Seeking Suggestiong for Transitioning 2 Yr. Old into Toddler Bed

K.,

I have family in the Roanoke area. Anyway, it won't always take that long. If you do the routine that you saw on the Nanny, of staying in the room and gradually moving closer to the door, it may take up to 2 weeks. It usually happens with in the first 5 nights that she suddenly realizes that it's her bed, you're serious, and everything will be the smae, until the new baby(LOL). Also, when you moved the crib over, did you keep the mattress from HER crib for HER bed. Children have a very strong memory response to smell. If you didn't, trying putting the mattress from the crib in her Princess bed and the mattress from the princess bed into the crib. I hope that this helps.

What I did with my daughter at that age and I do with the children I watch for childcare at night is this....
I set us a schedule I eat dinner, give bathes if need be, I take them into the room and we set on the bed and read 2 books and NO MORE. The children can set next to me or set under the blanket whatever they wish but there is no sleeping while I'm reading. They only are allowed to go to sleep after I leave. It's you decision if they need a night light but i don't suggest leaving lights on in the hall unless they are far from your living room. Because most kids will use the open door and light on as a way to keep getting up. When you are done reading the books say "ok it's time for bed" put them under the blanket tuck them in and kiss and hugs and a sip of water if they want. I suggest you close the door and leave. I don't let leeway for anything other than your normal system. If you allow more books one night the number will go up over time. If you allow yourself to stay later one night they will keep you longer as time goes by. You want to make it the rules. After you leave don't let her up. If she gets up walk right in, don't say a word just walk in pick her up and put her back in bed under the covers. She's knows why you are there there is no explaining needed. You might need to put her back into bed 5 of more times in one night for a few days. You will prob. see tears. Just remember your not hurting her and there isn't any reason for the tears other than to get you to stay in there. Which you shouldn't do. After a few days she should stay in bed for you just fine. My daughter is 6yrs old and I've watched kids all my life and it's works like a charm. The more you stay in with your daughter they more you are teaching her you will and there is good reason to stay in because if there wasn't good reason you wouldn't right.... and she knows that.

Hi K.,
When we transitioned my son Peter, he went from crib to my old twin bed with bed rails. We put the bed up in his room for about a week to let him play on it & get used to it. Then we moved to naps in his big bed, & night time in the crib. This was also for about 2 weeks & let him get used to the new bed. After that we took down the crib & he only had to big bed. He still wanted us to lay with him, which sometimes lasted 10 minutes up to 45 minutes. We slowly moved to sitting on the floor, rubbing his head, then sitting a little further. He has had a lot of trauma in his life, so I am still sitting with him, but now I sit at the end of his bed, and he is asleep in about 10 minutes.
Good luck
T. A

We had this same problem with our now 4 1/2 year old. About a year and a half ago, he did the same thing. Wouldn't go to sleep unless one of us were actually laying in bed with him. (He sleeps in a double bed) My husband and I started this routine... explained it all to him first... where we scooted closer to the door each week. I know that sounds like a long time, but here's how it played out: the first week, one of us sat on the end of the bed. The next week, we had a chair next to his door. A few days later, we moved the chair outside his door, then a day or two of that, we just said goodnight and left the room. It worked for him, and he hasn't had any problem since then.

Of course, we also kept the nighttime routine the same each night as well: bath, book, prayers, lullaby music, last drink of water, good night.

Good luck. Hope this helps. I realize your daughter is a little younger than our son was, but I think it would still work. I have a 2 year old, also, and I'm sure he would understand the process if we used it on him.

You need to be consistent - all day and all night.
If you say it - mean it.

She is a big girl in a big girl bed. Put her in and walk out. The first couple of nights will be the worst. She will try to get you to sit there until she falls asleep. Just keep putting her back. DO NOT TALK when you put her back.

Who knows.. you might get lucky and you only have to put her back once. If you waffle, she will know and she will win. You cannot ever let them see you sweat.

If you never sat with her when she was in her crib, you shouldn't have to sit with her now. She is conning you. Be strong. This won't last long.

YMMV
LBC

I am new to this site and I have no idea how to look at other responses so hopefully i give you some new advice.

Our daughter was the same way. when she was in the crib all i had to do is put her in it and she would fall asleep. We did story time in the living room then we put her to bed. just put her in cover up and out the door. well then we got her a big girl bed because she was climbing out of the crib.

she wanted nothing to do with it. she would scream and throw things. after 2 days of chasing her and putting her back in her room for 4 hours a night i went down and bought those door knob things. the ones that keep kids out of rooms. well i put them on the inside of the door and took all her toys out of the room and anything glass or sharp taht she could hurt herself on. it took 3 days but each day got better. she would scream and kick and throw things for about 3 hours the first night, 2 hours the second night and 1 hour the third night. on the forth night she did nothing. of course after she fell asleep I would then open the door a crack before we went to bed incase she needed to get out.

So yes we would lock her in but only long enough for her to fall asleep on her own. on day 7 i took the lock off the door and she never needed it again. I know there are some that are thinking i am a bad mom. but i did sit next to the door every night for as long as it took and listened to the cry incase she hurt her self.

I hope this helps. and good luck

it won't be a two-hour routine forever if you resign yourself to fixing it now. put her back to bed if she gets up. if she stays in her room but is screaming, go in periodically and stroke her back for a minute or two but don't talk and don't stick around. you can reassure her that she's okay, that you're there, that she's loved, and still make it clear that you are not available to sit with her for hours every night while she falls asleep.
but you HAVE to stick with it.
consistency.
khairete
S.

I know this is not what you want to hear, but is it possible that she is not ready for a toddler bed yet? I understand wanting to transition her before the new baby but maybe she is just not ready yet.