So my daughter will be 2 in a couple months and last night was the first night putting her in her big girl bed. It was a tough night! I know she is young yet, but she is a monkey. She can climb out of the pack and play and if she were in a crib she would be climbing out also, and the scares me. My son was the same age and he did fine, and i would like to get her in a bed because she has been sleeping in a pack and play all along and she is to long for it and it is getting really worn and bunching up in the middle. Not good for her to be sleeping on. Plus she will be going to a big girl bed at daycare due to a new baby starting in a couple months. So last night i tried the super nanny technique of just putting her back in bed. Well 67 escapes and an hour and a half later she finally fell asleep. Got up around midnight and went back to sleep about 2:30 again. It was tough but think it went ok for the first night. Im just wondering how many others have tried that technique and did it really work? Does each night get a little bit better? If it is still a struggle after a couple weeks i will put her back in a pack and play but would like to make this bed thing work. She is in our room now so she does not disrupt my sons sleeping and once she is used to the bed for awhile they will have to share a room. Right now i am very tired and am just looking for any advice i guess or encouregment that it will get easier? Thanks!!
We put our youngest in a toddler bed when she was 10 months old because she could climb out of her pack 'n play and it scared me to death. She's been sleeping in it ever since.
Don't revert to the pack 'n play is my best advice...whenever you want them to accept something new and they figure out you're not serious, then you've lost. :) You can do it!
It will get easier.
The rule of thumb is "crib til 3 or until they are climbing out" so to ME, under 2 is young for a "big girl bed" but it sounds like it's your only option. Just keep putting her back. She's pretty little, so think about gating her doorway if the thought of her wandering the house at night freaks you out--like it did me.
put her in her own room or in her brothers room if they will be sharing. put a baby gate up in front of the bedroom door to keep her from getting up and roaming the house if she wakes up in the middle of the night. especially if she is in the same room with mom and dad she will not want to stay in the bed, and there is no way to punish or make her see the consequences of not behaving. i'd just move her now and lay her down, tell her it is time for bed and she has to stay in bed. if she gets up you can either cave and give her what she wants which is for you to get up 100 times and give her attention, or you can let her know that bedtime is exactly that, time for bed and let her soothe herself. she will learn that she needs to go to bed and sleep.
and if you just give up and put her back in the pack and play you will just have to start the whole process over again and it will be harder because you have already taught her that your word means nothing and that she is the boss. be firm, be the parent not the pushover.
Put a "no climb" gate on her door. She probably thought last night was a fun game of in and out.
I give my girls a flashlight, some books(on a little bedside table), and a few stuffed friends to play/read to and they have done that since they were transitioned to big girl beds. It worked for us and my younger daughter is quite "spirited". ;)
Only 67 times, lol? I stopped counting at 99 the first night...but he got it after a few nights : ) Make sure you have her room childproofed, a bedtime routine to get her relaxed and ready for sleep, and are using a baby gate. It is what it is and has to be done, hang in there, it will happen!
I just converted my 18 month-olds crib into a toddler bed. (Doing it because we've got a new baby on the way and we'll be transitioning her to a new room and bed by the time the new baby gets here - don't want all the changes happening at once.)
Maybe she's just super-easy going and does what she thinks is expected of her, but we've only had her get out of her bed twice.
I'd like to chalk it up to her set bedtime routine that only varies if we've been out late for some reason and she's super tired when we get home. It might also help that it's still her mattress and crib, but with a side off and rails on - still very familiar.
What type of routine do you have? I agree with another poster that having her in your room will make it more difficult, but I don't think I'd transition her to a bed AND out of your room at the same time.
Sorry, probably wasn't much help. I would imagine that putting her back over and over will get easier as she understands that no matter what, she will always be put back in her bed.
Good luck!
For escape artists I always used a baby gate. I can't believe she's slept in a pack and play all this time as they are not comfortable for kids her age. Do you have a bigger crib you could use for a short time? I would put her in the room with the brother, tell her she is sleeping in there and it's her room now too, and keep doing what you did by putting her back in bed. If you start her out in your room it will have to start all over in your sons room only she will be used to the toddler bed. I did put some of mine in twin beds earlier than this and it went fine as far as the bed but the getting out was a while in getting worked out but you have to be consistent and don't quit. Even if she would sleep on the floor she will learn that the bed is better.
