Hi.
My lovely boy has always been a bit of a thinker and if he sees a problem he does like to solve it!
When he was 2 ish and transfered into his cotbed (he climbed out of the cot at just under 2) he would get out of bed and roam around the house. We found him in daddy's study having turned the computer on and pressing all sorts of buttons. We put a babygate on his door and he moved his bedside cabinet to climb over it. We took the cabinet out and he then worked out how to open the gate and still wandered. Goes in the kitchen, get salt cellar and grinds it all over the sofa....
We bought him a rabbit clock from Great Little Trading Company which he understood when it was asleep he had to stay in his room and when it woke up he could come downstairs. The first night he came down after about an hour in bed saying 'the rabbit is awake now, I can get up' He'd spent the hour fiddling with the clock and worked out how to change the time so the rabbit would wake up.
We put the rabbit clock on the shelf above his chest of drawers (about 5 foot in height) This worked for a week or so but then he used the chest of drawers as a step ladder and climbed up onto the shelves, got the clock down, fiddled with it and broke it.....
Things did calm down though and we've had nothing for a while.
...until 2 weeks ago when he decided that he was going to come downstairs and play in the living room getting all his toys out, turning the light on etc. I didn't mind at first but he got noisier and noiser and also earlier. Yesterday it was 5 oclock
When you speak to him about it he says 'I should stay in my room but I don't want to, it's boring, I'm not tired' etc etc. So he knows exactly what he's doing I've moved his more favourite toys upstairs to his bedroom all to no avail. We've said he can get up if he's not tired and play in his room, he turns the light on and we're happy he's safe and okay but don't want him wandering around the house.
I am 37 + prgt at the mo and do not want to be woken up so early especially when I sleep so little during the night anyway!!!
Stairgates don't work, sticker charts quite frankly bore him ('I just won't have the sticker then mummy...') Reasoning works as he understands the problem and can tell you what he's supposed to do -he just won't do it!!! Taking toys away, access to telly don't seem to work either as he is just happey to say 'I'm not allowed the telly this afternoon as I didn't stay in my bedroom until mummy/daddy said I could come out'
I also understand this could be a reaction to the approaching baby brother being born -which he seems very excited about - but has anyone got any other strategies we could try before we all go mad???
Many thanks, will reply later as off to nursery with him soon.