Sleeping in a Toddler Bed

We tried the toddler bed with my son right after he turned 2, and it was a disaster, so we put hi back in the crib and waited until he was older (2.5) and was asking to be a big boy. We talked about the bed for a week before we put it up, and he even helped my husband assemble it. He has been great about sleeping in it. He doesn't nap, and has not napped since he was still in his crib, so I can't help you with that...but is I guess I would try making the bed special for your daughter--let her pick out some new sheets, etc., and really talk it up. Does she know about your pregnancy yet? If so, tell her how special it is that she has a big kid bed, and how the baby will be in a crib...that might help. Good luck.

We are going through some of this right now. My son, 22 months, was a great sleeper, still liked his crib, and hadn't climbed out yet, but with a new baby arriving in a month we wanted to get him out of the crib. I'd had both the crib and the bed in his room for about a month. He liked to read books in the bed, but always chose the crib to sleep, so it disappeared one day while he was at grandmas. He didn't get upset as I thought he would, but he did sleep on the floor for 2 days. I thought he was in his bed because he was completly quiet, but when I'd look in, he was on the hard wood floor.
Now he sleeps in the bed, but gets out and fools around in his room after I leave. I lock him in his room as a previous owner conviently put a lock on the outside of the door. I know some people object to that, but I don't get why. He was "locked" in his crib for a year and a half, what's the difference? My husband is stricter about him staying in his bed than me. He spent an hour the other afternoon, putting him back in over and over. In the end the kid got so worn out he went to sleep. He was doing it again the other night, so we took turns going in telling him sternly that it was time to sleep and tucking him in. That took about 3 or four times. I think that eventually it will get better. He's exploring his new found freedom. . . . Anyway, not sure I gave you any answers and I'm looking for some myself, but thought it might interest you to know our experience.

Good job mommin', H.!
With my daughter we started basically the same way you did. If she got out of bed, a warning for the baby gate. Then if she gets out again, the gate goes on the slightly closed door. If she sleeps in her bed, great. If not, at least she's stayed in her room, mine only ended up on the floor one time, been in the bed ever since.
And you're right, this too shall pass!
A.

Have you though about a small toy, maybe a barbie that she can hold and kind of play with before she falls asleep? That worked with my boys. I gave them a little car and they played with it. The one thing I said was, You can play with this as long as you stay in bed. The light would go out and they knew from an early age that they had to stay in bed and go to sleep.
I do remember a few times that they fell asleep standing up at their bed. It doesn't hurt them and if they stayed in their room I didn't care. If she doesn't sleep that's okay, let her play quietly. That's almost as good as a real nap. Good luck and congrats on your pregnancy.

Have you read the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Weisbeleuth (I'm not sure of that spelling)? They call it the sleep bible. It has some great suggestions. I wouldn't recommend waking your daughter up to get her on an earlier schedule if you can avoid it. That will interrupt her natural sleep patterns. As for night time, after you put her down, down is down. She will figure out that you are not coming back to her during the night, so she won't stay up to play. It might take a few nights, but she will learn to go to sleep earlier out of sheer exhaustion. Good luck!

Good for you not wanting to start a bad habit now on her depending on you to sleep.
Kids swap up routines and sleep disruption a lot.
Growth spurts, time changes, teething and all of that cause disruption. I don't know of many kids that stay put every single night. You need to explain firmly it is time for sleep, try a chart. If she gets up she gets a sad face that night and no story the next night or earlier bedtime. Stand by your words though. Put up a chart in her room. Cheer her on if she goes to bed nicely, stays put a big happy face that night. If she gets 10 happy faces then a surprise for her. Let her put up the stickers or happy faces, have her help you count them.
Put a bedrail on the bed too and see if that helps with the sense of security the crib provides. It helps toddlers see the boundaries of their bed too. Not some open space to jump out of, so to speak.
Let her know she is NOT to get out of bed and what a big girl she is for going to bed nicely. Praise her big time when she does it.
Even if you think she thinks it is a game what she is doing is testing you. If you don't say anything then she will figure it out eventually. She will get it, it is new and yes the time change confuses even us grown up in sleep patterns.
My kids are great sleepers but even at 4 and 7, there are still nights they have trouble falling asleep, get up ten times to pee, need to tell me something and so on. It will lessen as she gets older, the point I have always made with my kids, bedtime is for sleeping, not negotiable and they are to go to sleep. You cannot force them to sleep but they know they are to stay in their bed with their eyes closed, hee hee. At three I allowed my son to give up naps in exchange for a very early bedtime, that worked for us and he was tired enough to do it.