Just moved from cot to bed - help please

[Eminybob]

DS is 2.5.
He's been able to self settle in his cot from being a baby, and our routine is bath, book on chair in his room, down in cot and leave the room. Don't hear a peep from him until morning.

We recently changed his cot into a bed as he learned to climb out. And since then will just not settle. Same routine, then he voluntarily jumps down and gets himself into bed after book. But if I try to leave the room he is up and out the door following me. He says stay there mummy if I try to go. They I stay and he still mucks about. I've tried sitting in the chair, sitting next to him, even lying in bed with him. He still mucks about getting in and out of bed and then eventually will go off, but only if I stay in the room.
It's a nightmare, and its adding an extra hour minimum onto bed time.
Any tips on how to break this habit or will he break out of it himself once he's used to the new bed? Thanks.

[Nellooo]

We had the same situation and solved it by putting a baby gate on the bedroom. He could be safely left in there and soon got he message that he needed to stay in bed.

[Popskipiekin]

Bump! Nothing to say of any use - watching with serious interest as have DS1 also just turned 2.5 and we think he's ready for a bed but am terrified of this happening exactly as you describe! We also have DS2 who I put down after DS1 goes sweetly in his cot, so I am just not ready for mayhem

[Popskipiekin]

Nelloo which baby gate out of interest? DS can fight or climb his way out of most it seems...

[Nellooo]

Erm... A wooden one. Sorry! I can't remember the brand. They are attached to the wall rather than being the pressure type ones.

[Wishiwasmoiradingle2017]

We cable tied all our stairs gates shut!!

[TooMinty]

My DS2 did this the first couple of nights when we moved him into a bed, I just kept putting him back in bed every time he got up until he got bored and gave up!

[FATEdestiny]

Just keep returning him back to bed immediately he goes for fettibg up. Over and over again.

[Eminybob]

Thanks. Have thought about stair gate. I didn't know if it would make a difference as he would still be up and I'd still need to put him back to bed. Might give it a go though.
I've tried leaving, then putting him back to bed each time he got up and he just didn't get bored. It was quicker in the end to stay in the room with him.

[FATEdestiny]

I had meant staying in the room. Maybe have a mantra you say that reitterate your expectations very clearly:

"It is sleep time. You must lie down in bed quietly at sleep time. Nan night"

Then any deviation, repeat mantra an tuck back in. So dont don't even allow sitting up in bed, let alone getting up. No noise.

You physically can't force him to go to sleep. But you certainly can establish very clear, right and immovable boundaries that he must lie down in bed silently at bedtime.

[FATEdestiny]

Tight, not right.

[Gemz1806]

I would also suggest a stair gate, if he isn't crying or shouting then let him have wee play on his own with a low light. If he has been good at self settling he will soon get bored and know what to do. That's what we did. It was totally fine. I would let him muck about for about 15min and if he still wasn't in bed I'd put him back. Then leave it another 10min. He stopped very quickly. It won't last as long as you worry about.

We moved when my eldest was 3 and he was upset when we left the room after that. So I would let him put a sticker on the floor near the door and after he went to bed he would know I would be there, then after two nights I would ask him to move the sticker closer to the door and so on until the sticker was outside the room and he didn't see me. That worked really well for us. But he was older so understood better.