When should I move my toddler into a big toddler bed?

There is no set age to move your little one into a big toddler bed although a lot of parents tend to move their child anywhere between 2 and 3 ½ years old.

It’s best to wait until you think your child is not only emotionally, but physically ready so that they will be able to get in and out of their big bed themselves safely.

An obvious sign that they are ready could be they have started to escape from their cot or they are too tall for the cot to be able to sleep safely. You might also decide to make the move if you have started toilet training with your child or they have another sibling on the way.

Moving from cot to toddler bed top tips

Every toddler will respond differently to moving into a big bed. For many you will wonder why you ever worried, others will need an extra bit of planning and preparation to make them feel comfortable so check out our top tips:

• Try to put the bed in the same place as the cot
• Test out using the big bed for daytime naps first before night time
• Stay calm and stick to your usual sleep routine as much as possible
• Let your little one choose some bedding or a special toy for their big bed
• Be positive and give lots of praise

Tips from twitter:

“We put our daughter’s bed in her room way before we moved her into it. She was able to get used to it being there and what it was for so when we finally moved her, she had no issues whatsoever.” @Fiction_Fan

“Keep your bedtime routine the same and don’t make it a big deal! We only had a few tears on night one and a little reassurance and it was fine.” @Twinkletash

“We let Elise pick out some special big girl bedding so she was really excited to use her new big girl bed. Naturally she picked dinosaurs” @aMundaneSarah

“We began with naps when we went from cot to cot bed. We also had the cot bed in his room from birth, even though he had a crib in our room from birth to 5 months. It went surprisingly well, with no significant upset. He actually slept better!” @Welshmumwriting