Moving baby from cot to bed

Just gonna add my experience....

Our LB had reflux and was a restless sleeper since birth and I had his cot next to my bed. at around 5months he slept better on the bed than in his cot.....only because he moved so much in his cot and bump his head a lot. Me friend suggested we put a matras on the floor. I put a matras between my bed and the wall and moved the chest of drawers to the bottom (feet end) of the matras...so he had one HUGE "cot". He slept through every night for a few months. Recently after he turned 1 and could climb on the bed I moved him back to his cot and now he's a happy (and safe!) boy back in his cot.

Sometimes it can be just a phase they go through.....

Just a quick question, does she sleep specifically better on YOUR bed? Maybe the smell of the 2 of you comforts her and that why she sleeps better?

Try taking off a pillow case (uncleaned) and lay it where her head rests. That way she can still smell you in her cot. Or the top you have been wearing...

I see your LO is about 6 months, so my main concern would be that when they start to crawl or stand, they tend to "practice" in their sleep, and that could be dangerous if the rails / barriers are not high enough - then agian, not all babies get restless when reaching milestones.

Other that I pretty much agree with what RM said

My LG mastered the art of climbing out of her cot at about 1 year.

So no ways of keeping her in the cot as it was much more unsafe to get out of the cot for her than her bed. So she was moved to her bed soon after no hassles at all.

I would say wait until she can get onto and off the bed safely before moving her

Thanks for this. After mentioning your points to my hubbie, he says Nope she is staying in the cot. Does not want her asking "What you doing?"

I honestly feel she is happier in a bed. Suppose we will just take it as it comes

Thanks again!

My nearly 2 year old (2 in June) is still in her cot, and odds are she will be there until she is 2 years 6 months or 3.

It is a really big cot, and I like the benefits of when I put her in the cot, that is where she stays.

Hey Michelle - the benefit of a cot is that once they are in, they can't get out without someone taking them out.

Where kids in beds, well pretty much just climb out and go walk abouts.

So the 'crazy' part is probably related to this concept.

If you feel you wish to place your daughter in a bed, for what ever your reasons are, the do it, she may need one of those bed railings until she is about 3 years old.

I also found placing a pillow on the side of the bed away from the wall forces the mattress up, and my experience tells me that kids seldom roll up hill in her/his sleep - so that works really well if you are putting child in a bed without a railing.

Kids do sometimes react to changing from a cot to bed, and sleeping routines may shift, and because kids can get out of bed themselves, you might find said child standing next to your bed at 2am asking for water, or better yet whilem you and DH are doing the funky monkey suddenly you hear a little voice going 'what you doing?'

Other than that, nothing too major.

I will confess to having a strict 'you do not get out of bed unless I come get you' rule which stood me in good stead, and allowed me a few more minutes sleep in the morning and also prevented kids getting out in the middle of the night and wandering around.

Also you need to be a bit more security conscious as now child can walk around the house, when you might be sleeping.

I personally hang on to the cot as long as humanly feasible until I move them to a bed, but my reasons are: so I can sleep a bit later, so I can have a stronger control over nap and sleep time, so I can think my child is a baby for just a bit longer.

So none of the rules really are about the child.

Hope that helps.

<possibly other Moomies have other opinions>