As a parent, you’ll eventually come to that point where your children need to make the transition from their cot to a proper bed. For many first-time parents, this can be quite a challenging time as you might not have even considered the situation until now and you’ll want to make sure this runs as smoothly as possible. So to help point you in the right direction, in this post you’ll find some helpful information about how you can successfully make the move.

How Will I know it’s the Right Time?

This is perhaps the most commonly asked question in the whole situation. Well, to answer this there isn’t a ‘right time’ it’s more a case of looking for a few tell-tale signs and using your best guess. An obvious one is that they’re becoming too big for their cot and it’s affecting how comfortable they are. Another is if they start trying to climb out, but ultimately it’s really a case of when you feel as a parent it’s the best time for them.

How do I go about Making the Move?

This requires a few different approaches, which are as follows:

• Find an Appropriate Bed – a small bed is ideal as it combines the familiarity of the compact size of their cot with the style of an actual bed. Naturally, you’ll want something comfortable and durable too so sourcing something from a bed specialist like BedzRus for instance will offer you the best choice. Also, have something low to the ground if you’re buying a full set, so if they do take an unfortunate tumble (which they might) they’re not going to get hurt.
• Use Trial Periods – with your small bed bought, don’t just get rid of the cot altogether and expect your toddler to get used to their new bed, you need to run trial periods. Let them spend one or two nights a week in their new bed and increase this as they get more accustomed. Then, when they’re sleeping solely in their small bed remove the cot after a couple of weeks, they may prefer having it there for security in the meantime.
• Celebrate Good Behaviour – much like with toilet training and any good behavior, as a parent you need to champion this and positively reinforce sleeping in their own bed.
• Check on them More – finally, during this whole transition period, it’s worth checking on them a few times more than you usually would when they’re asleep. Just to check they’re completely safe, and comfortable and that they’re properly getting used to their new small bed.

So there you have it, follow this advice and soon your toddler will be blissfully sleeping in their new small bed. Just be ready to do it all again if you have any more!