Stairgate over the bedroom door

[Pies]

I have a very active 2 yr old who is now in his own 'big bed' but wont stay put. Fine once he's asleep but like a yoyo up and down the stairs all evening. A friend suggested a stairgate across his bedroom door but that feels a bit harsh to me. He'd be basically trapped in his room, like an animal in a zoo or a prisoner perhaps. What do you think?

But he'll still get up presumably?

I'd leave the gate and actually work on keeping him in bed.

I think my son has had a gate since he went to a big boy bed and still does at 3.5.

He's not caged. He's protected from himself.

A gate across the door is a perfectly sensible solution and no more a cage than was having the baby in a cot. The gate works because once they can't get out of their room then there's usually little to do but go back to bed. It only takes a few weeks IME before they're staying in bed and then you can take the gate off again.

I just moved house a few weeks ago. In my old house I had a stair gate over DD's door from the day she went into a big bed when she had just turned 2.

We lived in a two up two down terraced house and the stairs were quite literally a sheer drop. DD was much safer not being able to get out of her bedroom.

I did teach her to stay in her bed too, though, by doing the whole super nanny thing of picking her up and putting her back in bed 35 times one night

DD is now 3.5 and doesn;t have the gate on her door as this house is much safer.

Gate across door is fine as a safety measure. We did it when DS1 went from cot to bed as he tended to sleep walk. We later put a flexible gate with an alarm on across the top of stairs until he was 5 but still allowed him to leave bedroom to use toilet etc..

I'd rather a gate across the door than an unsupervised toddler wandering around in the dark

We're having the same dilemma although a gate over DD's bedroom door would be a real pain in the arse because of the way our flat is laid out - it'd be really awkward. Otherwise I think we'd have done it a long time ago.

Currently breaking my back Supernannying too but it's more like 75 times each night.

Dd is 21mo, in big bed and has a stair gate. She tends to stay in bed, but this saves me worrying about her exploring the house and stairs in the early hours.

We had a gate at the top of the stairs rather than the bedroom door. Meant the whole upstairs could be used rather than only having one safe room.

We tried the whole 'big girls bed' a few weeks ago with our 2.8 yr old DD and it was a disaster. Up numerous times, then again from 5.30am. Bought a stairgate for her bedroom door and tried again from 4 nights ago. Far, far better. A few returns after she has been standing shouting for us, but other than that she stays in her bed. I think the temptation to come back downstairs was just too much for her. I'd say give it a go!