Daughter Won't Stay in Bed!!

I have no experience in this area but a thought. Can you put some locks on the drawers? And then remove the toys. I know it may seem like a lot of work but if there is nothing to play with maybe she would get back in bed. I'd love to hear what you try and how it works so that I can put it in my memory bank for when my baby is older.
My other thought is maybe she just isn't ready for the bed.

Just a side note here-About the door shut..Shutting the door scares me too (First time mom here!) But I had a friend who put up a cheap door and cut it in half like at a daycare. That way, the kids can't get out but she can open the top and look in. Thought it was clever and just wanted to share!

Good luck and please let us know how it goes!

unfortunately there's not much that you can do about that, for now. try putting big girl panties over top, it's harder for them to get out of them. I had the exact same problem. Eventually mine grew out of that phase, but she painted the walls with poop, we washed a lot of things that time.

my son just turned 2. he was a wonderful sleeper until about 3 months ago. he would climb out of his crib and wake up crying a couple times a night then sleep on the floor! I bought him a toddler bed and he still slept on the floor.The first week i was going in there and cuddling him and laying with him. i asked the pediatrician if it could be his teeth and what should i do. he gave me the advice that i just had to leave him be. She will eventually go back to the bed.Kids get into habbits very easily. Conner slept on blankets on the floor for almost 3 weeks. Then one morning i peeked in and he was in his bed...just like that. Now i put him in his bed and he stays in it until morning. Do you dress your daughter in pants at night? Conner can take his diaper off too, but not his pants and diaper. As for waking up and playing in the night...i can't say i've had that problem...but i would try and keep her super busy all day (exhausting i know)and maybe she'll be so pooped she'll crash. Try it for like 2 or 3 days in a row and maybe she'll break her bad habbit.

The other Mom's gave some good ideas and I am no expert but I do have 4 boys. The only thing I'm thinking may work is to make her bed exciting. Can you afford to get her a princess bed or a canopy or maybe even sheets with some cartoon character on them that she likes? Spongebob? Just a thought. All I can tell you is that if her room is child proofed and she is safe, I would get a good nights sleep and if she stays awake, maybe she needs to go without the naps during the day. If she falls asleep, wake her up. Good luck~ my two year old that did the same exact thing will be 21 in October and he's been a challenge ever since out of all of my boys. (Doesn't give you much to look forward to) Someone once told me, little children, little problems. Big kids, big problems. I used to think "yea, yea." Believe me, it's true. Enjoy them while they are little. S.

I have a 3-1/2 year old daughter who went through the same thing for a very long time (we still do occasionally!). A couple of months ago we got an idea from watching Super Nanny and it seems to have worked. My daughter and I sat down and made a "flower vase" that she colored and put alot of effort into making. We also took a wicker basket and put "prizes" in the basket. Each night that she went to bed without causing a fuss and stayed in bed (unless it was a valid reason like having to go potty) - she got to pick a silk flower from a pile I had and put it in her vase. All of the prizes in the basket were labeled with tape that had a certain number of marks on it based on the "value" of the prize. She got to determine when she took the flowers out to "pay" for the prize. Some people might think this is "bribing" but I am telling you it worked with my daughter! It even helped with her counting because she would have to count the flowers she had and the number of slashes each prize cost...the prizes for the most part weren't even big - they ranged anywhere from $.50 to $5.00...It worked out so well, that we are planning on doing the night time "no accidents" training the same way!

Also - I just want to mention that I read somebody had suggested staying in the room with her for awhile. I totally understand where this comes from because I did that also. But it does create a "habit" and my daughter came to expect it every night making things worse. Being a full-time working mom also and knowing that those evening hours after bedtime are the only time of day you have to get things done, I wouldn't suggest it...but wouldn't blame you if you did it since I too thought it was easier to do that than to battle every night!!!
Good luck!!!

Well, I'll tell you what my husband and I did with our son....

He started climbing out of his crib a few months ago (he was almost 2 1/2). The day he learned how to do that, we put his crib mattress on the floor tucked in the corner of his room with a bed rail on the other side, just to help keep him on his mattress. His room is also completely child-proofed. We locked the closet doors shut (so he can't climb up on the shelves in there and hurt himself), and he has a gate in his doorway instead of closing the door (so we can hear him, and he might feel a little more comfortable with the door open, his room is right next to ours). In the beginning, he was so excited to have his freedom, he pretty much stayed awake until around 11:00 or so playing with his toys and running around his room!! When he finally would fall asleep, he just collapsed wherever he was (which was not usually on his mattress)..... my husband and I took turns putting him back on his mattress after he fell asleep. After a few months of this, he adjusted to the new arrangement.... it wasn't such a thrill anymore! Now he usually wakes up around 8:00 in the morning, and we put him in his bedroom to go to sleep by 8:30 in the evening. He usually isn't awake for more than 1/2 hour before he falls fast asleep.... on his mattress! He usually doesn't take naps during the day anymore, which is why he sleeps so long at night, but he does fine!!

Good luck!!!

It will probably just take a while for her to adjust to this...think about how exciting this is to her, to be able to get up and move about freely (and without eyes constantly watching her, lol). I personally never liked the idea of closing the door entirely...it seems way too 'cut off' and I don't know, would think it would be more intimidating for them. We always did the gate at their door, which worked for us. Basically I think it will just take some time...this too shall pass, lol...

In regards to the duct tape...skip the duct tape and just use one piece footed pj's put on BACKWARDS...so she can't unzip it, lol...works wonders. ;o) Good luck!

