2 Yo and Her Bed

I would suggest a tried and true method. It can be a little tough on both of you for a couple of nights but you have to stay strong!! When she starts getting out of her bed - the first time tell her that she needs to stay in her bed and put her there. If she continues to get out of bed then continue to pick her up and put her there but DO NOT TALK TO HER. If you do, she will just feed off of this and keep you talking, etc... Like I said, it may take a couple of nights but if you are consistant then it will work - I promise. Good luck and good patience! :)

I have a couple book suggestions for you to read:

1. The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Childs Sleep (http://product.half.ebay.com/The-No-Cry-Sleep-Solution-Fo...)
(I am reading that ^ right now and LOVE the ideas! They will benefit me as well as my son for years to come!)

2. Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years (http://product.half.ebay.com/Love-and-Logic-Magic-for-Ear...) (This one has ideas for other 'battles' as well.)

3. Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers: Love and Logic Parenting for Early Childhood (I haven't read this one, but it covers the same age group.)

Best of luck!

I would just do what Super Nanny says to do. Put her back in bed when she gets out. I don't know about sitting at the edge of the bed because she might become more dependent on you being there.

It might take a while the first few nights, but eventually she'll get the idea and if she doesn't, she'll tire of getting out and just fall asleep.

Oh yeah, I put a gate in the doorway too - for safety.
Good Luck!
C. R.

What seemed to work with my kids is a gate in the doorway. I put them in bed, and then put the gate up. They would still come to the gate and call me/cry, etc., but as long there was nothing wrong, I could ignore them. If the screaming gets to be too much, or you are afraid she's going to hurt herself, or something, go back, remind her to get back into bed. Maybe even put her back in bed, and then leave again. I know it's hard, I've been there. I have 3 kids, ages 3 and under, so I'm still there actually. :) It'll pass, she just learned she can get out of bed, so it's a new trick. She has to see what it'll get her. Just make it no fun, and as uneventful as possible. Good luck!

Oh, also, as a side note, I take the gate down when I go to bed so that it's not a fire hazard.

We had the same problem with our daughter when she was 2. Her pediatrician suggested switching the knobs on the door so we could lock it from the outside, but we weren't comfortable with doing that. Instead we put 2 gates up (one on top of the other) so she couldn't get out of her room. The first couple nights she screamed for 30-45 minutes, but then realized she wasn't getting out and went to sleep in her bed. Every night after that, the crying shortened up, until we didn't need the gates any more.

Here is what worked for us with 2 kids--let her fall asleep on the floor. It won't hurt her and eventually she will stop getting out of bed when youstop giving her attention for it. My kids all eventually stopped it, most within 2 weeks. You may have to put a gate up in her doorway or turn the lock on her door around so she won't come out of the room. And I would recommend making her room as safe as possible (power cords, furniture attached to walls so it won't fall, etc.) Good luck, I know it's hard!

Good Morning T., Be consistant and diligant, keep putting her back in bed, but do not stay with her. She already found out she can get your attention by throwing a tanturm. If she is not hurting, wet, or needing anything put her back to bed kiss her good night again and leave.
Tell her she is becoming a big girl with her own big girl bed and she needs to sleep there.

Be consistant and don't give in or give up and let her rule the house and you.

May God give you strength to be firm
K. Nana of 5

Hi T.,

First, word of warning, I had a bedrail on my daughter's bed, and when she realized she could climb out, she did. She also got her head stuck between the bed and the rail!!!! She really tore her ear up and scared me to death! Needless to say, the rail was immediately removed and never used on my other child. Anyway, I also closed her door. If she got out of bed to play or look at her books, I didn't really care as long as she stayed in her room (I, too, used those knob covers.) If she fell asleep on the floor, I would simply move her. I look at this way, it is her room, if she wants to sleep on the floor, what's the big deal? It's more of a power thing. If you try to fight her, she will just get more stubborn. Just be consistent with her staying in her room. She will realize the bed is more comfortable than the floor and eventually stay there. Good luck. God bless.

J.

T.,

I agree that you have to be consistent and dilligent. It might take a few nights, but keep putting her back in her bed. You might try putting one of those child covers over the door knob if she can't open those. It might sounds harsh, but it will only take a few nights hopefully.

Also, make sure she has her favorite sleep things, and put on a CD or something with quiet soft music........and let her pick out the music if she has a favorite. The more that she feels included in the bedtime ritual, the process could go a little smoother. Good luck, and I hope it works for ya.

D.

Until you've been in a fire you won't understand the harm of those door covers. I would try many other things but it seems when you close the door or make it where she cant get out you are making bed time a punishment. I agree with the read until the light dims and just keep putting her back in a few days she will adjust.

I'm sure this is not the way to do it, but it is what I did. With both my kids we would read by a light on a timer that dimmed and went out in 15 or 30 minutes. You could set it either way. When it got too dark to read, it was time to go to bed. I stayed until they fell asleep, which wasn't too long.

Again, it's probably the "wrong" thing to do, but what I discovered was that I enjoyed it. I could sit, relax, thing about things for probably the first time that day. In a few minutes, they'd be asleep and I would go about my business.

One night, they each told me I didn't have to stay any more. I think I was partly disappointed.

I'm sure you will get plenty of great suggestions, good luck!

T.: do you still have her crib? We struggled with the same thing...our son (who will be 2 on August 1) got out of bed and figured it was play time. Nothing seemed to work, and then I decided to "contain" him by putting him in his old crib for just a few minutes as punishment when he got out of bed. He HATED being in there and it works. Every time he gets out of bed (which is not as often now - we started this in mid-June) that is his punishment. Usually after a couple minutes in there, we put him back in bed and he stays. Good luck - it's a hard transition.

My daughter is 19 months and in a big girl bed with a rail also. She can get out of her bed to. We just shut the door so she can't open it and she eventually goes to sleep and we just move her to her bed. I also have a baby gate for her doorway. S.