Our little ones making the move from their cot to a big kid bed is a pretty huge milestone, but it’s one that can be a challenge to us as parents. There are also different steps you can take – some prefer to wait longer and move directly into a single bed, while others may find using a toddler bed a useful way to make the change easier. Figuring out how and when to take this big step can help make things easier on all of you, so let’s get started on what things to look out for!
Signs for transitioning out of the cot
Age
The first thing to consider is the age of your child. The typical age range for beginning the transition is from 18 months to around 3 ½ years, but it varies from child to child, with their preferences needing to be taken into account to make the shift smoother. It’s often recommended to wait until around 2 years, but again, this will depend on your child – they may be ready a bit earlier, or they may need to wait a little longer. Instead, use this range as an indication of when to be looking for the other signs that they’re ready to move.
Physical Readiness
One of the big signs bubs might be ready to change beds is one that is, thankfully, fairly noticeable, and that’s their ability and willingness to climb right on out of the cot. This is often the first thing that gets parents thinking it’s time, and it’s a good one to keep an eye out for, as there is a risk they can fall while climbing. Once they start climbing, it’s a good idea to get looking for a new bed for them, be that a smaller toddler bed (often a fantastic transition stage), or a standard single.
Toilet Training
It may not seem like there’s much of a link between toilet training and moving to a big kid’s bed, but having these two journeys together can be extremely useful, especially once they’re trying to go for dry nights. Making it easier for your little one to get up and go to the toilet after they’ve gone to bed makes it much easier in turn for them to actually do so, thereby keeping them dry as they learn to tell when they need to go.
New Sibling
This is often a key driver in parents deciding it’s time to make the move, especially if they’re going to have to use the same cot again. This change may happen before the new sibling is ready to move from their bassinet (if one is being used) in order to avoid dealing with both transitions at once, or it may happen before baby arrives. Some children may not want to pass their cot on to their younger sibling, but framing it as being less about them giving up their bed and more about growing up big enough to have a new one may go a long way to getting them excited about the change.
How to make the switch
Involve Your Child
Keeping your little one involved in the process of changing beds can help them feel a bit more in control of the situation and, therefore, more inclined to go along with minimal fuss. Take them along when it’s time to do things like choosing new bedding – getting to sleep in sheets they’ve chosen can help them feel much more at home when they first switch over. Just remember you can maintain reasonable limits. Choosing a few options yourself and letting them choose between them keeps you both happy!
Keep the Sleep Space Comfortable
It’s likely your child will continue sleeping in the same room they were with their cot, so that will go a long way towards keeping things familiar and soothing for them, which is always a key consideration when it comes to making sure they’re as relaxed as they can be at bedtime. If, however, they’re having to move rooms, trying to keep things as familiar as possible might help them feel more comfortable. How that looks will vary depending on the family, but having decorations and layouts as similar as possible might help. The other option is to have your toddler help with the decorating themselves. That way, they can make things to their liking (as always, within reason, of course), which should hopefully help them be more likely to settle at night.
Bedtime Routines
With luck, you’ve already had a bedtime routine, and if this is the case, just keep that going! Some slight adjustments may need to be made, but in general, by keeping your usual routine, your child will have fewer things to adapt to – it’s still bedtime, same as usual, but with a new bed. It reminds them that yeah, even though they can now easily get in and out of bed by themselves, it’s still sleep time, so that’s what they should be doing. If you haven’t had a routine but think it would be beneficial, it’s never too late to start! Start gradually introducing new parts to the routine in the lead-up to changing bed. This might include having a bath to end the day (our Oatmeal Bath Milk has a lovely soothing lavender scent to calm them), reading a story as they get tucked in, or anything else that helps calm them.
Be Patient
While some little ones make the transition without much bother, for others, it can take some time to get used to the new way of doing things. And the hard part is, you never know which one it’s going to be until you’re all there. Even siblings can react in quite different ways, so you’ll need to adjust your own expectations and remain patient. It’s not unusual for children to suddenly pop up well after they’ve been sent to bed, purely because they can. Take them back to bed, reinforce your expectations for them, and give them praise and encouragement when they manage to stay in bed as long as they’re supposed to.
For some children, this change can be a big one, and one they need support with as they get used to things. For others, it’s nothing more than a new surface to sleep on, and most will fall somewhere in between these two extremes. And it can be a big thing for parents, too – their little one is showing the first signs of not being so little anymore! But with a bit of preparation and a positive mindset, you’ll all make the change more quickly than you might have expected.