We have a climber.....

[DuggiWontSleep]

Hi, I was wondering whether any of you lovely ladies could shed some light on the current sleeping issue we have (it follows a number of other problems we?ve faced along the way !!).

My 22 month old DS climbed/toppled (we think he may have tip toed and pulled himself over) out of his cot for the first time the other night. Luckily he was unhurt however, it put the fear of god into us and we decided to take one side of the cot off and put a gate on his bedroom door.

He?s never been a good sleeper and by taking off the side he seems to have gone back several steps. He either falls out or gets out of the cot on every waking ? last night he got up 6 times- and stands in the corner of his room and cries. He stays there until somebody goes into him. His cry indicates that he may be scared.

So, my question is?.should we put the side of the cot back on?? I don?t feel he is ready for a bed and I don?t want him to associate his cot with negative thoughts.

Please advise xx

[QTPie]

Do you have a bed guard? We used this at first (kept the side up until 25 months - DS could climb out at 18 months, but not in his gro bag). Gives a bit of physical and emotional security.

[HPsauceonbaconbuttiesmmm]

Don't put the side back on, he'll fall far worse over the top! DS also did a dive from his cot just before his second birthday.

This was invaluable to stop him falling out. I didn't want a cot side as knew he'd try to climb it. Anything climable and he's up it!!

It's also very much the start of the age of imagination, and despite always sleeping in a pitch black room, this is when he became afraid of the dark. We have a groclock on minimum which casts a very low level blue light, enough to see by when your eyes adjust. I also use this stars light and this lovely torch both of which DS could turn on himself. The stars turn themselves off after 45 mins and the torch I turn off when going up to bed.

I'm sorry to say it took about 6 weeks of gradual retreat before he'd stay in bed in the evening, but I'm a softy and didn't want to leave him to scream. Return, return, return!

This too shall pass and it makes it much easier going away when they're used to being in a bed and you don't need the travel cot anymore.

Good luck!