This is my 2nd posting and you were so helpful on the first I thought why not try it again. I realized last night that I made a mistake one of the commandments that a mother should not break which is... Not to let your child experience multiple life altering events at the same time I am guilty of this. My sitter who has taken excellent care of my daughter since she was 6 months old recently went on a two month vacation. My daughter has gone from being at our home with her sitter and being the only child with the sitter to now going to another home where the sitter has twin 4yr old girls. My daughter is used to being around 4yr olds since her sister is 4 but it's a new environment, new sitter, routine, etc. About 2 weeks after starting with the new sitter we took her crib apart and moved her into the toddler bed where her sister was sleeping and moved her sister into a low loft bed. I thought she would be over the moon excited since she always preferred her sister's bed to her crib. It's been about 9 days now and everynight for the past nine days she get's up in the middle of the night and gets in bed with mommy and daddy. I get up bring her back to her bed and yet when I wake up she somehow found her way back into our bed. The other night I found her on the floor in front of my bedroom since I closed the door before I fell asleep to let the a/c really cool off the room and forgot to open it back up. I got up around 3am to open the door and she was on the floor fast asleep. I got the low loft bed for my 4yr old because I needed to stop her from getting in our bed and it's worked she hasn't left her bed since the first the night she slept in it. What can I do to keep my 2yr old in her bed?? She falls asleep in it with no problem, plays in it with no problem, staying in it all night a problem.
Have you tried rewarding her for staying in her bed? She needs an incentive. Maybe give her a star for every night she stays in bed, and if she gets 4 stars, she gets to pick out a new toy, or a trip to the ice cream parlor, whatever.
Hi B.,
Would you consider gating her doorway? That way if she gets up she will really only have one option...going back to bed. I like the gating solution because you know your daughters room is safe and she won't be disturbing you in the middle of the night. Also, do you think that she could be scared? Maybe this bed is casting shadows in a different way than her crib did. If she doesn't have a nightlight in her room maybe you could try putting one in. If she does, try after you put her in her bed talking with her and asking her to explain what she sees on the walls, floor, and ceiling. That should help you identify if there is a problem being frightened.
Best of luck. I hope something I've said can help.
A little about me: I will be celebrating 7 years of marriage this fall and have two amazing little boys, almost 4 and 16 months.
I have twin boys and when they were 2 years 3 months, I (stupidly) took them out of their cribs and put them in toddler beds b/c I knew we were going on vacation soon and wanted them to be used to sleeping in a bed. They were fine on the vacation, but when we got home, they refused to sleep in the beds. They screamed all night long. I had a baby proof handle on their door and they couldn't get out of the room, so just cried and cried. I spoke to their teacher about it and she suggested putting a gate on the door of their room so that they wouldn't be scared about not being able to open the door, but that the gate would make it more like their room was a giant crib. They could see outside, but not GET outside. The first night, they cried for a while and fell asleep near the door of their room on a down comforter I had put on the floor for them in case they tired themselves out while crying near the door. Thereafter, they were fine, although I will tell you that they enjoyed sleeping on the floor so much, that they now sleep on the down blanket on the floor every night (although they nap in their beds!)
At one point, I spoke to a sleep consultant. She told me that a 2 year old doesn't have the self control to stay in bed and that it is better to keep kids in their cribs until they are closer to 3. But obviously, you can't go back now. Try the baby gate on her door and let her cry it out a night or two. It should do the trick.
Hi B.
I am not going to be much help with this but wanted you to know I sympathize. None of my 4 children stayed in their own beds all night till they were far too big to be waking up.
Our oldest was the easiest but at the time, I thought it couldn't get worse. Our younger boy comes along and by 2 he only slept 2 hours in 24, so he didn't go back to sleep when he came in. By 4years he would read in his bed when he woke up. The twins came along later and by then I was 40 and exhausted. We never heard the first girl come in, but making room for the other woke us. By the time we were awake to do something they were asleep, and we simply adjusted.
That's my story.
Hope it is not discouraging, but instead lighthearted enough that you can relax and say they grow up in spite of this because
Our oldest is now 37 and was the national volleyball coach of the year for school size he was coaching.
Our younger boy is a lawyer for US gov. and will have our first grandchild anyday now.
Our twin girls are 18, graduated from homeschool, and are headed to college this fall. One is an artist and the other is figuring out her path.
God bless you and give you wisdom
K. SAH homeschool mom, married 38 years, taught preschool and had foster kids.
sorry, accidentally hit hit respond....can't get out of it.
Hi B.. I just wanted to say thanks for asking this question. My 2 1/2 yr old boy wont stay in bed. I like the gate idea, but he shares a room with his 5 yr old brother. I think I may also try the reward system, see if that gets me anywhere...My 5 yr old did the same thing, and at one point was sleeping with him...now I dont need to, so I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but I am not sure about waiting 3 yrs to see it!!! Good Luck, you arent the only one struggling to get a full nights sleep.
M.
i sympathize with you my son did the same thing after putting him in his toddler bed... after he came in i would walk him back to his room and tell him he could come in a snuggle with mom after the sun comes up..... i would then also in the morning keep talking about comin into mommys room after the sun comes up, i even questioned him just befor bed that when it is dark he sleeps in his bed and after the sun comes up he can com into mommys bed, this worked out for both of us i still got my sleep and he got his snuggle with mom...... give it a try at this age she sould be able to tell the differnce with the sun and the moon.... it did get a little hard when the sun comes up at 530 but its the price you pay....in the winter and fall though he stayed in his room till... 7-8:00 he still once in awhile come in but i just walk him back and sometimes he stays asleep till 730am ill take it i figure he comes in to make sure we are still there and for security..... the snuggle time gives him some one on one time with me since he has a baby sister to compete his time with.....older or younger the one on one time is so fun and needed for both
What about a baby gate at the bedroom door? That is what I had to do with my (now) 3 y/o when he was 18mo.-2years. For about 2 months he slept on the floor by the door but that was ok because he was sleeping and in his room where he was supposed to be. Eventually he decided he would rather be in the bed than on the floor and started staying there when put to bed.
Also, the reason she is getting out of bed may not be because of many life changes. It could be her new found freedome. She was confined to a crib, now she can get out if she chooses and go to another snugglie warm place that also happens to have her favorite person in it! Why would she stay in her bed? Set up the gate and tell her it is a reminder for her when she gets out of bed at night. When she gets to the gate, she needs to turn around and get back into her own bed.
Whatever action you choose, I wish you success!
What was the reason you took your daughter out of the crib in the first place? If it was for no reason, then I say put her back in it. Maybe she's just not ready to be in a bed yet. If you took her out because she was climbing out then maybe you can put a gate at her door so she can't get out of her room?
