Moving back into a cot after time in a bed?

[thewarmestowl]

Has anyone moved their DC back into a cot after trying a bed? DS2 is 23 months. We moved him into a bed about 3 weeks ago, because he'd started climbing out of his cotbed. He has never been a great sleeper, and is still up at least once a night, however was fairly good at bedtime and very good at naptime (usually self settled with minimal fuss). Since moving him into a bed, he has been a bit of a nightmare to get to sleep - he gets out of bed constantly and comes to the door (we have a stairgate across the door), it's a combination of crying / being upset, and just finding the whole thing hilarious, laughing and slamming the door in my face; I now usually resort to sitting in his room and shushing him, which I didn't have to do before. Bedtime is bad, but naptime is even worse - he can literally take an hour to get to sleep, with me constantly returning him to bed. He is definitely tired; on the odd occasion that I've just given up and popped him in the car / buggy, he is asleep within a couple of minutes.

I'm thinking of putting him back in his cot. I think I'd rather put some pillows round it on the floor and risk the odd daredevil dive out than deal with sleeptimes. Poor DS1 is ignored for a huge amount of time at lunchtime and bedtime while I deal with DS2. DS2 is still very young so could reasonably be in his cot for a while yet - I'm sure that DS1 was over 2.6 when he went into a bed.

Any thoughts or advice? Or anything else I can try to get him to stay in bed? I am sure that DS1 took ages to work out that he could even get out of bed. DS2 took 1 night.

[thewarmestowl]

Just to add, he only ever climbed out of the cotbed on waking from a nap / in the morning, never at sleeptime.

[thewarmestowl]

Bumping after another fiasco of a bedtime. He is only just asleep having first been put to bed at 7.30pm.

[cheeseandcrackers]

Sorry, I can't give you any advice but am bumping in the hope someone else will come along with something useful to add.

My ds is also 23months & a dreadful sleeper. He is definitely outgrowing his (small) cot & my back is collapsing from lifting him in & out & rocking him back to sleep for hours in the middle of the night so want to move him into a bed but am pretty sure we will end up with the same scenario as you. Not sure how to avoid it.

[ohforfoxsake]

Can you borrow a cot bed for now? Higher sides. Mine went in a sleeping bag turned inside out and zipped up on the inside. Made the transition at about 2.5

[thewarmestowl]

Thanks for the replies. cheese, it is at least nice to know that I am not alone.

ohfor, it's actually a cot bed that we've got - a huge thing. He can still climb out. In his sleeping bag. He doesn't even take the bag off, just somehow manages to get up and over while still in the bag (and crash to the floor, unconcerned). If I wasn't so fed up and exhausted, I'd be quite proud of his mountain-goat-like climbing abilities and rescourcefulness . This morning he managed (with the aid of a self-built pile-of-books step) to climb over the stairgate out of his room, toddle next door and wake up his sleeping brother ("Come on DS1! Morning! Go outisde! OK? Garden! Get coat, come on DS1!") at 5.30am.

I think I'm just going to give up and hope that in a few months bribes and incentive charts will work. Suspect now that he has known the freedom he'll just climb out of the cot bed at sleeptimes too. I feel like I'm trying to recreate Alcatraz in his room - there are safety gates and monitors and the furniture is screwed to the wall and all toys have been removed... nothing works. In the absence of anything to play with, he spent a while at bedtime last night unscrewing the handles on his chest of drawers.

Maybe I just need to really tough it out with rapid return. But he's still very little to understand. He is actually a complete delight through the day, his one saving grace - he just turns into devil-child at sleeptimes....

[CreatureRetorts]

What happens if you sit with him for naps and bedtimes? Just keep it silent and return him to bed so he knows he has to stay (instead of coming to find you). After a while he'll get the idea then you can work on leaving (we did this with ds)

[thewarmestowl]

Thanks Creature, I think that's what I'm going to have to do. At least that should give a starting point for a gradual retreat-type of leaving the room plan. Hopefully it will give him the idea that the idea is to stay in bed. Is your username an Octonauts reference? DS2 goes around singing "Creature Report, Creature Report!" to himself all day (and night....), your name popping up seems very apt,

[CreatureRetorts]

Yes - ds lives the octonauts as do I

[CreatureRetorts]

*loves

[butterandbread157]

my 21mo DD2 hasn't figured out how to climb out yet but she is wild and I think it's only a matter of time!! Wish you could get lids for them :)

I hope the gradual retreat is working for you, I'd be interested for future as I think it will be me soon enough!

[LouLouH]

Did he sleep soundly in the cot? Could be feeling less secure as bed is large and open. Maybe make a tent like structure and tell him its his special sleeping den or something.
We've just moved our dd2 (2.5) into bunk bed (8 yr old dd1 sleeps on top), she loves it but wakes at 4/5am caling me, I jump in bed with her (she co slept all the time before miving to bed). My aunt once said to me, "how many 16 year olds do you know that do it" I replied none. She said well there you go, they all grow out of things in their own time.