I know it just felt like yesterday you were just holding your newborn and now… your baby is not so little anymore and you definitely know your child is more grown up and she is outgrowing her cot!! It is crucial to know when to make the transition for your child and you must make sure your child is developmentally ready for this big move and remember not to rush to it.
We would recommend to keep your child in the cot as long as possible, between 2.5 months to 4 years old old would be an ideal time for your child to move out from the cot as your child will be able to communicate her needs to you clearly at this age. Before till these age, most of the toddlers do not have impulse control and it is very challenging for parents to get them to stay in bed.
Once you know your child is developmentally ready.. how do we do it?
Talk to your child
Children do not cope well with sudden changes and remember to talk to your child there is a change happening in the next few days, Make it exciting for them , get them involved and feel positive about the transition , let them choose their own bed sheets and a cuddly toy to be their sleeping buddy on the bed.
Role Play
Role playing is a great way to help your child to learn, help them to pick her favourite soft toy for example, a teddy or a doll, and get them act out during the day time leading to the day of transition , and more so on the actual day. This will provide security and your child will feel more at ease to make this transition.
Set Bedtime Boundaries
Let your child know some of your expectations and communicate to her clearly what the boundaries are. This could be like she must learn to stay in bed throughout the night till mummy picks you up in the morning and throw in some small rewards if she is able to do.
The transition from cot to bed is truly a big milestone for your toddler, there may be some struggles and remember that is absolutely normal, we as parents just need to be extra patient and persevere through this new sleep phase.
As parents, if you are still struggling to navigate through your child’s sleep, do not hesitate to book a FREE 20-mins discovery call with us and we always here to help you to see through your challenges in your child’s sleep issues.
So you may not mind waking up at night for the night time feed because it doesn’t take too long Read more
When we’re dealing with sleep issues with our children, it’s easy to become overwhelmed trying to figure out a place Read more
In order to understand why your child takes short naps, first you need to understand your baby's sleep cycle and Read more
How to get baby to sleep through the night. This is probably the number 1 question that most sleep deprived Read more
