To think my toddler in taking the piss?! Stay in bed!!

[MrsHobbs]

Help!!

DS is 2.5 and has always been a very ‘spirited’ child who is sometime quite challenging in his behaviour.
We took the side of his cot a few months ago as it was getting to the stage where he could practically climb out. Before this he had always been an excellent sleeper- slept through from 3 months and went straight off to sleep soon as we put him down and self settled. After we took it off, for a good while he played up a little, and wanted “another cuddle”, “another story”, “sit there Mummy”, “water” etc. But it maybe only lasted half an hour and eventually he’d give in and stay in bed and go to sleep.

10 days ago we’ve moved house, and now we’re back to square 1 and then some! Myself or DP read him a story at the same time each night before bed after having a bath etc- he has always had a very structured bed time routine and there’s no change there. He now thinks it’s a game, soon as we stand up, before we’ve even left the room he’s up and running around his room laughing. He repeats this over and over again, we sit there for a while, and then soon as we’re up he’s out of bed. It takes absolute hours, and often both myself and DP going up alternately to eventually get him off. We’re at our wits end and maybe this is karma for our smugness at having such a well sleeping baby until now!

I know we’ve just moved and I’m hoping he’ll settle soon, but he’s not distressed or scared, he loves it here, and it really feels like he’s doing it for a reaction and is deliberately playing up and taking the piss out of us!

Any tips on how to get him to stay in the bed and sleep!? Without losing our minds?!

My best friend still has to settle her DD at nearly 8 years old, she has to either lay in her bed with her or stay in the room and hold her hand (sitting on floor etc).
She’s done this since DD was a “bad sleeper” starting around toddler age.

Funnily enough her 2nd child just gets straight off and although she thinks this is bc they are a better sleeper it’s probably most likely bc she simply didn’t have the time / capacity to soothe and settle 2nd child whilst spending hours each night with the 1st, hence they learnt to just go to sleep and settle themselves.

Friend is ALWAYS tired and bitterly regrets The whole sleeping set up with DD.

Another vote for stairgate - on his bedroom as well as the stairs.

Annoying as it is I would keep putting him back to bed, low eye contact just repeating it’s time to go to sleep now. Make it boring for him!! I’m not keen on the stair gate idea though.
I also had a little monkey who liked to run around in his room after being put to bed.

He’s just had a massive upheaval with the house move, it’s not like this has just happened randomly. He’s not pushing his luck or trying it on, he’s looking for extra reassurance because everything has changed and he is 2 and can’t articulate that yet. Just stay with him while he needs you to. It won’t be for long. It’s only been 10 days. If it persists after a few more weeks then maybe try being a bit more strict.

Oh and I don’t object to stair gate on a bedroom door, if it’s for safety. We had one, because we can’t safely gate the top of the stairs. But we also had a breathing sensor on DC’s bed which doubled as an ‘out of bed’ alarm, so I knew when they were up and went straight to them anyway.

Stairgate didn't work here. He can open them. It's still on so I can hear any escapes at night though!

I'm not sure how others could just leave their children. My ds tore the room apart. I tried for 2 months of rapid return, and all the other stuff. He was silent at pulling all the clothes and stuff out the wardrobe, getting toys out, climbing on the shelves, window ledge etc. He wasn't able to be left. He also shares with an older brother (who manages to go to sleep with everything going on around him!).

Rewards/sticker charts have never worked with any of my 3 boys. I'm not sure where I'm going wrong! They don't care for them at all!