Cot to Bed Transition Tips

The cot to bed transition is not for the faint of heart! 

Your bub’s impulse control is still developing up until 2.5-3 years old when we would typically expect this transition. If your bub is not quite at this age, consider their lack of impulse control before making this leap unless they are climbing out of their cot or there are safety concerns. 

Signs your bub may be ready for this transition are:

• They are climbing on or out of their cot

• They are close to exceeding the cot weight limit 

• They have minimal space to move around in their cot 

• They are verbally refusing their cot or asking for a big bed 

• They are around 3 years of age

• They are showing signs of developing impulse control 

• They are toilet trained and need to be mobile for this 

The first step in this process is making it exciting! Let your little one choose bed sheets/pillows for their big bed and talk to them about the change in a positive way. 

Ensure you make this change at bedtime as sleep pressure peaks at this time. There are also higher levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone) at bedtime.

Only brave this change on a day where your bub has had their usual nap (if they are still napping) or are not overtired so that we set them up for success with their first settle in their big bed. 

Run through your normal wind down routine so that your child's current sleep cues stay the same. Remind your child that it is time for sleep just as it would be any other night! 

If your child gets up and out of bed or follows you out of their room, silently return them to their bed. Keeping the return silent is key here as even negative attention is still attention and can reinforce this behaviour. 

As your child will now be able to walk around the room, extra safety considerations are necessary. Ensure there is nothing in their room that could be dangerous now that they are more mobile within their room.

Need more support with the transition? Click here for our Toddler Techniques guide that will support you through this transition step by step or Click here to book an express chat. 

For safety information on this transition you can find the Red Nose Australia safe sleep guidelines here: https://rednose.org.au/article/transitioning-from-a-cot-to-bed