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Shannah
04-08-2005, 07:47 PM
Our son is turning three next month and we will change his crib into the toddler bed. We have the Forever Mine crib that changes into a toddler bed then into a full bed. In the past, whenever he has a chance to escape at bedtime, he makes a break for it and runs around the house--sometimes until 1:00 am or 2:00 am at night! He can even climb over the baby gate we tried in his doorway. We have a crib tent so he can't get out and it is so difficult to get him to go to sleep now so I cannot imagine what it will be like with the toddler bed. Any ideas on how to keep him in bed? How have you handled this?

TIA!
Molly & Liam, 5-10-02

AJs Mommy
04-30-2005, 07:05 PM
Our son also loves to climb out of bed and run around the house at all hours of the night - you may try the "sticker reward" board which basically involves taking a piece of card board or oak tag and drawing a calendar on it for each night of the week. Buy stickers your son likes (such as Thomas the train or Bob the Builder) and tell him that if he stays in bed all night (except to use the bathroom), in the morning he gets to choose a sticker and place it on the calendar. Then when he accumulates x number of stickers (initially one, then two, then three, etc), he gets a "reward". The reward can be as simple as him choosing what to do on a weekend afternoon (go to the playground), or to watch a favorite video, what to have for dinner one night (pancakes) or as elaborate (if necessary) as selecting an actual toy (a new Thomas train). You get the idea. It sounds simple, but it really does work and as time goes on, the most fun for the child is the drawing of the chart and the sticking of the stickers. Ultimately you will not need any "reward" and your son will enjoy drawing a calendar and learning all about the calendar system and how to count down to special events (Spring Break, birthdays, etc). Good luck - I hope this helps!