Crawling Out of Crib - Salt Lake City,UT

Mary S is absolutely right. The supernanny method works like a charm. My first daughter only took 2 nights to get used to her new bed. If she got up, we simply put her back in bed. We didn't get angry with her, we did not talk at all. We did not have any eye contact. We just put her in bed. 8 times the first night, 3 times the 2nd night, then she stayed! Nap time was a little harder because she was starting to get out of naps at that point. We also got her really involved in her big girl bed. She went with us to WalMart and chose a Disney Princess bedset. She helped us put the bed together and make the bed with her new bedding. That helped a lot, too. She was more excited because it felt like she was helping to make the decision to move to the new bed. Whatever you do, don't make a habit of laying with him. You will bed doing it 'till he's 10 if you do!

supernanny (JoJo) method! she probably has a good description on her website but...
first time - put in bed after normal routine (bath, books or story or song), give a kiss, say good night. first time he's up, pick him up, place him in bed say its bed time go to sleep. all subsequent times he's up, pick him up and place him in bed without eye contact, talking, or communication of any sort - do not engage him! This will be very painful and could take hours the first 2-8 nights (dependent on how stubborn he is and how faithful you are to the method). It should get easier and shorter each night. We did this w/my daughter and by the fouth night we were done!

Hi M.,
Routine, routine, routine for bedtime. Lots of talking about how special it is to be in a 'big bed', make sure all the requisite critters are there for comfort, the same story every night too if it helps. When I leave the room that's IT, I'm off the "clock". If my daughter gets up we put the baby gate up so she can't get out of here room, so long as she's quiet-ish, she'll eventually sleep, and only once has she fallen asleep somewhere other than her bed.
Consistency counts for wonders!
Good mommin' & good luck!
A.

Hi M.

We experienced the same thing only much earlier my son learned to get out of the crib so we turned his crib into the bed and then of course he didn't want to stay in there. He is now 2-1/2 and I still use the baby-gate in his door. He doesn't try to climb over it for whatever reason and once he got used to his new bed he stopped wanting to get out anyway. I just keep the gate up because his room is by the stairs and I worry that if he did get up in the middle of the night he would be disoriented and go down the stairs. Well hopefully your son like mine will move past that quickly and you will be back to sleeping again but try the gate and see if that keeps him in his room. Oh we also started a different bedtime routine where I put him down in the bed and I sit right next to him and read a story with the little lamp. I read really slow and then by the time I am done he is really tired and down squirming.

Sometimes playing music or a recorded story helps them stay in the bed.

Hi M.,

It sounds to me like you're doing exactly what you need to do, with the exception of laying down with him. I URGE you to NOT do that. If you keep doing it, you will get trapped into it, and then will have yet ANOTHER issue to deal with surrounding bedtime. You need to put him back in bed, over and over, no matter how many times it takes. Hugs & kisses and nighttime rituals ONLY ONCE, and then no interaction what-so-ever, other than putting him right back to bed. Letting them cry it out is SO hard, but I firmly believe it's the way to go. Unfortunaely, sleepless nights are an inevitable part of parenting. But if you're firm and consistent, it'll happen. But consistency is the key.
You're a good mom! You'll do just fine!
Best wishes,
M.

You have to be tough and not expect anything to happen overnight. Put a baby gate on the bedroom door for now, be firm and make sure there is nothing he can really play with in his room. Put him in bed, do the ritual of bedtime and walk out! If he gets up, put him back, even if it takes a hundred times, it will not be easy, it will take lot's of patience but do not lay with him until he falls asleep, mean what you say and follow through.
A child doesn't run around the house unless he knows you will cave. But firm, you don't have to be mean but you have to stand tough, not put up with him getting up which means a few more sleepless nights but the end result will be once you put him in bed he will stay put.
My daughter and son both converted to big kids bed at that same age and I just never had an issue because bedtime was bedtime, they both had a bedrail for the first year to help them not fall off and felt more like a crib I think. There was a baby gate on their room so they couldn't get out.

