To BBB or not to BBB?

[brummum]

Hi, I haven't been around in a while but hoping you ladies can share your wisdom with me once more. Not so little man is 26 months. He is in a cot. I had thought by now we would have been forced to move to a toddler bed due to him climbing out as he is so active but he just hasn't figured that out yet. So we don't have to change anything for safety reasons, however, I am wondering if we should. He is a big guy and I think he may be struggling with the small space. He has always been a 'problematic' sleeper regardless but  lots of people have been telling me recently how much better their little ones slept when they moved to a big bed. So would anyone be able to share their experiences or advice.. Did you move to a BBB/BGB because you HAD too or because you thought it 'was time'? Do you think I'm just risking opening a whole other can or sleep worms by taking away the restriction of the cot sides or could it actually help things?  Thanks in advance guys.

[goldmom]

We moved to a toddler bed at 24 months when DS was climbing out of his crib. We converted his crib into a toddler bed (smaller rail and partially opened on one side). DS is on the small side, and the toddler bed doesn't give any more room than his crib did, just more freedom. Not having to lift DS into and out of a crib is a big plus.

I haven't noticed any real change in his sleeping habits since we switched.

[CCCmom27]

C moved to a BBB when he was a little over 2.5 bc I was pregnant with G and it was getting uncomfortable to get him out of there.  G is still in the crib but I'm thinking of moving him out in a month or two bc I'm pregnant again and he'll be moving into C's room this summer so I want him to be used to a BBB.  G is also a big boy but I've never felt he was too big for it.  In what way is he struggling with the space? 

[jessmum46]

Following along if I may? J is 25 months and we're wondering about transitioning her before the new LO arrives in just over 3 months.  Have a fear of her just jumping out of bed and never settling down though!

[anna*]

We moved Stan to a big boy bed at 22-23 months because he was just so huge in the cot. At the beginning yes he just kept jumping out of bed and coming out of his room. He just couldn't stop himself! After one memorable night when he finally fell asleep on the upstairs landing at 10.30pm, we installed a baby gate on his bedroom door. There was a night of screaming but then he was fine. Thinking about it, he had spent two years sleeping 'behind bars' and really needed that security of feeling contained. In fact, we kept the gate up at the door LONG after he knew how to open it - he preferred having it there.

[*Becky*]

Ideally I wanted to wait until H was 3 before we did the move but we moved him 6 weeks before M arrived at 2.5 years and it was absolutely fine, still does not get out now. I did not want to be dealing with it and a newborn and I also did not want to leave him in his cot much past 3 so it was the right time for us.
I will move M end of May when she turns 3 too...my motto with everything is don't change anything if it is working. I personally can't see how it would make him sleep better unless he is very squashed where he is now.

[okinawamama]

As far as sleep goes, if it's not broke, don't fix it, has always been my parenting mantra. So many things upset sleep (developmental leaps, nap transitions, A time fluctuations, sickness, teething....) I couldn't bare to mess with it if at the moment, it was working.

 What do you mean "struggling with the small space?" Is he getting caught in between bars, hitting his head? When I think about the transition to a BBB, I consider emotional maturity more than anything. I feel they need to have enough impulse control to hopefully stay in bed, and the ability to reason with me on why staying in bed is important/safest. We just moved DS2, and he is 34 months. I think it's a totally individual choice. For us, at 25 months there was no way DS would have been able to handle a BBB.

[brummum]

On iPad and for some reason can't quote anything but whole replies so excuse any confusion! Thanks for all your input.

Goldman I hadn't really thought about the lifting but was actually complaining the other day about how back breaking it was leaning over the cot sides and lifting him out/in. Another consideration.

CCCmon27 he just seems to collide with the head board and sides a lot. He moves a lot in his sleep and wondered if this is waking him. Having said that falling out the bed will probably do that too and converting it to a toddler bed will not increase the space just the restriction. I always dangle my arm/leg out the bed so maybe I'm projecting that need for less restriction onto him? Can you get toddler beds that are bigger than the cot size or are they all standard?

Katherine, by all means hop on.... I share your fear!

Becky and Stephanie I too adhere to the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' but to be honest when it comes to sleep it is already broken! I may just be clutching at straws that this would help. I hadn't thought about it in relation to emotional maturity but that does make complete sense. We are a little off being able to reason it through with him and I'm pretty near certain that he wouldn't have enough impulse control to stay put! Thanks for that.

Thanks again for your time responding I think I might just be looking for that ever elusive 'thing' that is going to solve his sleep issues, thought I had got past that! I think I will hold off until we can talk it through with him a bit more and he can understand the move better as he isn't actually forcing our hand by chucking himself out. Sleepy vibes to all x

[Haribo2012]

I'm following too if you don't mind my LO is 21 months and people keep saying I should be putting him in a bed but I'm thinking too young and it's not broken yet lol xx

[Buttonbobs]

Was just thinking this morning I hadn't seen you in a while "waves"

I just posted in a similar vein today. We will be trying to hold onto E's cot sides for a while yet I think and she's in a largish cot bed so no problem with the size yet. I also feel I'd like her to go as long as she can in it really, eiher until we're PTing at night or she starts to climb out, which I can't see her doing anytime soon.

[barbaraz78]

F never climbed out and we moved him at 3.5! It went perfectly, no coming out of the room, sleeping very well from the beginning, only falling down a couple of times. I am also of the school that if it's not broken, don't fix it. And F was sleeping pretty well in his crib, so there was no reason... He is quite huge too, and he moved a lot, but somehow he seemed to have the dimensions of the crib, and never woke up due to hurt the crib. I fully agree with the emotional maturity.
Don't know. My idea is that if he already has problems with sleeping, putting him in a bbb would only increase the problem.