There is no birthday that tells you it's time. Some children move out of the cot at 18 months because they have worked out how to climb the bars. Others stay happily in a cot bed until they are three and a half. Both are completely normal, and the readiness signs matter far more than the age on the calendar.
Here is how to tell where your child is, and how to make the change go smoothly when it comes.
The signs your toddler is ready
They're climbing out. This is the one that usually forces the decision, and it's a safety issue rather than a preference. Once a child can get themselves over the cot rail, the fall risk is higher than anything they face in a low bed. If it's happened once, it will happen again.
They're too tall for the cot. A rough guide is that a cot stops being suitable when the side rail sits lower than your child's chest while they're standing.
They're asking. Plenty of toddlers notice a sibling's bed, or a bed at nursery, and start asking for a "big bed". Interest is a genuinely good indicator — a child who wants the change tends to settle into it faster.
They're out of nappies overnight, or working on it. Being able to get to the loo independently is a practical argument for a bed they can leave on their own.
They're waking more, or protesting bedtime. Sometimes a toddler who has started fighting sleep is simply feeling confined.
Signs it might be too soon
Wait a little longer if your child is in the middle of another big change — a new sibling, starting nursery, a house move, or a bout of illness. Stacking transitions rarely goes well. It's also worth holding off if they're still very young: most sleep guidance suggests keeping babies in a cot for the first year at minimum, and a floor bed is for toddlers rather than babies.
If your child is climbing out and you don't feel they're ready in other respects, a temporary fix is lowering the cot base to its lowest setting and removing anything they can use as a step.
What kind of bed?
You have three broad options.
A full-size single bed with a rail. The longest-lasting choice, but it's high, it takes up a lot of room, and the drop is real. Most families add a bed guard.
A traditional toddler bed. Usually a wooden frame taking a 70 × 140 cm mattress, with low sides. Sized right, but wooden frames have hard corners and slats, and they still sit some way off the floor.
A floor bed. Sits low to the ground so your child can climb in and out on their own. If the term is new to you, we explain the thinking behind it in what is a Montessori floor bed? Soft foam floor beds go a step further — the entire frame is foam, so there are no hard corners, no slats and no screws. For a child who rolls a lot, or a parent who's nervous about the first few weeks, that removes most of what there is to worry about.
All three take the same standard 70 × 140 cm mattress, so bedding is interchangeable.
Making the transition easier
Involve them in it. Let them choose the colour or the bedding. A child who feels they picked their own bed is more invested in sleeping in it.
Keep everything else identical. Same bedtime, same story, same comforter, same room if possible. One change at a time.
Set the room up first. A child who can get out of bed will get out of bed, so the room needs to be safe to wander in: furniture anchored to the wall, blind cords secured, sockets covered, nothing climbable near a window.
Expect a few weeks of testing. Most children get out of bed repeatedly for the first fortnight. The advice that works is boring and consistent — walk them back, minimal conversation, no negotiation. It settles.
Don't panic if they roll out. It happens, it's usually a very short drop, and a soft-sided bed makes it a non-event. A rug, a folded duvet or a foam play mat beside the bed helps in the early weeks.
A note on floor beds and independence
The reason floor beds have become popular in the UK isn't just safety. A bed a child can get into and out of unaided changes the dynamic of bedtime — they go to bed rather than being put to bed. For some families that's the difference between a nightly battle and a calm routine. For others it means a toddler appearing at your bedside at 5am. It depends on the child, and you won't know which you've got until you try.
It's the same principle behind low, child-scaled furniture generally, and the reason independent play supports development in the daytime as well as at bedtime.
Finishing the rest of the room
Once the bed is sorted, the rest of the bedroom is worth a thought. A foam sofa gives a reading corner that doubles as somewhere to flop — we go through the options in our guide to children's sofas. If you're decorating at the same time, flower walls for nurseries and kids' bedrooms are an easy way to finish a wall without paint. And if the room doubles as a play space, our guide to soft play in a small space covers how to fit it all in.
The short version
There's no right age. Watch for climbing, height, and interest, avoid stacking the change on top of other upheaval, and make the room safe before the first night. Whichever bed you choose, the first two weeks are the hard part — after that, most children simply get on with it.
If you're leaning towards a floor bed, ours come in bouclé and corduroy, with or without a matching mattress, alongside the rest of our children's foam furniture. Check delivery times, read the FAQs, or get in touch if you'd like to talk it through.