Need Help on Getting My Almost 3 Yr Old to Lseep in Her Big Girl Bed!

She isn't ready to sleep in her 'big girl' bed. Maybe she doesn't want to be a 'big girl' yet. She's the an only child any more, she's not 'the baby'.
Let her sleep where she wants to sleep. She's going through huge changes. She'll sleep in her 'big girl' bed when she's ready.

We had this issue with our almost three year old. Finally, i put one of those child thngies on the doorknob of her room and didn't respond when she asked me anything or started crying.

When it got too bad I went in there acting very angry and told her that mommy is ANGRY that she is making lots of noise and getting out of bed. (we work on... angry, happy, sad, We tell the kids that it is OK to be ANGRY but you must do it in your room -- if they are screaming-- so they know what that feeling is)

That worked. We still have issues sometimes.. but nothing like at the beginning

I have no words of wisdom but I wanted you to know you were not alone. My daughter just turned 3 2 weeks ago and we have been battling almost the same thing for about a month also. We are also dealing with difficulty dropping her off at daycare, so I did some asking around and it appears that separation anxiety is not just for little ones....there is another bout of it around age 3. I talked to the daycare workers who said its just a matter of time. Its frustrating, but know you are in good company (and if you figure something out, could you pass it on :) )

We just bought our daughter the Mobi Tykelight Glomate night light for our daughter's room and it has done wonders. It is a snowman-type figure that lights up different colors (10 hours or 15 min. timer) and she can take it to bed with her. It is safe and durable for her to play and sleep with! This may help with the lonely shadow tactics and such. Make it a treat--our daughter can only have him when it is nap time or night time. We ordered it through Target.com. Good Luck!

Could you try the pre-emptive strikes?

get her a glass of water, a flashlight for the shadows, a 3 question limit for the night to be asked and answered before you leave the room the first time? Just try to beat her to the punch so to speak? Give her a window of leeway (10-15 minutes)and then provide no feedback but to bring her back to her room and put her into bed, so you know her needs are met and she will not feel that you are unavailable for a real issue but do not encourage the stalling ones.

Good Luck, Nat

I have a very charming 3 1/2 yr old boy, and he does the same thing. He has been in a big boy bed since he was about 20 months old (he was a young and adventurous climber) but every night we have the same issue for about the same amount of time, I here mommy I have to pee< I need new socks, mommy i love you, mommy can you fix my blankie ect. anything and everything. He knows how charming he is and that he is the apple of my eye. I would start to ignore her requests tell her when you tuck her in that you are not coming back in until the sun comes in becaus eyou need to go night night as weel and if she needs anything else she needs to tell you now. Its not easy and she may not be happy about it at first but she will get used to it and eventually learn that you won;t come back time and time again and it wont be an issue anymore.
ope that helps,
C.

Um..yeah..good luck with this behavior. My daughter is five and she still does it.....