big bed or cot??

corkgirl17

My daughter just turned 3 this week and is still in her cot. She is happy in there, still has plenty of space and never climbs out so we are happy for her to stay there. Only issue now is my 8 month old son needs to move into a cot and this is my dilemma. Do we move daughter into a big bed and give the cot to my son or do we buy another cot for my son and leave daughter as she is happy there. I'm afraid that if we move her into a bed she will be into us at the crack of dawn as she is quite an early riser but happy to sing away to herself in the cot for an hour in the mornings and sometimes during the night!! Parents are trying to convince us to just buy another cot and leave her but I'm thinking maybe it's a waste and we are just delaying the inevitable. Anyone else go through this or going through this??

Moonbeam

Have you got a travel cot ? My last slept in hers for a year because her brother was too young to move from the cot . The others got moved at 2 to give a small break before the next moved in to avoid jealousy .

corkgirl17

He's in a travel cot at the moment but doesn't sleep very well in it so ends up in the bed with us most nights. Unless I invest in a better mattress for it and try that out.

rainemac

She's a good age so why not pop her into the big bed and look into a gro clock or something and explain that she can't get out of bed in mornings until it lights up or whatever the specific one does. At 3 she's should get the concept, I'd say go for the bed.

sillysocks

We had a similar dilemma , although my daughter was a bit younger. She was great at entertaining herself in te cot in the mornings and we did move her to a normal bed when we needed the cot. We did keep telling her she wasn't allowed out of the bed if she woke and just to call us. I just didn't want her roaming around and going into bathroom etc when we were in bed. It worked fine, she never got up by herself and still just played away in bed with a couple of teddies in the mornings.
I'd try her rather than buying another cot!

Dolbert

We might have to move our son into a bed sooner rather than later tbh, he's only 21 months but very tall and filling the cot Do people bother with guard rails or not?

sillysocks

Dolbert wrote: »

We might have to move our son into a bed sooner rather than later tbh, he's only 21 months but very tall and filling the cot Do people bother with guard rails or not?

On our first we had one of the toddler beds, they're quite low to the floor and wooden with kind of built in guard rails about a quarter the length of the bed. There was a rug on the floor to aoften any blow too but she never fell out.

My son (who we moved when he was about 2.5) he went straight to a single bed but I did use a guard rail and it's against the wall on the other side. Most nights I go in he's sleeping at funny angles and pushed up against the rail so I'm glad it's there!

I noticed after my last post that Aldi have a baby event coming up with the bed rails for sale, and also the Gro Clock type clock that you set to light at a time the child knows then is morning.

jlm29

Dolbert wrote: »

We might have to move our son into a bed sooner rather than later tbh, he's only 21 months but very tall and filling the cot Do people bother with guard rails or not?

At that age I would. Or maybe buy a toddler bed? They're quite low! I have a cot bed for my baby, and my 4 yr old can lie in it very comfortably (and he's very tall!!). Cot beds would be the same size as toddler beds I think!

As regards the op- you could put your daughter in a bed, and put a stair gate on her bedroom door so she's not wandering around the house? She might quite happily amuse herself in her bedroom!

ted1

I'd put her in a big bed and pop down to Aldi on Thursday and pick this up.
https://www.aldi.ie/easy-fit-bedguard/p/059753005888000

Our 4 year old has a toddler bed because she shares a room with her sister and it's a good fit between the wall and chimney breast.

We've just moved the 14 month old into his own room with a single bed. He's a climber and cots can't keep him in.

dori_dormer

We just moved our 2.5 yr old to a double bed. Have guard rails as he's a crazy angle sleeper. We have a stargate on his door as the first morning he went downstairs looking for us and set the alarm off.
If he wakes in the night he tends to call us. If he can't go asleep or its morning he tends to bang on the gate til we come

corkgirl17

Bought a cot mattress for the travel cot and will keep the baby in that for another while until we feel she is ready to move into a bed. Will buy the bed rail and grow clock in Aldi on Thursday and be prepared for the move to the big bed! Just finished potty training so will wait before we move her into a big bed incase its all too much at once. Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated!!

ted1

corkgirl17 wrote: »

Bought a cot mattress for the travel cot and will keep the baby in that for another while until we feel she is ready to move into a bed. Will buy the bed rail and grow clock in Aldi on Thursday and be prepared for the move to the big bed! Just finished potty training so will wait before we move her into a big bed incase its all too much at once. Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated!!

FYI: dealz sell disposable mattress protectors , pack of three for 1.50

uck51js9zml2yt

ted1 wrote: »

FYI: dealz sell disposable mattress protectors , pack of three for 1.50

We go to the local vet for disposable sheets. Much cheaper:)

Dravokivich

Dolbert wrote: »

We might have to move our son into a bed sooner rather than later tbh, he's only 21 months but very tall and filling the cot Do people bother with guard rails or not?

My son was about that age when he got into a bed. Still have the guard rail up after almost 10 months. He uses it to get to know the perimeter of the bed and lays up against it. In saying that he has managed to roll over it a couple of times :eek: Just get a bed that's low and it shouldn't be a problem.

He's slept in my bed though with no issues falling over.

pwurple

We moved to a bed young enough, because she was tall, and climbing out of the cot. the drop was dangerous.

Single bed, up against the wall and a guard rail. She's nearly 2 1/2 now, so a 3 yr old should be fine.

seamus

Same as a few others here, converted the cot into a bed around 3 years of age. Got a guardrail from IKEA for one side, other side against the wall.

Had a baby gate blocking the door till last week (she's nearly four) so she couldn't wander around in the morning.

lazygal

We never bothered with guard rails or gates. After a night or two they get used to the bed and the know they aren't allowed out of their rooms until we say so.

evolving_doors

Was in the same boat... just putting off the inevitable i thought, so headed off to Ikea and got the flaxa, which should do em till they head off to college. (It's on special offer at the mo at €109 (Here).
Worked out grand for the first lot, but the latest is out like a shot at 5am every morning and into our bed (our gro clock is as broke as we are and it worked like a treat for the other ones).
Just bite the bullet and be prepaired for a bit of negotiation. Big it up for a few weeks and get them to decorate it with stickers etc.

Got extendable side rails... started full and gradually reduced them and moved them down towards the bottom of the bed.