From little cot to big bed

Moving your little one from their cot to a big bed can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Below are some useful tips and tricks I recommend for a successful swap.

1. Consider if your child is ready to move out of their cot.

   There are a few reasons why you are probably looking to move your child into a bed and out of their cot. 1. They are too big for the cot, 2. They are climbing out of the cot or 3. You need the cot for another sibling or baby. I recommend waiting around 2.5-3 years of age before you move their child into a bigger bed where they are able to get in and out of independently. Why? Children younger than this do not have the ability to comprehend the rules and boundaries that you need to put in place to make moving into a bed successful. Their cognitive development is still improving with each day as they learn new things about the world. This is a big change for them, and saying ‘stay in your bed’ is one thing they are not to comprehend at a young age.

2. Decide on your boundaries and keep them clear and consistent.
   When introducing a new sleep space, try to keep your boundaries clear and firm and start as you intend to go on. This means, your rules need to stay the same throughout the whole process of swapping into their new bed. Some boundaries which work well are “You need to stay in your room all night until mummy or daddy come and get you/your clock turns yellow, etc”, “if you need me you can call out for me”.

3. Toddlers need control.
   Yep, you guessed it, your toddler (or young child) is craving some control over their own lives. We can have a successful transition into a big bed by giving them their wish! But it comes at a price. They can make some decisions, but ultimately you are the person who is making the moves. A good idea when introducing a big bed is to talk with your child about this move and come up with some ‘rules’ together. You can make a poster of these rules as a fun activity. You can decide on 1 or 2 rules, and then they can decide on some too, such as what pyjamas they wear, what books to read or what audiobook to listen to at bedtime.

4. Make it fun!
   You can role model to your child how bedtime is going to look. Use their favourite toy to play out the bedtime situation. E.g. “Let’s pretend it’s time to go to sleep. Let’s put bunny in your bed. Now what are the rules for bedtime? Bunny you have to close your eyes, lay nice and still and stay in your bed until the morning.”
   This role modelling activity allows your child to see exactly how bedtime is going to play out but also gives you some insight into their thinking. For example, you might role play leaving the room and your child expresses concern for being left alone. In which case, you have an understanding that they need you to sit with them for a while at bedtime to have sleep success.

5. Consider a reward system
   For young children, either tangible rewards or words of praise work wonders! Decide which kind of child you have. If you have a child who would work well with a tangible reward, consider making a reward chart for a few nights with the aim for them to go to sleep in their bed and stay in their bed overnight. If your child is instead a child who only needs words of praise, ensure you give them lots of praise and encouragement when they are successful (you will obviously do this anyway, however there is no need to do a reward system if it is not necessary).

6. Make it special.
   Consider introducing a new sleep comfort toy that your child can pick themselves at the shops or perhaps a new quilt cover with their favourite character on it. We want them to WANT to stay in their bed!

7. (and most importantly…) CONSISTENCY
   Your child may initially respond well to moving into their new bed however this could turn into chaos in a couple of weeks. Or perhaps it goes poorly for the first few days and then your child understands it’s a non-negotiable. Or maybe your child transitions with no fuss! The possibilities are endless. But the constant needs to be consistency. Keep your child’s wind-down routine the same each night and remember your boundaries. Young children thrive on consistency and routine so we need to ensure we are giving them the same expectation for bedtime each night.

8. Sleep techniques

   • Bounce back returns: If your child gets out of their bed, return them back to their bed straight away (regardless of time of night). You may use a phrase such as “It’s nighttime now you need to stay in your bed”.

   • Sit-down settle: You sit next to their bed until they fall asleep and then you exit the room.

   • Gradual settle: You move further and further out of the room (this could be over a period of time or gradually over a few days).

   • Pop outs: You tell your child you need to go and do a job for x amount of minutes (keep it short and extend over time) and then you pop back in to see them before saying you need to do something else and popping back out again. With this method you must ALWAYS return (even if they are asleep, in the morning explain you came back but they were sleeping) and you must never use siblings as an excuse for popping out.

     
     Good luck on this new endeavour and sending sleep to all of you lovely parents!
     Jasmine.
     
     P.S. If you feel like you have tried everything and you are still not having success, please contact me via email jasmine@aureasleepco.com.au or via instagram @aurea.sleepco and let’s get your sleep back on track!