NEED HELP!! She Won't Sleep in Her Bed

I had the exact same problem with my daughter and I talked to my doctor about it who recommended putting a chair next to her bed and sitting in it until she fell asleep and then after a week move it back a little bit, then the week after that move it back a little more and each week keep moving it back until the chair is at the door. At that point she should be able to go to sleep without you there. This did not work for us because my daughter always woke up when I would get up to leave. We did try for about two months, though. Also, when she woke up in the night he said to put her right back to bed without a word and keep doing that until she stays in bed (you know, the Supernanny method). Needless to say, this did not work for us. We did this for about four nights and it would take an hour or more of doing this to the point where we just decided to put her in bed with us. What ultimately stopped the whole thing for us was that she fell over her bed railing onto her head. This was over a year ago and now I lay with her until she falls asleep and she also comes into bed with us at around 2:00 or so. My husband and I do not care because she is our only and I actually like having her with us. So, I would try the chair method and Supernanny method and see if that works for you. According to my doctor it had worked for everyone he had told it too, but unfortunately it didn't work for us. Good luck!

My kids are a little older now (6 & 8) and my son who is 6 still runs into our room in the morning and jumps in our bed! We had this same issue with both our children, but more so with our son. He did the same thing and sometimes we would even find him sleeping in the hallway, downstairs or on the bathroom floor--anywhere but his bed. We decided to put up a gate in his doorway to at least limit him to stay put in his room. You might not be there yet--Just be patient and even though you are tired, be sure to return him to his own bed and tell him that he needs to stay there and sleep EVERY time he comes into your room. It's tedius, but so is time out with kids---we have to contstantly keep putting them back in that time-out seat until they stay sometimes over and over and over again! GOOD LUCK!!!

My oldest was so high maintenance at bedtime. It was our fault, we always spent too much time putting her to bed. To get out of the room quicker we got one of those "bed tents". They come in many patterns from racecar to castle. Assembly is required, so it's not something you can take down each day. It attaches to the mattress and they climb right in. My daughter knew that Mom & Dad were too big to get in with her, so if she wanted the cool castle for her bed, she'd need to go to sleep by herself after books and kisses. I don't know if it was the coolness of the tent or a more secure feeling of being enclosed that helped. You can keep it as open or closed up as she likes.

She'll sleep when she's tired enough...even if she cries herself to sleep. Sounds aweful, I know, but if you don't break it now you'll hate yourself later; opening up a whole new can of worms of getting her own way. Good luck

Leslie meant well, but didn't give you the confidence you need! Her methods DO work and we had success with it as well. Try not to talk during the night. Keep placing her back in bed. Does she remember anything in the morning? Maybe she needs an extra security item to feel safe.

The chair method is great. You may want to extend into the hallway so she knows you're still there. It takes many many nights. Don't give up.
Good luck to you!

I thought I'd share what worked for us, for another perspective and option for you in case the other methods don't work for you. My 3-year old boy started sleeping in a twin bed at 24 months, a month before his new brother was born so I wanted to free up the crib. He slept great in his crib also, so I wasn't sure how the transition would go. We'd talked about the big boy bed and tried to make it an exciting experience, but when I finally decided it was time to make the switch we had to say "no going back" or it would confuse him! So, the first night was SO HARD. He SCREAMED louder than I'd ever heard him, and this was after a nice calm bedtime routine, story, etc. As soon as I would leave, he would run out of the room. At first I thought I'd try to do the Super Nanny method of just putting him back and eventually he'd stop running out, but after 8 times in a row with no rest it was just making me angry and I knew that wasn't a good thing. Then, I put up a pressure gate, but he just knocked that right over (and fell on top of it, crying..). So it was time for plan C. I closed the door and held it closed (someone else I knew reversed the doorknob so you could lock it from the outside- just another option), and waited out the screams. It was so hard, but it was seriously just 4-6 minutes of him trying to pull the door open and screaming/crying (I timed it) and then he calmed down, and climbed back into bed. He whimpered a few more minutes, but an hour or so later I checked on him and he'd climbed into bed, laid on his pillow, pulled up the sheet, and was fast asleep! He'd also turned on his small bedside lamp, and that probably helped him. To this day he sleeps with the closet light on and a nightlight, something he never did in a crib. So maybe there just needs to be some changes, and things to keep her comforted at first, but you have to be consistent.
Also, that next morning he woke up really really early (like 5 am) and I said, "No, it's not time to get up yet" (he was super whiney too) and put him back in bed and did the door holding thing again for just a couple minutes, and he went back to sleep. They need to see that bedtime/naptime means staying in bed, or the consequence is closing the door to keep them in there. It sounds mean to do this, but isn't it meaner to deprive them of clear expectations and consequences, and a good nap and good nights' sleep? Think of the long term- a short time of crying and testing you will produce days, weeks, and hopefully years of good sleep for you all!
This may not work for everyone, but it sure worked for us. My son sleeps 8pm to 7am these days, and takes a 1-2 hour nap.
I wish you the best. Tough love! :)