When is your little one ready to transition to a toddler bed?

A lot of people think their little one should move to a toddler bed much earlier than they may be ready to do so. Whether this is due to convenience, the pressure of doing what everyone else is or simply because they have grown too big and are climbing out of their cot.

When is your toddler ready to transition to a toddler bed?

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In order to understand if they are truly ready, you need to see how they are sleeping in their cot. If they are still moving around a lot at night and end up either upside down and sideways – they aren’t quite ready to make the move.

Your little one will also need to have the cognitive understanding that they need to stay in their bed. This development stage usually falls around the 2.5-year mark.

Mothercraft Nurse, Chris Minogue suggests making the cot up like a bed in the weeks leading up to the big move. You can do this by putting in a low profile pillow, bedsheet and blanket, as this will make their big bed feel more familiar when the change comes.

Once your toddler graduates to a big bed, be prepared for the bedtime requests to come. They may start to give you as many reasons as they can think of to convince you to stay in their bedroom but this is simply a way to keep you close by and prolong bedtime. Be firm and remind them that now is a time for sleeping in their bed, otherwise be prepared for some lengthy evening routines to come.

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