And How To Prepare Them

by Hampshire Photographer, Evie Winter

Sleep is such a big issue with children. I know for my first child I had it so easy, she went to bed at night and woke up in the morning. Life was so simple then.

Then child number 2 came, she and sleep didn’t agree, nor did she agree with cots. Whilst she was a young baby we relented and let her co sleep - made for an easier life all round. We tried to transition but honestly I have never seen anything like it, she hated that cot.

By the time she was 1 year old, we had set up mattresses on their bedroom floors and given them each a floor bed, Montessori style. Maria Montessori, an Italian educator, felt that a child’s room should be set up for their needs and having a floor bed helps encourage independence and shows respect for the child.

When Indiana was 19 months, we gave them each the low Ikea kids beds (found them free on Facebook!) after Dessi kept banging her head on the wall after running on to her bed (on one occasion, we ended up in the hospital for a check up).

So what signs can your child be showing that they are ready to move from cot to bed?

Climbing out of the cot
There is a safety issue at this point, having a child get out of bed is annoying but the potential for hurting themselves is greatly reduced by them not climbing / falling out of a cot.
When they grow too big for it.
In all things children develop at their own speed, some may be ready at 2 and some may be ready at 4. There is no right or wrong, do what is right for you and don’t compare to others.
New sibling is coming.
Often the cot to bed transitions are forced by needing to accommodate a younger sibling.
Moving up to a big bed is a big deal and it might be better to time and frame these two events so your older child doesn’t feel that is them being pushed out by the younger sibling (especially if the younger sibling is in fact a new baby!)
When they tell you.
If you have the space and inclination to take your time, it is perfectly acceptable to wait till your child asks. After sleeping really well as a baby, Dessi’s sleep became a lot more interrupted as she grew older.
We have generally kept them company as they go to sleep, I figured one day they will be teens who don’t want to talk to me and so I’ll make the most of this time. However at the grand age of 5 and a half, Dessi has asked to go to sleep without company, but listening to audio books. Last night was the first time that both children slept through the whole night . Result! The benefits of this for me, are much less stress and overthinking of trying to discern when they are ready

So you’ve decided to go for it. Now how can you prepare them?

Decorate bedroom.
Keep the bedroom as a peaceful area for them so they associate it as a place to sleep.
Read books about bedtime
Check everything is safe and childproof, if they can get out of bed - when can they get to?
Involve them in the transition, maybe they can choose the covers for their bed or stickers to decorate the walls