HELP! Can't keep toddler in his bed!!!!!!

[cheerbop]

I need to revive this thread for more ideas!
I sit here after going to put DS2 back down about 8 times in the past almost 2 hours.
I am so frustrated and don't know what to do. we have always had the "ritual" thing spoken of earlier.

This has now been going on for 3 1/2 months!!! WHEN will it end!? i am at the end of my rope.

 

[kuusimo]

When will it end? When the child says it is! Both of my boys did this to me. DS4 did this for almost 4 months and DS3 did it for about 6 months. It is frustrating and tiring and you wonder why you are a parent at this point. (Some nights we were lucky it lasted only 4 hours!) No wonder children cause gray hair

The only thing we have been able to do that works is continually take them back to their room without talking to them. Taking away privileges, time outs... nothing worked. DH has spent time in the halls right outside their door. That worked too. They could see dad and did not move. I have been there too. You get lots of reading in, and it lowered the stress level for the other spouse.

Hang in there. It will go away and then they will give you a new challenge. I thought it would never go away either. Now they come into our room each night because they are "thirsty" and then sleep on the floor (trained them on that vs. the bed took 4 months)...

 

[paigevz]

I am no help with this at all, having a child who has just turned 4, JUST being put to bed in his own bed, and he's still crawling into ours in the middle of the night.

My first one went to crib at 14 months, but when we moved when he was 2 1/2, we painted his room and he had to sleep in our room temporarily. We just got him to go to bed in his bed when he turned 4, and again, had him crawling in bed in the middle of the night until age 6.

Both boys have figured out to come in quietly and go to Dad's side of the bed. I don't wake up and neither does he.

 

[Aidensmom]

My son never tried to get out of bed when he was 2, but now at age 4 we are struggling with this.

I try to stay very unemotional and just tell him he needs to get back in bed. I will not engage in any further conversation with him, or act in any way which would seem to "reward" him for getting up. For a while he would get up about 7 or 8 times. Tonight he only did once. So some progress is being made.

 

[cheerbop]

Thanks for the kind advice and words of encouragement.
He does not go into our bed, just gets up and runs around, opening and closing his door, going to the toys, etc.

I never had this problem with DS8. he stayed in his bed.
This one has got me going NUTSO!!!

and, to have a new baby due in Dec just makes me more nervous. he BETTER be grown out of this by then!

 

[Beth76]

Lock the door from the inside. Either turn the doorknob around or buy some doorknob covers. He might still play in his room for awhile but he'll fall asleep when he's tired.

 

[shortbun]

We used double gates in the door of his room AND gated the top of the steps just in case. The 1st night he fell asleep on the floor at the gates while crying. That was hard. The next night he cried at the gates and then got back in bed. The third night, he stayed in his bed. That was the end. We left the gates up for several months just in case. Good luck!

 

[Tinijocaro]

Lock him in his room by himself for a few minutes. Open the door, tell him you will leave the door open if he stays in there. If he comes out shut him in. After a few times with the door shut he should stay in there if you tell him you are going to close the door. Most of all, STAY FIRM!

I've done this and it works- also, offer a reward the next morning when he DOESN"T get out of bed. For youngest child, a dd, I gave her a jelly bean every morning that she stayed in bed the previous night.

 

[NAB]

I say just keep putting them back. Even if they come in your room at night but them back. Don't talk to them or engage in any thing because that is just to stall you and have you there.

I like what the Supernanny did to. Sit so they know you are there.

At a parenting class I took the teacher said you can't make them go to sleep but you can keep them in bed. She also mentioned the closing the door thing and telling them they can have it open if they stay in bed.