Toddler bed help!

DS just turned 2 and I was planning on keeping him in his crib as long as we could. He just started sleeping through the night about a month ago so I was starting to feel normal again! Anyway he climbed out of his crib last week so we switched him to the toddler bed because he won't stay in now. Problem is we're back to square one. He won't go to sleep on his own like he did in the crib and when he wakes up in the middle of the night he won't go back to sleep, he just gets out of bed and screams at the gate. Even if I try to rock or help him get back to sleep he won't fall asleep. He's extremely exhausted and cranky. Can anyone give us some tips on how to ease this transition and help him adjust so we can all sleep again! We've let him cry for awhile and one night he did go to bed on his own, but that was the only time it has worked.

we did consistant putting them back in their bed, no discussion, no rocking. We talked about it before hand, that if they got up they would be put back to bed. For each kid it lasted a week or 2 and then they subsided. But FWIW we had done CIO with both of them at about 9-12 mos so we were used to just putting them back down

I was thinking we're just going to have to let him cry. We did CIO quite a few times before his sleep became consistent so I'm not opposed to it. It was the only thing that saved us. I just know he'll cry for at least and hour or so until he gives in and was trying to avoid it : )

Gate or secure his door. 2 of mine chose to sleep on the floor for a while. At 2+ I have no problems letting them cry it out.

You can do a few things. First, there are crib tents. If he just started sleeping through the night, it might be too soon to transition to a toddler bed. Crib tents will ensure he stays in his crib for a few more weeks/months. After 2-3 months of sleeping through the night, give toddler beds a shot. We just started with two of our triplets, one of whom is a horrible sleeper (didn't STTN until 15 months after CIO). We sit in their room until they fall asleep and they stay in bed all night long. The first night was rough, but tonight will be night 5 and it's going so much better. We sit by their beds and don't let them get out of bed. If they try to sit up or get out, we lie them down and say "It's bedtime. Lie down." If they try to kick the bed, the wall, or get our attention, we usually ignore it. Every so often we will say "stop it." Overall, sitting in their rooms and not offering attention other than to correct misbehavior.

Good luck!

Crystal

Oh yeah, and we use gates, too. THEY ARE A MUST, for sure!!!

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Originally Posted by MSWR0319

DS just turned 2 and I was planning on keeping him in his crib as long as we could. He just started sleeping through the night about a month ago so I was starting to feel normal again! Anyway he climbed out of his crib last week so we switched him to the toddler bed because he won't stay in now. Problem is we're back to square one. He won't go to sleep on his own like he did in the crib and when he wakes up in the middle of the night he won't go back to sleep, he just gets out of bed and screams at the gate. Even if I try to rock or help him get back to sleep he won't fall asleep. He's extremely exhausted and cranky. Can anyone give us some tips on how to ease this transition and help him adjust so we can all sleep again! We've let him cry for awhile and one night he did go to bed on his own, but that was the only time it has worked.

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Crib tent? One of my friend's son kept getting out and hurting himself so they got a crib tent. He was like 18 months... problem solved for them.

Another vote for putting a baby gate @ his door. It worked like a charm for my DD, and she never exhibited jack-in-the-box behavior once we removed it.

Well, it’s amazing. The miracle has been done. Hat’s off. Well done, as we know that “hard work always pays off”, after a long struggle with sincere effort it’s done.
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vernon