At My Wits End

You have a ton of responses but I am going to throw my 2 cents in as well. I totally agree with one response. If he is climbing out of his crib, it is time to take him out of the crib. Maybe for naps at home, try laying him down on his nap mat that he uses for school and play soft music. Almost all preschools play soft classical music at rest time. My oldest son starting having issues with going to sleep and staying asleep in his crib so we took him out of it and put him in a "big boy" bed and we never had another issue and he is now 9 years old. I would try having him sleep on the floor or a toddler bed before pinning him in his crib with a crib tent and his pinning him in his room with a lock on the door.

That is just my opinion. Good luck and hope you find something that works for you.

It might be time to see if he will go to a big boy bed. I always took down the crib once they started climbing out. My youngest who is almost 3 I have to get him to stay still long enough to fall asleep, so I lay with him to get him to take a nap. And it is the same at night.
And climbing seems to be a favorite of his too along with the baby powder, so you aren't alone on this. At this age they are learning independence which can drive us insane. Just thought I would let you know you aren't alone.

my son did this one time at that age. I had already told him not to get out of his bed and he did anyway. so I took him back put him in bed and very sturnly told him DO NOT GET UP AGAIN OR MOMA WILL GET YOU. He never did and slept all night.. I have never had to lay a hand on my son all I have ever had to do is lower my voice and let him know I mean what I say this is called old fashion tough love have you tried that. my mom used it on us and we are all wonderful parents and our kids are great too my son is now 15 yr and my daughter is 26 and both are great young people. Classes to teach you how to put your child to sleep, really what are they going to think of next. Show them you are the parent because all kids that age are going to test the waters and push you to the limit let him/her know you mean what you say and if you should have to give a swipe on the bum it will not hurt them mainly because they have diapers on but at least they know when you tell them something you mean it. and they will not love you any less. spare the rod spoil the child. my grandson is smart like this but has learned what mom and dad say he is what he better do. try it it really works it may take a little while since you prob, have never done this before. you may be suprized. there are alot of us older parents out here that had tough love used on us growing up and we are all just fine. you have to be one step ahead of your kiddos now adays start early. don't pay someone to tell you how you should get your child to do what you want them to do.

I sure can relate to what you are going through, it is very hard to deal with the whole bedtime issue. The best advice that I can provide is try your hardest to be consistent in providing a routine, same time to get up in the mornining, food all at around the same times and naps at the same time until he is more willing to cooperate. In addition, I would recommend having him help get his rest area ready before lunch--have him gather special cuddly friends or whatever, and then go to bed after lunch with lots of positive encouragement. Also try to have very high activity before lunch to help him lose some of the extra energy--this was the best thing for my little ones. best of luck and hang in there and just know that the are the "Terrible two's" for a reason, it is a very trying age, but also very rewarding to watch them learn and grow.
~Tina

Hi Jeri,
Well, our 2 year old has been pushing the limits as well...we are looking for a love and logic class...which I have found a couple of different ones coming up...one as soon as Monday. Let me know if you want to get the details on the leads I have...I will try to gather it all in the mean time. The time changes mess us up too.

On another note, my oldest daughter was in a big-girl bed at 19 months (due to new baby taking over crib). She does great in it and did then...he may be ready for a new room makeover (baby stuff would have to be removed of course).

enlist some help...take care of your foot so you can be the best mommy you were intended to be.

Take a deep breath..keep it simple.

K.

When my son was two, my husband and I started a time out chair. It is a small chair in the guest bedroom which we make him sit in for two minutes. This works wonders!! He started acting up and all I'd have to say it, "I don't want to put you in time out, but I will if you don't start listening and minding." He hated sitting in time out because for one, the room is so boring, nothing to do but sit. Two, he loves to run around and act wild and two minutes feels like forever to a toddler.
You also have to learn to pick your battles.
As for him napping... try to calm him down 30 minutes before nap time with a book or music. It puts his brain into sleep mode. My little one starting climbing out at that age so we bought him a "big boy" bed. My husband and I made a big deal about it being "HIS" bed, we even went out and found his favorite sheets to put on them.

