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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Toddler will not keep on her sleeper suit in cot

23 replies

Bubblesmum · 02/01/2003 15:34

In the past few days my dd now 22 months has realised she can zip down her sleeper suit and get out of it - all apart from the one button at the neck but she still manages to get legs out of it... This was OK as she used to take it off in the morning when she woke up and I was just thankful she left the nappy on... problem now is that she removes it when she goes to bed and kicks up a stink in the first place for us to put it on. The last few nights I have been putting her back into it once she's asleep.. but last night she cried and cried until I took it off her and put on 'big girl pjs' - really summer time ones she had received as a present. I am more concerned she will be cold overnight as the sleeper suits were nice and warm (fleecy ones). And also I have bought a number of them for the winter. Is this a phase that will pass - should I insist on putting on the sleeper suit at bedtime and then just put her back into it once asleep - or go out searching for warmer 'big girl' PJs ? She moves around a lot in her sleep and we've also tried the grobag sleeping bag with no success - (probably should have started when she was younger). Any advice ? Thanks a lot.

OP posts:

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aloha · 02/01/2003 16:35

Pjs and a nice duvet well tucked in??

LIZS · 02/01/2003 18:35

Saw a suggestion once about putting the sleepsuit on back to front - difficult to undo unless they are a contortionist. However I'm not sure how the feet would work and she may protest anyway.

We've used fleecy blankets or duvet when ds graduated to big bed and even dd aged 16 months can snuggle herself up if cold. They do have to learn this at some point. You could always keep an all in one vest underneath the pjs to make it more of a deterent to remove nappy.

Liz S

Original poster

Bubblesmum · 02/01/2003 18:54

Thanks Liz and Aloha. I do put an all in one vest on her under the sleeper the kind with the poppers - she does undo that also (what a terror!). I could try a bigger blanket and tuck it in around her when she's asleep - she takes two baby blankets to bed as comfort objects at the moment. Am loathe to invest in a duvet for the cot when she will be moving to a bed in not too distant future. She also moves around a lot in her sleep but maybe will learn to stay under covers if it keeps her warm. I was also really worried about the possiblity of her smothering herself with a duvet. Do you think there is any chance that she would come back around to being agreable to wear the sleeper suits again ? Or how could I convince her to ? One of them even has Winnie the Pooh on it which she loves to show off walking around the house, but then the minute in bed, off it comes!?

OP posts:

Enid · 02/01/2003 19:58

Bubblesmum, if she's anything like my dd1 once she's decided something thats it, and there would be a snowball's chance in hell of me getting her back into that sleepsuit!

Buy her some thick jersey or fleece pjs and a duvet, a good sized cot bed duvet could be used on her single bed as well. Tuck the duvet under the mattress all around and she shouldn't get chilly.

I don't think kids mind the cold as much as we think they do - dd1 certainly seems to sleep like a log even with her pj top up around her chest and duvet half off.

XAusted · 02/01/2003 20:20

I would put the sleepsuit on back to front. If it has feet, you might have to remove them. Or what about fastening it with nappy pins, they can't be undone by children.

aloha · 02/01/2003 20:43

I really wouldn't worry about her smothering herself - I have never, ever heard of a two-year-old coming to any grief like this! I'm sure it is impossible. Even the official advice is that pillows & duvets are only a problem for under-ones. Maybe she will start like the suit again, perhaps some story about Winnie The Pooh wanting to go to sleep on her tummy might help? However, I suspect this is about growing up and it might give a lot less grief to present her with some lovely new pjs and a blanket or duvet well tucked in. It's nice that she wants to be a big girl and I could well be wrong, but tend to think thwarting her on this one might just lead to a lot of unnecessary angst at night. Can you not take the new sleepsuits back to the shop and exchange them for pjs? If you are really worried about her getting out of her covers, maybe just keep the room a little warmer.

EmmaTMG · 02/01/2003 22:08

Although my little terror doesn't take off his sleepsuit, I always let him fall asleep in his PJs and the lay him on top of the open sleepsuit(zips right down to the feet) and do it up once he's in it. Admittedly he is a reasonably heavy sleeper so I don't need to worry about waking him up but it has always worked a treat with him and his older brother.

