Hi everyone

Holly sleeps very well, likes going to bed in her cot and rarely wakes up at night. As we're expecting baby number 2 in a few weeks, we thought we would try her in a toddler bed, so that we could move the cot into the new baby's room. The new baby won't be sleeping in the cot to begin with, as she will be in with us in a swinging crib for the first 6 months or so, but I wanted to try Holly in her bed before the new baby comes along to that she would be used to it by the time she is here. Also I didn't want her to feel like she was giving up her cot for the baby, if you know what I mean.

So we built the big girls bed today and she loved it, got right on it and lay down. But when I came to nap time, she freaked out and started screaming! We left her in it and put her back a few times but she got really hysterical and kept getting out. I brought her downstairs for a bit, then tried again half an hour later. Same again, so I tried laying on the floor next to her, etc but she was so hysterical, I've put her in her cot which is now in the babys room! What do I do? Do I persevere, or assume she's not ready yet? Technically, she can stay in the cot a bit longer, as we could put the bed in babies room and the cot back in Hollys until baby goes in her own room. Not sure what to do! I am torn between giving up too easily and not giving her time to get used to it, and assuming this means she's not ready for a bed yet and putting her back in her cot. I really don't want her to be scared of the bed!

Any advice would be appreciated

We started Adam in his toddler bed by removing one side of his cot and using a bed guard. After two nights we just converted it completely to a bed and kept the bed guard on!!!! Hope you get LO settled soon. xxxx

I would be tempted to keep her in the cot until she's ready. If she sleeps well in it it might be best to stick with it. I know Isla is still happy in a cot, so I won't be moving her anytime soon.

I would give it a few more days but not force her.
How about getting her used to the "big girl bed" by sitting her on it to read a story. Or encourage her to play with it, put teddy and dolly to bed etc. So it becomes somewhere that's not scary.

Once teddy is in bed ask where does she want to sleep like a big girl with teddy or in the baby cot?

If she's happy in the cot then I would leave her for a while. As the new baby isn't going to be using it for 6 months or more then you have time to more her over.

Maybe tie in moving into the big girls bed with her birthday or Christmas. Choose a duvet set for her for bday or Xmas and make a big thing of it. Then once she's settled into her bed you can move baby into the cot.

Thank you all very much for your suggestions. We tried putting her in the bed again tonight, but she totally lost it and was hysterical again. A couple of hours later we put the cot back in her room and she's gone to sleep in there. I think she's just not ready yet! We've left the bed in her room too, so she can get used to it and play on it etc. But for now, she's back to sleeping in the cot x

I was going to suggest exactly what you have done: putting her back in the cot but leaving the bed in her room too so that she can get used to the idea, hopefully she will get a bit excited about it and want to move to her big girl's bed.

It may not be an issue of "readiness" as much as it is simply a transition. You could wait another year and she'd have the same reaction.

I'd suggest to just tough it out. I want to say that my son (now 6) had similar tantrums and I just kept to it and a week later he was set.

Sounds like a good idea. I wish we could do this but Esther's room won't fit in her cot and a bed.
She is still little - once you can talk about it and she can tell you herself how she feels etc then it will be easier.

I have taken one side off my sons cotbed too, the side has been replaced with a guard as i feel at almost 20 months old and another on the way, getting him used to some kind of freedom is good. When he wakes through the night he has the freedom then to get out of bed, worst he does is come to me anyway but i usually hear him and im at his door before he's got out of it and the cuddle he gets while i put him back to bed is enough to settle him.

I agree with earlier poster about toughing it out, a lot of it is change, they don't all adapt and sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. But on saying that I also agree with the idea of having the cot and bed in the same room, but how about taking one side off the cot, trying that and see how you go and it also gives her the choice if she should wake or before she falls asleep to change into the bed. It could be as simple as being used to having the bars as security around her. Take a cot side away and try a guard but give her something of yours for comfort, ie an old t-shirt. See if that helps.

Good luck hun, im sure it will sort soon enough xxx