Put up a sticker chart if you have to so every night he stays put and goes to bed nicely and earns points and a surprise after a few weeks.

Once he figures out you won't give in, he will do it fine, all by himself without issue. You just have to be prepared to do the work. He will cry, let him, he will be fine and is learning the fine art of testing you, just hang tough. It shouldn't last more then a week of your consistency and him getting he has to go to sleep when you lay him down! Don't start bad habits by falling asleep with him or letting him dictate to you what is going to happen. It is not mean to give him very clear boundaries and follow through, that is what a 2 year old needs!

Our daughter sounds similar to your son. The best thing a friend taught us was to wedge a hand towel in the door so it is too hard for her to open so it "locks" her in. We eventually switched the knob to one that locks on the outside. Our daughter screamed a lot at first. And now I will go in and check on her and unlock it once she is asleep. It may sound cruel, but it works for us. I think it not wise for a parent to stay in there more than a little bit because the child needs to learn to sleep on their own and the parent can start to get overworked and frustrated. Hopefully your son has his own room and is not making a sibling suffer. Good luck!

my son did the same thing. what we started doing was reading him stories w/low lighting, praying, etc (routine) then told him we'd lay down with him for a little bit. usually he would fall right asleep and if he didn't, we told him we'd be back to check on him in a couple minutes and that usually kept him in bed.

hope that helps?

When we only had one child and we bumped him up to a toddler bed, he did the same thing. Wouldn't stay on his bed and would run all over the house. We ended up just getting a baby gate and put it at the door of his room and treated the whole room like it was his 'crib'. I would just put the gate up, put him on his bed and walk away. He would get off but eventually would fall asleep, and in some of the funniest positions too. Great camera moments ;) Now we have four kids and one on the way and it was never that easy for the rest of them. You just end up getting creative.

Yipes! i had great success with my son by continuing our nightly routine of "bath, brush, book then BED". i stay in his room just long enough to read, say the prayer with him & allow him to speak about any last thoughts before he goes to sleep.

i would never recommnend locking your son in... that doesn't teach him how to control himself. which is what i think going to bed on one's own is a demonstration of... self reliance & independence.

My son has been sleeping in his toddler bed since he was one... He never liked the crib. He is three now. At first, we really tried everything to get him to sleep in his own bed without me rocking him to sleep, (which i did for the first two & ½ years of his life) until we just went for it & told him what was what. We transitioned him to his new arrangement by making it a “big boy” event & i bought him a special “big boy” pillow case for kids who go to sleep on their own- in their own bed. i still sit and read to him before bed in the same rocking chair he would fall asleep each night.

Remember you are the adult. You are ultimately in charge. i think we forget this or get too tired for a struggle so we give in... it’s important to stay the path.

i just stayed consistent with the routine, preparing my son each step, especially before reading, that he would be getting into his own bed & staying there to sleep. At first, our son would come out & talk with us or ask for things (water) & we would just remain consistent verbally by telling him how it is and with action by walking him back to his room without negotiation.

Every time & again, i have to still calmly put him back to bed, remind him i am just in the living room working on something & that he needs to stay in bed. He usually goes right to sleep or sings to himself in bed on the first try, but every now & then there are those nights where i have to walk him back to his room & tuck him back in.

Keep trying. Your son will get the hang of it! (and so will you ;) hope any of this long winded response helps

We had trouble with my oldest girl, she will be 3 at the end of the month, especially after her sister moved into the bedroom. Hubby and I spent a week working with her before she would stay in her bed and out of her sister's crib (which was her crib). There were nights where we were up until 12 or 1, just pulling her out of the crib and putting her back in her bed. There were a lot of spankings involved as well. She is doing well now and staying in her bed with no trouble, but it can be a real struggle to get them there.

All I can tell you is be firm and consistent. I found that it was better to be sleep deprived for a week and get it over with.

We have our 3rd due in January, so we will e transitioning my 16 month old out of the crib and into the bed with her sister so the baby can have the crib. So we will be dealing with this all over again soon.

Good luck and I hope he transitions fast.