Bye-bye cot, hello big bed
Last week’s blog was all about bed wetting. I thought that for this
week I would featuring Tracy Tucks contribution on behalf of Protect-A-Bed®
about changing your toddler into a bed. See my face-book page for more about mattress protection.
“YouTube is crammed with videos
of ingenious toddlers scaling the bars of their cots in gymnastic bids for
freedom. Adorable as these pint-sized Houdini’s may be, once a toddler gets the
hang of flying the coop, it’s time to deal with yet another childhood
milestone: the move to a big bed.
Even if your toddler hasn’t yet risked a nasty fall in his or her quest
to ‘escape’, a big bed might still be necessary if the cot is becoming too
small, is needed for a new baby, or is preventing a toilet-training toddler
from getting up to go to the loo.
While there are no hard and fast rules, most toddlers make the move to
their own beds any time between 18 months and three and a half years.
With a little preparation, you can minimise the tears that often ensue
... both your toddler’s and yours.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT TIME
Plan to move your toddler to the big bed during a stable time in your
family life. Moving to a new bed can be very stressful for both you and your
toddler, so it’s best not to make the move during periods of upheaval, such as
starting nursery school, when you’re going back to work, or when you or your
child is sick.
If your toddler is leaving the cot because of a new baby, it’s best to
make the move at least six weeks before or a few months after the birth, so
that she doesn’t feel as if she’s being booted out by baby.
PREPARING THE NEW NEST
If your child is old enough, create excitement around the change by going
shopping together for new bed linen or a new soft toy to share the big bed.
Create a sense of continuity by moving over some familiar items from the cot,
such as a favourite blanket or teddy, or reposition a much-loved cot mobile
over the new bed.
It’s also imperative to invest in a mattress protector to ensure easy
cleaning after inevitable nappy leaks and toilet-training accidents, and to
prevent staining of the new mattress. (Remember that unlike a foam cot
mattress, you can’t wash a bed mattress.)
SA’s leading mattress protector brand, Protect-A-Bed®, advises parents to
choose a mattress protector that’s super absorbent, with a waterproof layer
that won’t crinkle noisily every time your toddler shifts. It’s also a good
idea to invest in two mattress protectors, so there’s always a spare on hand so
that middle-of-the-night linen changes can be dealt with quickly and calmly.
SAFETY STEPS
Now that the new bed’s taken care of, it’s time to prepare the rest of
the house. Your toddler will no longer be confined to the safety of the cot, so
reassess your home for potential dangers.
If the new bed has no sides, you can install bed rails, or place
cushions, pillows, or folded duvets and blankets onto the floor beside the bed
to soften any night-time rolling mishaps.
To stop your toddler coming to any harm while wandering about
unsupervised, install a baby gate across the bedroom door, and ensure stairs
are barricaded. (Check that your toddler can’t use his cot-climbing skills on
these gates.)
Check that all plug points are covered, tidy up electrical cords and wind
up blind cords that could be a strangling hazard.
If there are items of furniture which your toddler could pull over, such as
book and toy shelves, secure these to the wall with brackets.
Check that windows, especially upstairs windows, can’t be opened wide
enough for your toddler to fall out.
IT’S D-DAY
You’ve prepared the new bed, secured your house, and talked up the change
until even the family dog is vibrating with excitement. All that’s left now is
to make the switch.
Some children are quite happy to wave goodbye to their cot and never look
back, moving in one jump from cot to bed.
Others cope better if allowed to move over in stages. Consider starting
with daytime naps in the big bed, sleeping in the cot only at night. Or have
your toddler spend a few nights sleeping on the cot mattress on the floor
beside the bed before making the final move.
Whichever route you choose, stick to your toddler’s usual bedtime routine
to lessen the upheaval.
COPING WITH THE FALLOUT
Despite your best attempts to make the move an exciting and positive one,
your toddler may still struggle to adjust. Moving from the security of their
familiar cot can be extremely stressful for little ones, no matter how excited
they might have been about that new Frozen duvet cover or Buzz Lightyear
bed.
Whether it’s true distress at being in a new bed, or simply the novelty
of being able to hop out of bed whenever they choose, many toddlers struggle to
stay put and will initially get up repeatedly. Here are two methods that can be
used to keep your toddler in bed.
The first is to immediately return your toddler to bed, making as little
fuss as possible. Preferably don’t even talk to your child, and definitely
don’t get angry; any response from Mom and Dad – be it positive or negative –
simply rewards the behaviour. Be prepared to have your patience sorely tried,
as you will likely have to return your toddler to bed twenty, thirty, even a
hundred times in an evening. With perseverance and consistency however, this
method usually sorts out the problem within a few days.
Otherwise try the gradual approach; it generally takes longer, but is
less taxing on the nerves. Begin by sitting silently next to your child’s bed
at night until he or she falls asleep. Over the following nights, gradually
move closer and closer to the door until your child falls asleep without you in
the room.
If both these methods fail, your toddler may not be ready for the move.
If you’re able to, consider bringing back the cot for a short period. Don’t see
this as a defeat, or that you’re giving in to your child; some littlies just
need more time, and may move over without fuss when you try again in a few
weeks.
Be patient and give your toddler time to adjust to what is a major milestone
in his or her life, and before you know it, the cot will be a distant memory.
