Transitioning from Cot to Bed

They say that when you have your second child you are much more relaxed about things and they weren’t wrong.

When I had M I was instantly less nervous and worried about doing the wrong thing, I was also in no rush for him to meet certain milestones either.

At three years old he was still sleeping in his cot and by cot it was still a proper cot – the same one he’d been in since he was a newborn! We hadn’t even taken the sides off and turned it into a toddler bed for him. He was happy sleeping in it though and luckily for us he never climbed out.

At the beginning of the year, we knew it was time to make the transition. E was fast growing out of his Thomas Toddler Bed and so the logical solution was to move them both into bunk beds. It also meant we’d free up space in their room and we’d be able to add in some furniture and storage for all their toys.

As well as furniture and storage we also needed new bedding. I really like the range that is available from The Junior Fine Bedding Company – they have all the must-have items that you need for transitioning from cot to bed including a pillow, lightweight duvet and a waterproof mattress protector.

Next was duvet covers, I had so much fun looking at the different types available. I wanted to choose covers that the boys would not outgrow easily and I managed to find some lovely robot and transport themed ones online.

Lastly, I knew I needed to buy some kind of bed guard. He slept in all sorts of weird and wonderful positions when he was in the cot so we definitely needed something to stop him falling out. We used a bed guard with E which I was not a huge fan of. It was clunky and lifted the mattress off the bed plus it was metal (although there was padding around it) and it looked messy. In the end, I found a great foam bed bumper which was wedged-shaped which went under the bedsheet. No unsightly bed guard and it was soft and meant he could still climb in and out of bed easily enough.

We were lucky that both boys transitioned into bunk beds really well. I have to say I was a little sad when we sold the cot – it means my boy really are no longer babies anymore.

* Written in collaboration with The Junior Fine Bedding Company

18 Comments

  1. Lizzie firstooth

    Lovely ideas and fab bedding! We’ve recently undergone the transition but it won’t be long before child 2 goes through it too, so I always enjoy reading other parents thoughts on it x #kcacols

  2. bunk beds are great fun, mine loved sharing with theirs for years and I managed to get round the cot selling but using it within the business here. It always feels sad seeing childhood stages move on, but there is always a new exciting stage to follow #KCACOLS

  3. Great that the transition went so smoothly for you and your boys. We were lucky as well – when we transitioned our son to his big boy bed he was totally fine with it and transitioned easily. #KCACOLS

  4. Azaria Lynch

    This is such a handy post. We are trying to get our little one to sleep in her cot, she is not much of a fan after being in our bed for so long- oops. We are considering going straight in with a toddler bed but are still unsure.

    Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday

    Azaria- Being Mrs Lynch

  5. bunk beds such fun! lovely post #kcacols

  6. shaney (imummyblog)

    Aw this is so cute. I actually can not wait for mine to go into a bunk bed (still got a while to go though). My daughter transitioned into her big bed seamlessly though – I think it was because we made it look nice for her so she was really excited. Thanks for sharing, #KCACOLS

  7. What a fun post! Milestones truly are a bittersweet thing, you can’t help but feel proud as they grow, but another part of you wants them to stay a tiny little baby. My son is only 14 months old, so we still have a lot of use to make of his crib. I bet the boys are loving their bunk beds! Thanks for sharing <3 #KCACOLS

  8. Oh so cute!! My W is still in his cot bed with the sides up, so I have all this to look forward to! #KCACOLS

  9. aww I know what you mean re the cot – when the sides came down, I felt sad! #KCACOLS

  10. You are so right about being relaxed with the second child, Maria! We were so laid back, I’m afraid youngest rolled of the bed when she was a baby because I forgot they rolled when I was changing her. Thankfully it was a very low bed and she was fine but I felt awful!

    The bedding looks fantastic and bunk beds are such a fab idea for your boys. Such special times #KCACOLS

  11. If only I could keep Arthur in his cot – he ends up in our bed every night and treats his cot like a prison. I am starting to consider a floor bed so that I can just lie next to him and settle him in his own room in his own bed as a transition! #KCACOLS

  12. A great post. Thank you for sharing. I’ll have to check out the Junior Fine bedding company. And the foam bed guard sounds a great idea. I’ll remember this for when we move our little one up! Bunk beds are great – my sister and I had them!

  13. Sarah@teammomlife

    Mine is 2 and still likes his crib so we haven’t transitioned yet to a toddler bed. Thankfully he hasn’t tried climbing out yet. Just not sure I guess when the right time to do it is. And my husband is nervous about needing to anchor shelves to the walls before letting him have more freedom. Bunk beds are always fun!Good choice #KCACOLS

  14. Jaylan - Diapers at Dawn

    So glad they love their bunk beds! Baby K has attempted to climb out of his cotbed three times so far but I feel he’s still too small to take the sides off! I’ll have to search for the foam bed bumpber ready for when we do eventually move him, which if he carries on trying to climb out won’t be too long! #KCACOLS

  15. Looks like they really like their bunk-bed. And they will always be your babies 🙂 #kcacols

  16. Oh how lovely to see M now in his bed. Guess what, Sienna at 22 months is now jumping out of her cot .It is a nightmare. I will have to change her bed soon and I will do the same than you. I will have bunk beds too. Thanks for sharing this at #KCACOLS my lovely! 🙂 xx

  17. Pingback: Looking back at 2016: a roundup of our year | Suburban Mum

  18. Pingback: Suburban Mum | The Gro Company - Ziggy Pop Grobag review

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*