I hear many, many reasons why parents transition their child from a cot to a bed earlier than the recommended age of 2.5-3years. I believe that a child younger than this is unable to completely understand the rules around bedtime. It is typical for toddlers to test boundaries and refuse bedtime. Frequent night waking, refusing bedtime and becoming clingy are all normal turn of events. Many parents feel that transitioning their child from a cot to a bed will solve the sleep problem. I disagree. Here are the 5 most common reasons why parents transition their children before they are ready.
# 1 My child HATES his cot?
I find this to be pretty untrue. No child hates their cot and why would a bed be any different? Addressing the underlying cause for this belief is crucial before the cot to bed transition takes place.
# 2 My child climbs out of his cot.
Yes this is really difficult because your child’s safety is paramount. Climbing out is unsafe but so is unrestrained access to the entire house during the night without your supervision. Climbing out of the cot does not mean he hates it either. He is testing boundaries here. There are lots of strategies to trial before you ultimately decide to transition to a bed. Read my blog here on cot climbing.
# 3 I need the cot because I am pregnant.
I know having 2 cots isn’t ideal but I would personally rather this than having a newborn waking frequently through the night to feed plus having a toddler running around the house at all hours. Depending on the age difference between your children, your newborn may sleep in a bassinet at first giving your eldest more time in the cot. You can also use a travel cot or portacot for your youngest if there are only a few months to wait. Having two cots is not the end of the world if it means your children and you are all sleeping well.
# 4 My child is toilet trained overnight, the cot has to go.
Getting up in the night to lift your child out of the cot to go to the toilet is tiring – I get it. My daughter was in a bed when she needed the toilet during the night and yes I did have to get up to her. She followed the bedtime rule of calling out instead of getting out. This is for such a short period of time until your child can hold out all night. It is much safer for you to go with him to the toilet overnight regardless if he is in a cot or a bed. For more information regarding toilet training and sleep, read my blog here.
# 5 My child sleeps on the floor at day-care. He must be ready to do this at home.
“Monkey see, monkey do” comes to mind. Children will follow other children’s lead. Day-care and Nursery providers are truly amazing creatures. How they manage to get 10-15children to sleep on the floor at the same time is incredible. Childcare centres often need to transition toddlers to a mattress on the floor for naptime because they do not have the facilities to accommodate so many cots. Children can sleep successfully on the floor at day-care but this does not mean they are ready to do that at night – all night. You can continue to keep your child in his cot at home until 3years of age even if he sleeps elsewhere during the day from the age of 2years.
If you do feel your child is ready to transition from a cot to a bed, click here to read about how to ensure a smooth transition.
If you have already transitioned your little one and things are not going great, please get in touch here.
Sleep well,
Do you want to read more about children and sleep? Here are other posts you may be interested in.
Teach your child about the importance of sleep here
Does your child have separation anxiety? Read here
Do you want to reduce the battle at bedtime? Read here
Do you think your child is ready to drop their nap? Read more here