EDITED! ****for M****

Not sure if you will see this M, but I must say I don't see anyone being condescending towards your opinions on potty training on any of the threads pertaining to this...however, you are quick to jump in telling others asking for everyones advice, not to follow some peoples advice that you in particular don't agree with. Just because a child is capable of taking off their velcro tabbed diapper, does not mean they are telling you they don't like to sit in a dirty diaper (as if those of us that haven't potty trained by then make them sit in dirty diapers??) or that they are even ready for potty training. Often times toddlers like to simply undress...and that includes the diaper. She didn't say she strips out of her dirty diaper, she said she undresses and then throughout the night ends up having messy accidents (which even with a child that is potty trained, they often are not night trained, so this would still be an issue). As far as putting a potty in her room? I don't know about your two year old, lol, but mine even if she somehow did manage to get up and use it on time...would then probably proceed to spill or play in it, lol.

I'm sorry, but not all children are the same and I've definitely gotten the impression that you almost 'look down upon' some of us other moms with differing potty opinions. Let me assure you, even if a child doesn't train until three...they can still manage to grow up healthy and happy with loving, devoted, non lazy parents. In the overall realm of parenting, it's just simply not a big deal.

Hi A.. One part of your request really stood out to me, where you say, "Plus she strips out of her diaper (even with duct tape over the tabs) and clothes and ends up wetting her bed/floor."

I don't have advice about the transition to the big girl bed, but I certainly urge you to listen to what your daughter is desperately showing you/trying to tell you by REMOVING her diaper! Please, please DO NOT force your daughter to wear a diaper (either by using duct tape or footed pajamas that she can't remove) --> she clearly doesn't want pee/poop in her diaper, so why not help her use the potty instead, especially since you say she's potty trained during the day.

Why not put a little plastic potty in her bedroom for those nights when she removes the diaper? You could line it with a diaper or a maxi pad so that there's no danger of her spilling it. If I were in your position, I would remove the diaper completely since she's taking it off AND potty trained during the day. I wouldn't want to sit in my pee/poop in a diaper, would you? I can understand how your daughter wouldn't like this! I know you may not see it this way, but truly your daughter is quite resourceful. I am happy for her that she is able to remove the duct tape and her diaper, even though I am also sympathetic to you for not wanting pee/poop on the floor. :)

Or, what about taking her to the bathroom 3-4 hours after she goes to sleep, and then once again at your 4am wake up? You don't have to wake her fully to do this.

I'm sure you'll find something that works for both you and your daughter - best of luck!

The other mothers gave some good advice however I would like to cover something you may not have thought of...any exterior doors. Where I used to live there was a family whose three year old kept getting out of the house because she figured out how to unlock the door. My suggestion would be slide locks up high or there are now alarms that just stick to the door that make a horrible noise when the door opens. It isn't the first thought on a parents mind but you never know what is on the child's mind. Good Luck.

Wow! Isn't life interesting when you are 2? How light/noisy is her room? Do you read her a book before she sleeps? Does she have a radio or other music maker? Is she lonely? Maybe you could sleep in there in a sleeping bag for a night or two to show her that her room is for sleeping. Is she scared? After all, children are not meant to be put in cages and left alone. Do you hear her when she gets up? Maybe you could go in and encourage her to go back to bed. Best wishes!

I have a two year old boy and we had a similar problem getting him to stay in his bed.What i did with my son was had a routine.we ate dinner,had a bath,put on our nightgowns.went up to his room and spent a little time together(half hour maybe or a full hour)and then kissed him goodnight put him in bed.i would then sit next to his bed till he fell asleep.i wouldn't talk to him or look at him after i put him to bed i just sat there.if he got out of bed i still wouldn't talk or anything just picked him up and put him back.he cried and through fits.but after a couple nights i think like 3 he got the picture and i started edging out of the room. now he goes in there and does exactly what he is suppose to do.one thing i learned was to never change your pattern once you started it or it will never work.pick what you like best and stick with.it's hard and agravating at first,but once your over the bump it's no sweat.

Hi A.

I have two daughters and have been lucky enough to have them sleep through the night w/out any problems. But just as a mom in general my advice to you would be to make sure she is asleep before you go to sleep for the night, keep checking on her regularly and when you find her out of bed playing keep putting her back and telling her its BED time not playtime, also dont let her nap during the day. If she is napping late in the day this will defintely prevent her from being sleepy at night. Also when she is being a "bear" as you say put her in her bed as a punishment and explain to her that she is being grumpy because she's tired and thats why she needs to get some sleep in her "big girl bed". Also if she is 2 and taking her diaper off regularly and peeing on the floor maybe she's ready to be potty trained. Another thing I would do is make HER put all of the clothes back (of course with a little help form mom). These are my suggestions and also what I would do with my own children. Good Luck!!!!

Hi A.!! Put her crib back up and put her in it. Your family will be safer all the way around. Let her be little for a while. Pick your battles and sleeping is something a 2 year old should not dislike. Good luck. Sleep tight. B.

My now 3 yr old did the same thing when we transitioned to a bed after she started jumping out of the crib. One thing worked for us which was making sure she was really tired and drowsy-not asleep- before putting her to bed. We follow the customary bed-time routine (with us it's bath, tv + snack, teeth brushing, book, sleep) and then turn the lights off in the room. My daughter still likes some light so we leave the hallway light on and the door ajar, never closed. We make sure she knows we're close by so she can't run around and do whaetever. I never go to bed unless she's asleep too.

I would to like to disagree with the message posted by KELLY C. I don't think bed-time should ever be treated as a punishment. It should be a pleasant and relaxing experience.