Emily watching The Big Comfy Couch! This is her favorite show!
Emily's former room and crib. Doesn't look too comfortable does it?
Emily's new room and big girl bed. Very comfortable with all the pillows and comforter and space to move around.
Emily after eating Mac and Cheese for lunch. She HATES to have her face cleaned off. Everything is "I DO IT!" This is her face after she cleaned it. She is chewing a Nerd in the picture. It is funny to her her chant," I WANT NERDS, I WANT NERDS!!!"We are having night night troubles. We may be on Super Nanny soon. We moved Emily to her big girl bed over a week ago. I made a big deal about it and told her that Princesses sleep in big girl beds and told her that she MUST stay in the bed. Most every night she comes in our room in the middle of the night and just stands by our bed. She does not make a sound. We just sense her presence. Steve used to do the same to his parents when he was little. I take her back and put her in her bed and she wants me to lay with her. She says,"Mama Lay." I stay with her till she goes to sleep and then I move in slow motion off her bed and out of her room. I hope this is not going to be a terrible habit. I pray all the time that she will sleep through the night. I welcome any suggestions on keeping toddlers in their beds.
Comments
In fact I'm still laughing thinking about her standing by your bed and you "just sense her presence". ha! ha!
I'll send people over to your blog tonight and see if they have any suggestions for you.
I don't know - our girls are like little jack in the boxes at night too. They get up "because they can". Eventually the newness wears off and they start sleeping again - here is hoping that eventually is sooner than later!
I was sent over from Kelly's blog. I only have one child, and he will be eleven in August. So, it's been a long time since I've had a toddler. And, goodness knows, we did not do everything perfectly! But, I can think of two things we tried. First, you want her to be as comfortable as possible in her bed. So, you might make sure she has some of her favorite stuffed animals or something with her. Also, positive reinforcement never hurts. You can let her earn stars on a calendar for each night she stays in her bed. She could earn a special treat (maybe Nerds!) after she earns so many stars. But, ultimately, it's like everything else. Eventually, it will just happen. It just takes time. So, just some suggestions for what they are worth. Good luck!
Good luck!
We also had a sleeping pallet on our floor. It was just a warm blanket and maybe a pillow. We would not let the kids sleep in our bed, but if they insisted on sleeping in our room it was on the floor. That usually won't last long. It's hard and kind of cold down there.
This can be such a nightmare - especially with a new baby coming. The biggest thing is consistency. Good luck!
1. Install a baby gate on her door. You do NOT want her wandering through the house while you are asleep. The gate will keep her in her room (and safe) and you'll be able to hear her cry if she really wants you.
2. Figure out why she's getting out of bed. Does she want to play when she comes to your room? Is she having a hard time going back to sleep? Does she have a wet diaper? Is she just being disobedient and getting out of bed? Or is she afraid in that big space alone? Figuring out the answer to these questions will help you find the right solution.
3. As soon as you realize she's out of bed, put her back. No lights. No drinks. No talking. It's sleep time.
Based on your picture and description I'm betting she's entering a light sleep stage, waking up, and can't put herself back to sleep because she is afraid. She's used to a cozy and safe (small) crib. A full size bed is a HUGE space for a tiny girl. You really don't want to be her sleep prop. Try a bright nightlight to help any fear of the dark she has and maybe even think about a twin or toddler bed (see if you can borrow one for a few months). A smaller bed may not feel so scary.
I hope this helps. Feel free to email me.
good luck!
For us, we tried the switch before our new baby came, and it didn't go so well. But after the baby was here for 2 months, the switch came pretty easily. Maybe it took having the baby home to realize that someone else needed the crib? It worked fine for me, because we kept the new baby in a bassinet for the first few weeks.
I dont know you...just stumbled across your cry for help via Kelly's blog (dont know her either...but read her blog everyday.) Anyway, we too have an almost 2 year old and a baby due any day...and we had to "free up" the crib for the new baby...leading us to move our son to a "big boy bed". So here is what we did (dont know if it is "right" but it has worked for us...for now.)
Our son would NOT sleep in the twin bed that we got him...he would cry, scream, and bolt out of it at any chance. So my husband had him help take apart his crib (so he could see that there wasnt a crib anymore) and then we simply put the crib mattress in the floor in his room. The first couple nights were less than awesome, as Kade got up and came out of his room numerous times. However, every time, we simply led him back to the mattress and said it was bedtime. We NEVER lay with him...as I am afraid this will become a clutch for him. Finally he would fall asleep either on the mattress or in the middle of his floor, by the door.
Then he would usually get up in the middle of the night and come into our room...or walk down the hall. Again, we would simply lead him back to his room, saying it was bedtime. However after a few nights of me catching Kade walking down the hall...we decided to put a baby gate on the outside of his door. He can open the door, he just cant get out of his room until my husband or I come to take the gate away. THIS has been what we think is the key. He now will sometimes get up, open the door, only to find that the gate is up...and he will close the door and go back to bed. It has become a great visual for him to "see" when it is okay to get up and when it is bedtime.
Maybe this isnt the best solution...but it is working for us. It has also given us back a few minutes in the morning...as Kade is a very earlier riser...but cant come out until we remove the gate (giving me time to get a shower and get dressed before getting him up and going for the day.)
I blogged about all of this on our family blog...check it out if you are interested...I think we started about a month ago..so you will have to look back into the older blogs.
catonsblog.blogspot.com
Happy Bedtime!!!
Adriene Caton
Hi! I think it will just take time for Emily to get used to her new bed. I can say that we layed down with our oldest until he fell asleep and he just turned 6 and we just FINALLY stopped. So, it does turn into a habit. With my youngest, I started letting her go to sleep on her own when she was 10 months old and it is so nice! She has not grown out of her crib yet though and we don't need it again, so I'm dreading the big switch to a big girl bed! I noticed a lot of people recommended a gate at her door. I have a friend who is a pediatrician and that is what she did for her 2 year old. I always feel better getting advice from her. :) Otherwise, I used to think that sounded kind of cruel. I think whatever you try will just take time. Good luck! I know this is not easy. Let us know how it goes and what works. :)
I was expecting Erica only 22 months after Ali was born. So moving her to a toddler bed was a must for me too. I bought one of those circular safety handle covers for the inside of her bedroom door, so she could not get out of the room if she wanted to. I made sure that her room was completely safe. At night we would read a story and then put her to bed. If she got out of bed, she could not go anywhere and there were a few times we found her asleep on the floor, but that was okay, she was still in her room, safe, while we were still sleeping. I highly recommend not staying in there with her. I had a neighbor who was still having sleep issues with her 7 year old(she was still sleeping with them) because boundries around bedtime were not put in place initially. Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts with you. Hope it works out for you soon!