedroom when he finally fell asleep, and meant I was comfy enough to doze, when he was fighting sleep.
Novelty Factor
If your child loves imaginative play and role-play type games, you may find yourself considering a novelty bed. While these look amazing, it’s worth remembering how quickly kids outgrow special interests. While you may think buying your 2 year old daughter a princess bed is a good idea… You may find she loves Harry Potter by the time she’s 5, and you’ll be bed shopping all over again.
If money is no object, this isn’t an issue. However, if you want to invest in a decent bed to last several years, I’d highly recommend opting for a divan bed with a good quality mattress. This is harder to break and usually includes either under bed storage or a pull-out bed for guests, sleepovers or tired parents to rest on.
Other Things to Consider When Moving Your Toddler to a Bed
As well as toddler-proofing the upstairs of the house, we took the opportunity to relocate all of the noisy toys and books to the play room, to help keep Sam’s bedroom a quiet zone.
We had a tall baby gate installed at the top of the stairs too. This meant Sam couldn’t get downstairs without us, but he could leave his bedroom and come into our room when he woke up.
It’s worth making sure you have finger guards on doors, if you’re worried about your little one trapping their fingers on their bedroom door.
Let me know in the comments if there’s anything I’ve missed when it comes to moving your toddler to a bed.