Good luck, and remember he's only little once... enjoy every bit of it, good and bad! :)

My DD behaved this way around age 2 at nap time. We had to begin "rationing" nap time. Meaning, she only got one to one and a half hours of nap a day. We couldn't let her sleep any longer or she wouldn't sleep at night. She had to take her nap before 2:00 in the afternoon or she wasn't allowed to have one.
She was cranky if she missed her nap, but she went to bed and slept through the night.
If your son sleeps at daycare then perhaps he is used to the routine and highly structured events. Or having everyone else settle down and go to sleep at the same time makes him more obliged to do it. You could have a set time for napping (if you don't already); and lay down near him for some quiet time (not with him, he will just want to play with you). You can read or shut your eyes and rest too. This way every time he gets up you can remind him "its nap time" and put him back into his bed.
Even if he doesn't sleep just making him sit still and play quietly for an hour will reenergize him.
Give him Ample warning when nap time is approaching; at least 10 minutes. "Honey, in 10 minutes it will be nap time." I know it sounds trite but it really does work to get them into the mind set before it happens. I found such time "warnings" to be very useful in cutting down on arguments from the kids.
Also a special napping blanket, cot, CD, or friend (stuffed animal) may encourage him to settle down some if their use is restricted to naps only.
If he gets out of hand outside of nap time, due to lack of sleep, have quiet table activities you can redirect his attention to (my DD used to bounce off the walls in an effort to stay awake). Make him sit at the table for 15-30 minuets and quietly color, play with play dough, look at books (and possibly read to him), or glue things to paper.
Secondly, don’t get offended, this is just my opinion.
I don't think it’s a good idea to lock a child in his room or even close them in their room at this age. They are really curious and mischievous at ages 2-4 and can hurt themselves rather quickly; even in a "baby proofed" room (if he can climb the furniture than he is a danger to himself). Also the isolation can be an open invitation to get into trouble. "Mommy's not here! Yippee, it's play time!”
To some children, locking or gateing the door, can also make nap time feel more like a punishment; so they resist it more.

RPocai

I do hope things continue to get better for you with his napping and his climbing. I had a climber. I called him my escape artist. He could get in and out of everything. I moved him to a toddler bed when he was about 2 and would put a gate up (yes he would climb over it a lot). He also stoped napping at a very early age like at the age of 2 1/2. I still would put him down. If he got back up and stayed in his room that was fine, but I still considered it his quiet time. When he was just a little over 1 he was in daycare full time. I would go pick him up and they would have cabnits duck taped and I would ask why and of course it was because my child was getting into it and climbing on top of it. He is now 5 and yes he is still a climber but of course it is not as scary as it use to be. I think after him falling so many times he got the hint of things that should not be climbed on. I thank God every day that he just did not hurt himself bad when he would fall.

keep in mind this is the age the imagination begins to get really going, so he may be having some crazy dreams at night or something.

Also, could he be just as worried about you? Maybe take him to your follow-up so he can hear the doctor say you are ok.

I hope you find some rest soon...liz

This may sound obvious but have you explained to him what happened to your foot? Does he know you have an boo boo and you need his help to make it better? Tell him what it means to help you; get the remote for you, get a diaper for you when it's changing time, bring you a book or magazine that he can reach, stay in his bed when you put him down for a nap. Remind him what a big helper he is and you are so happy that he's there to help you. Tell him you need to rest so your foot will get better and will he rest with you. At this point in time, if you have to rest why not have him on the couch or bed with you if that will get him to sleep and gives your foot a rest. Give him some power/control over the new changes in his live and it may make your life easier. Play to his empathy and try to include him in these changes. Once you are better make a big deal about being a better and thanking him for all of his wonderful help and now you can do what you used to do.
Good luck. I had wrist surgery when my son was almost 3 so I sort of understand what you are going through. It's very hard to diaper a squirming kid with your non-dominant hand! It's amazing what they understand at this age.

