3 year old won't stay in bed

[Patosshades]

My 3 year old won't stay in bed. That's it and I don't know what to do with him. He goes to bed at 7:30 / 8pm every night. About a week ago suddenly and for no reason I can see I cannot keep him in the bed to go asleep.

It has been midnight every night before he finally collapses with exhaustion.

Closing his bedroom door brings about screams and shouts so loud I'm afraid the neighbours will think I'm beating him with a broom. Tonight I've resorted to putting him into his buggy to keep him min 1 place in the hope he might drop off. It's obviously not worked and he's out of the buggy now and wandering around.

Any ideas I can try? I've tried walkingn him calmly back to bed and getting him to agree he should sleep now. He lasts about 5 seconds in bed. I am about on my last nerve at this stage.

Oh the no pictures book, I'll try that tomorrow night. The picture books get him too involved and he's telling the story with me. Thanks for that netsuke.

He finally went to sleep at 11:30.

I used a three strikes system so the first time ds1 got out I would just tell him to get back in. The second time I would give him a warning that if he got out again he would have to go back in a 'baby's bed' and not in his 'big boy's bed'. If he got out a third time I got out the travel cot and put it up and put him in it, not making a big fuss just doing it and telling him in simple terms why he was going in it. He screamed blue murder for 5mins or so but then realised I meant it and went to sleep. I only had to resort to the travel cot on a couple of occasions.

Thanks littleoaktree, got him to sleep tonight at about 10:30. So we're headed in the right direction. If there are no more improvements, I'll shimmy up to the attic at the weekend and get the travel cot.