To lock my daughter's bedroom door?

[Pizzahutpasta]

Our DD is just about to turn 4. Recently she has started getting up at stupid hours in the morning and playing, really loudly, in her room which wakes us up and also our DS who is 17 months. It can be as early as 4am.

I removed all toys out of her room in the hope it would discourage her. That then lead to her sneaking downstairs in the early hours to play downstairs and has got herself into some pretty dangerous situations.

The last straw was this morning when I woke up to hear noises outside so went to investigate and our DD had unlocked our back door and was playing outside. This was 4.30am.

I want to put a lock on her door - firstly because the lack of sleep of her constantly getting out of bed is killing me and secondly because I'm seriously worried she will injure herself. My DH has said absolutely not to a lock and we are currently not speaking over my suggestion because of a huge row.

AIBU? What's the other solution?

I would sleep outside the room for a few nights. Every time she got up she would be out straight back to bed. They soon learn!

Lineys - she could walk when she was 1, she's had 3 years to master opening and climbing over gates - why is that so hard to understand?

My three year old can open our stair gates and we've got the squeeze and lift ones.

I'd put the toys back in her room and tell her she's to play with them when she wakes up. Also hide your door keys.

Put a bolt across the top of your back door, so if she does escape her room, she can't get outside. We have had to do this because DS11 sleep walks and I found him on the drive in the middle of the night once.

Bastard your solutions sound the same as mine and my parents, including sleeping with your keys little twerp would try and sneak them from under my pillow

Apologies to those with super-toddlers!

I just can't see the point of child gates, in that case.

This one would be the easiest to fit. There are loads of others, personally I think it could turn into.a.game.of her.waking the house up but it's worth a try. What other suggestions does your Dh have other than being knobby over what is a huge safety risk to your child. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01EX8FE5U/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1495549645&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=door+alarms+for+your+home&dpPl=1&dpID=31egIBcM6TL&ref=plSrch&tag=mumsnetforum-21

I'm always amazed by the suggestions on here when children are early wakers. OP, if you naturally woke at 6am, how would you feel being told that you had to sit in silence until 9am, with no TV, no internet, no 'toys' so that everyone else could sleep. Every day. I couldn't do it and I'm not 4 yo.

DD was an early waker and I was up for the day at before 5am every day for years. It was utterly dreadful but the alternative isn't leaving a bored, unsupervised 4 yo alone for three hours.

I accept that I am completely alone in this theory!

Lineys - my DS can't open a stairgate but it won't be long till he can climb one. Stairgates have been pretty pointless in our house bar keeping the dog out of the living room!

Could you not instead of locking the door lock the noisy toys away and let her play with books/not noisy toys?

The packaging on the ones we had said to remove them once the child reached 24 months, because at that stage they're not fit for the job any more and could be dangerous if the child tried to climb over.

would this be tall enough OP www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/dog-gate

MrsTerry - I totally agree BUT she is absolutely knackered by 1pm and I seriously struggle to keep her awake, so she clearly isn't one of those children that need less sleep. I really worry when she starts school in September because being awake at 4am will do nothing for her concentration. She also wakes my DS up who then can't get back to sleep and suffers through the day

Genuine question (the issue never arose with my kids) - why is a dog gate so much safer than locking a door (assuming obviously you keep a key in it or it's an easy catch to open from the outside)? Surely the effect is the same? It's not like you couldn't hear a distressed child through a locked door (assuming it's not some extra thick sound-proofed job).

Sister - I tried that originally but she would "read" her books to the point of shouting and then when she didn't get a reaction would sit outside our door and "read" loudly

Buy a new door with a Door knob that she can not reach yet. Our new house has really high door knobs so DS three can not open or close doors without help.

Lineys because I've got two kids, and the one year old can't open stair gates.

High bolt for back door and front if needed. Dog gates as others have suggested. Leave her quiet things to do in her room if she can agree with you that she's a big girl and is big enough to take on responsibilities of colouring pencils/other quiet things.

Ineedwine - I will get the tape measure out, Thankyou

DD sorted herself out by school (thank goodness) because she had to be awake there so she would power through, be more tired at night and sleep better. What happens if you let her nap at 1pm for a bit?

I feel your pain. DD's early waking was an absolute nightmare.

Put her back to bed. Every. Single. Time.

Don't let her carry on playing because you are, in effect, telling her that it's OK to get up and start playing whatever the time is.

Get a clock for her. A simple one that just show time to sleep and time to get up (ours had a rabbit in it but that was many many moons ago)
If need be, stay with her until she has gone back to sleep.

A pain but it did work with both dcs. They learnt to not get up until the rabbit was up they still both get up at stupid o'clock in the am, even now that they are teenagers though!

Is the issue more related to sleep issues? Maybe you should focus on seeking help for these?

Oh and when I fitted a high lock on our front door (DD was also an escapologist) she got a chair and worked it out in one day. Early waking is clearly a sign of great intelligence.

Blue peppers I suggested that. The OP hasn't responded.

She's worse if I let her nap in the day. I've tried making her bedtime earlier and later and she still gets up at stupid o clock. It's killing me