It’s no secret to any parent how fast their children grow: while it may feel like they were born only yesterday, as they develop mentally it is exciting and scary to watch your baby grow into an independent person. In terms of physical growth, after a few years a cot just won’t do it anymore. You may have noticed odd sleeping positions to accommodate for longer legs, or have some escape attempts due to discomfort. At and rate, a big bed is quite an upgrade for a child, and so it’s important you choose the right product for them.
When to move up?
For most infant’s, a cot will provide plenty of space for sleeping and relaxing until around age 3, according to Supernanny UK’s parenting experts. This is, however hugely dependent on your child’s growth spurts and prone to variation – but a good telltale sign is persistent escape attempts or climbing over the rails, as this is an indication they need a little more wiggle room to sooth themselves to sleep. However, there are other factors to consider, and you may need to make this change sooner if you are expecting additional children who will need the cot.
Features to look for
When choosing a single bed, think long and hard: this is one of the first long term investments you will make for your child, as it is likely this will last them the rest of their upbringing (and possibly weekends thereafter). A wooden frame will be less creaky and more durable than metal, for example – make sure that it is safety certified before purchase to avoid any accidents in the future.
Additionally, consider any storage features – ottomans allow you to lift the mattress for long term storage such as seasonal clothing, or a divan frame with drawers provides easy access when tidying up.
Easing the transition
If you find that your child is afraid of heights or needs extra safety barriers, toddler beds are available to ease the transition from cot to big bed, and these provide extra stretching room while remaining barrier protected and close to the floor in call of falls.
When you r child is ready to get into their new big bed, ask their involvement – make sure you both agree on a mattress that they will sleep comfortably on, as this will have to last them over a decade. Another way for them t get involved is choosing their own bedding, for example, sheets with a favourite character or fun design on can help them to look forward to snuggling in at bedtime. “This is a collaborative post”
Emmy and I ran the Race for Life last month in loving memory of my wonderful Mother-in-Law Anne who sadly passed away on 14th July. We would be honoured if you would consider sponsoring us to race money for Cancer Research UK.
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N used to climb out of his cotbed at 2.5 years. The OH wouldn't take the sides off, so after N eventually fell when climbing out, I took them off myself. Thankfully he settled really well once the sides came off.
Pickle moved into his 'big bed' in April – he was 2 and a half. He still joins me at any point in the early hours of the morning though! Great post. Kaz x
Great blog post and tips for a easier upgrade.
love the storage underneath, i really need to start thinking of getting millie her first proper bed, she is still in cot bed
Storage is something that I am lacking in my girls room. How she has so much stuff is beyond me but this is a clever way to maximise space and storage. I need it in my life!
My kiddies move to a bed around 3 as well & it's worked well for them. I have barriers on each side so they can't fall out. It's a big change but we make it positive & fun 🙂
We found the transition to a big bed surprisingly easy. In fact, he just refused to sleep in the cot and we had to go buy a bed the next day. Some good tips here though.
Im glad I came across this post as we have been trying to decide when to move Evelyn into her "big girl bed" and which bed to choose. Whils't she isnt trying to escape just yet she is a real wriggler and keeps getting arms and legs stuck and waking her up constantly in the night. I would say choosing a mattress is a just as important as the bed as well! xx
Storage is always something to consider and incorporating drawers is a much tidier option that having to delve under the bed to retrieve goodness only knows what as they grow up! They always look so diddy when they fit move into a bed and then like you say in no time at all completely fill it again! 🙂