Original poster

Bubblesmum · 03/01/2003 14:47

Thanks for all your advice. I just thought I'd give you an update on last nights activities. I thought I'd try the Winnie the Pooh sleeper again. She put in on no problem and once in bed again took in off. Then she called and called and called for me so eventually I gave in and went up to her room and when I got there I think she was looking for a reaction to the fact that she had got her legs out of it again - a mischievious grin on her face... so I decided to not take the bait. So I said... Oh OK you don't want your sleeper on... ok time to go to sleep... and left. I put her back into it when I was going to bed... So sorry for going on but I think it is an attention seeking mission she is on more than anything... so I'll try the 'I couldn't care less if you wear it or not' approach and see what happens over the weekend.

OP posts:

Daffy · 03/01/2003 15:53

I went through this not too long ago with my ds who is now 27 months. He used to take off his sleepsuit and nappy and fall a sleep, then wake us up in the early hours of the morning because his cot was wet. I got some good advice off a Mum on this site who suggested that not only did I put his sleepsuit on back to front, but also his nappy. It worked!! Fingers crossed, he has only done it once since then.

ANNIE1 · 05/01/2003 23:50

My dd1(2.5) and dd2(21mths) did exactly the same thing, we had to tape up dd2's nappy with sellotape as she takes off her clothes and nappy with it, by the time I got upstairs the cot was usually wet.
I find that they only take off their clothes when they don't want to go to sleep and don't want mummy to leave-taking off pj's guarantees mummy will come back. Once they realised that mummy wasn't bothered about the whole thing and they would probably have to sleep naked if it carried on, they stopped.

They still do kick off their blankets so I've been putting jumpers and socks on them over their pjs.

Original poster

Bubblesmum · 08/01/2003 18:28

Annie1 - I think my daughter is going down the same route as yours... last night when we went out for the night, she went to bed as good as gold for her Granny and then a little while later she began to cry as she had stripped herself naked and pee'd in the cot. I think she gave herself a fright
So I think we may be getting the sellotape out tonight too !!

OP posts:

Bear37 · 20/10/2011 12:01

My 2 year old has been stripping and removing her nappy for several months now and peeing all over her cot much to my horror ecpecially as my washing machine has broken along with my boiler no hot water, what fun!..... I thought I was alone in this but after reading your similar experiences I have stopped worring and my daughter will now be wearing all cothing back to front along with the duct tape tip!! . Lets see if the little monkey can get round that one, fingers crossed I will be putting my plan into action tonight.

Davsmum · 20/10/2011 14:14

Your DD does not like sleeping in a sleeper suit. I wouldn't like sleeping in a sleeper suit !
PJs should be quite adequate if she has bed covers. She will not freeze to death.
You seem to have made this into an issue because YOU are worried. Try to be more relaxed about it.

BloodyGoreyHairyKnickers · 20/10/2011 14:19

My Dd has also removed all her clothing in bed since she was able and nowadays rarely wants anything more than vest and knickers on.

Stop worrying about it. If she'll wear ordinary PJ's let her, she'll be fine :)

SquishyCinnamonSwirls · 20/10/2011 14:21

Put it on back to front if there are no poky out bits which will dig in and annoy her.

ChippingInToThePumpkinLantern · 20/10/2011 14:27

THIS CHILD IS NOW 10 YEARS OLD

I wonder if the poster is still around?

Yorky · 20/10/2011 14:41

Didn't realise MN had been around for that long

AKMD · 20/10/2011 14:45

If a thread is 11 years old, you are allowed to start a new one. No one will get cross with you and say that it's been done before, honest :)

BloodyGoreyHairyKnickers · 20/10/2011 17:09

ROFL!!! I wonder if OP's Dd still takes her sleepsuit off in bed?!!

BloodyGoreyHairyKnickers · 20/10/2011 17:10

I wonder what the 12yo would think of us all talking about her bed time habits!!

EmpressOfTheZombieDucks · 20/10/2011 17:19

My 11 yo sleeps in a sleepsuit that sounds almost identical

Flisspaps · 20/10/2011 17:54

I wonder if the child has now been allowed to progress to 'big girl pyjamas' full time, or is still being forced into a fleecy sleepsuit. They're all the rage now though aren't they? Primark do some rather fetching adult ones.

EmpressOfTheZombieDucks · 20/10/2011 19:48

It was all I could do to get DD's off her to wash it. Looks utterly ridiculous, but warm and comfy.

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