Argh go to sleep small child!!

[Bigbadgeorge]

We have recently put DD (22months) in a bed to free up the cot for our new arrival due in 3 weeks. She has got progressively worse and worse at going to bed.
I am currently listening to her alternately whinging and singing in bed (in fact she has just appeared at my side :-/)
How can I improve this?! It's driving me nuts! Plus I'm worried about dealing with a cluster feeding newborn and this at the same time. My husband is often not home in the evenings to help.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Could she go back into the cot and get a cheap second one for the baby?

Stairgate on her door?

Ignore her singing etc. If she is in bed she is in bed. You cant make her sleep. If she gets up, back to bed with a firm "no it is bedtime" the first time and silently the next 100 few times.

[AwfulBeryl]

Oh gosh, I remember this hell.
Could you put her back in a cot ? Will the baby be in a mosses basket for a while ?
Or get a cot / toddler bed.
I had to get my dts out cots at 20 months as they were climbing out, would have kept them in for much longer if I could have though.
If she is quite happy singing herself to sleep it might be worth persevering, and leaving her to it, especially if there is a stair gate on her room.

[Harbourgirl]

We had a similar experience with DC1 when DC2 came along although DC1 was a few months older. I put a stairgate on her door & bought a CD player & some story CDs. She was quite happy to be shut in her bedroom with a CD to listen to. I used to ignore any footsteps, light thumps etc which clearly indicated she was out of bed & playing as there was little I could do about it as I was cluster feeding.

[TwoKidsAndCounting]

I've been through this 3 times now and a 4th time soon to come and the only way is the super nanny staying in bed technique, it works a treat, I won't lie, the first few days is torture, pure torture but it does get easier, you've got three weeks, that should give you plenty of time.

I don't think putting a child back in the cot is the right move, it's confusing for them, it's almost like a punishment making bedtime then like a punishment. Stair gates too are a no no, I can never understand why parents do this, it's not teaching your child anything, it'll probably frighten them more not being able to get out, don't believe in that.

You've made the move from cot to bed, stick with it and move forward, it will get better! Good luck!

[Bigbadgeorge]

Thanks for everyone's replies! Unfortunately her cot is not very big and she is tall so I think she is better off in her bed. She is also starting to climb so don't quite trust her!

We have a stairgate on her door for safety at the minute. The leaving her in there with story CDs sounds like
something worth trying.

Hehe TwoKids, it does feel like an episode of supernanny in this house, and yes it's torture!

[AwfulBeryl]

Don't worry about the stair gate, I dont know any children who have been frightened or traumatised because they couldn't get out.
It will get easier, the novelty will wear off after a while and she will get back in to the swing of things.

[StetsonsAreCool]

It will get easier, just keep returning her to bed until she gets the message.

And don't worry about the stairgate on her door. We did the same for dd on her 2nd birthday, the stairgate was on her door for nearly a year. For her, it was security, not prison. She didn't even know what it was when she saw it propped up against the wall in her new brother's room a few weeks ago.

[StetsonsAreCool]

Sorry, she's 4.11 now, so the stairgate has been gone for two years and she can't remember it ever being there.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

"Stairgates are a no no" - seriously? So I should remove the stairgate and allow my little one to freely roam the house at night?