How to transition from a cot to a bed

The transition from cot to bed is quite a scary thought - suddenly your wild toddler has freedom that they didn’t have before and you have new found worries about their safety and also how it might impact their sleep. I’ve put together the below to help guide you through this process.

When is the best time to transition?

You should be aiming to keep your little one in their cot as long as you can, the older they are when they make the transition the more likely they are to be able to understand it and follow the boundaries you have set in place. If your little one is climbing out of the cot you will need to move them to a bed, however before you do have you tried to keep them in the cot? Sleeping bags are great for stopping them being able to get out - if they can get out of their sleeping bag try turning it around.

You might also consider any upcoming big events such as a new sibling arriving. If your toddler has a baby brother or sister on the way you might want to make the move before they arrive - what you want to avoid is needing to do it when your toddler is already processing a big change. Try to make any changes to your toddlers set up a good couple of months before the new arrival so avoid any upset/regression.

Introducing a sleep training clock

If you’ve made the decision that the time is right, introduce a sleep training clock - try to do this before you actually make the move so that your little one can get used to the concept of it while they’re still in their cot. Check out this blog I put together on sleep training clocks on the best ways to use this tool and see success from them.

Don’t make a big deal of the bed

This is especially relevant if you’re just removing the side of the cot and turning it in to a cot bed. But you’ll be surprised at how many children don’t actually notice that they can now get out of bed! If you make a big song and dance about how exciting this is, your toddler will pick up on this and will react to it.

Falling out of bed

To help stop them falling out of bed you can either get a bed guard, or if they’re in a cot bed close to the floor you can roll a couple of towels and put them under the sheet as a bit of a barrier.

You can also use the trick of tucking them in with their blanket quite tightly so they don’t realise they can move around.

You might want to put some cushions on the floor to soften their fall should they fall out.

Reward charts

I wouldn’t start off using reward charts, more use this as a tool down the line if issues are arising.

Baby proof their room

Given they have a new sense of freedom have a think about what is in their room that they can now get to which might be dangerous - exposed plugs, windowsills they can climb up on to etc. It’s also worth thinking about what toys are in their room which might be distracting for them. You want their room to be pretty boring for them to remove any incentive to get out of bed. (The only time this might be different is if you have an early riser who you want to keep in their room to give you more sleep, in which case you might have a morning box you put in there when you go to bed).

Door open or shut

Ideally you want to have the door shut, this is safest for them and avoids needing to creep past their room at night etc. If they want the door open for the light to come in, consider getting a night light for them - this should be red or amber (absolutely nothing blue or white light).

Hopefully that’s given you a few pointers and if you think your little one is ready it’s given you the confidence to go for it. Good luck and if you get stuck, don’t hesitate to get in touch!