Jeri,
What works at school? Is it because everyone is lying down for a nap? My son, when 2, had a hard time also, so I used to lay down with him. Make the room dark, try the crib tent, lie in the room with him and turn on some music that's only for sleepy time. Try keeping a pattern/routine with the naps.... like only give him a certain stuffed toy when it's nap time.

Good Luck!

First off, if he can climb out of the crib, take it down and put his mattress on the floor until you can get a toddler bed.
Secondly, in lieu of the door knob cover (my son has figured out how to pull them off too!) I'm considering a latch or something on the outside of his door (up high), or a door knob with a lock that we will install in reverse. I'm trying to decide if the locking door is too extreme.
What we have done is simply sit in his doorway. We go through the whole bed/nap time routine, put him in his bed, then sit in the hall (I usually read a book or prepare Sunday School crafts, etc.). Every time he comes out, I put him back. The first couple times I say "good night, it's bed time" but after that I don't say a word. Just put him back and put him back and put him back... Like the super nanny. I should back up and say that we started this process about 3 weeks ago by actually sitting next to his bed while he settled down and have gradually moved our chair further away from the bed (every 3 or 4 days).
It takes about 20 minutes usually for him to get to sleep. That's 10 minutes or so of protest, and another 5 or 10 of just playing before he's quiet.
The plan isn't perfect (we had a bad night last night) but we are at least progressing! And, I think the reason last night was hard is because he slept late for his afternoon nap. For bed time to go more smoothly, he needs to be up from his afternoon nap by 3pm at the latest.

Oh my, you poor thing. First of all get daddy's help!!!! You deserve a break.

Like Crystal suggested, try a Crib Tent. I swear by mine! My son loves his crib with it on too.

Another option to keep him in his room would be a simple bolt attached to the outside of his door. He won't be able to get out of that one. Just put it really high so he can't ever lock you in!!!

Also, be super careful with that baby powder. I use it daily, but several people have told me it can cause respiratory problems if they breathe it in.

I am in the same boat with my daughter who will be two in 2 weeks. We moved her older sister (3) into her room a month ago, because older sister had trouble with nightmares, night terrors, and sleep walking. She was terrified of going to bed and did not want to be alone. The move has been a wonderful one for big sis. Little sis loves it too, but sees bedtime as playtime. We got rid of the crib after the first day, as between nap and bedtime I put her back in 8 times. We have also gotten rid of the lullabye cd player, a lamp (both of which she kept taking off the end table and playing with- -even removed the light bulb from the lamp), and took the table out all together as she climbed on that, too. The room is baby gated and though she did climb out one time, does not usually try that. We removed or moved to a high shelf anything that was breakable.

I have tried putting her back in bed, reading in the room while she is going to sleep, calling back up to her to remind her it is bedtime, and just ignoring, hoping eventually she will settle down and get some rest. She always does, but it drives me crazy in the process! On the flip side, both girls sleep through the night, and nobody is afraid to go to bed anymore, so I still think it was the right choice for the move. The girls sometimes trade toddler beds or share one, and sometimes little sister just sleeps on the floor.
I don't really have any advice for you, I just thought you might take comfort in knowing that your son is not the only one trying this out. I know I felt better seeing the responses that you got as well as your post!

Good luck! Hopefully this will be a short-lived stage...
A.

He sounds like what my daughter used to do when she was 2. I would put her in her crib for her usual nap time and suddenly she refused to take naps when she was obviously tired. She would climb out of the crib throw a hissy fit and I would not say anything but put her butt back in the crib (this went on forever) but eventually she would give up and take her nap. Children will push us to the limit until they realize OK I am not going to get my way, might as well take my nap because I am tired! Hope he starts taking his nap again!
Kathy

chewable melatonin from gnc works miracles ;)

My son was doing similar things, as well as waking up several times during the night. I changed him from a crib to a regular twin size bed, and voila! he started sleeping.

Hi Jeri,

Have you thought about a crib tent? I know some people are opposed to them, but it may help you in your situation.

Good luck! It sounds like you have a lot going on right now. I hope things start looking up soon!

C.