Bed-time routine gone to pot - HELP

[kjq]

My 2yo dd was great at her night-time routine thanks to Gina Ford. But now since we've changed her cot into a bed it takes ages to put her down as she finds it fun to keep getting up. What can I do to keep her in bed?

We found the transition from cot to bed (at 20 months)very hard & ended up having to sit outside door holding it shut, everyone on either side in tears. Eventually took to letting DD fall asleep on couch & lifting her as no amount of stories & sitting for cuddles would make her stay in bed, this went on for almost a year with the odd night where she'd go down ok if we could be bothered trying. Then about 6 months ago DD started asking to go to bed because she was sleepy & wanted one story before shooing me off to shut her door & that's her till morning. We still have the odd night where she gets up an hour or so later but it's now the exception rather than the rule. She's rarely in bed later than 7.45 which is fine for us & I don't know exactly what happened. Previously when she was little we did controlled crying & nightmarish tho it was & took quite a while, I felt in the end it was worth it but it just didn't seem the answer when she could get up at any point & it was too heartbreaking because she was pleading with me to open the door rather than just crying. The only thing I did to try & encourage her was ask her if she felt sleepy & would like to go to her cosy bed it didn't seem to make any difference for a few weeks then one night she just seem to decide herself so I let it seem that it was all her idea & touch wood she's kept it up. Might just have been a coincidence but it could work. Hope it gets better soon.

DD eventually went to bed at 10 tonight. We went to a kids party where she ran around like mad and I made sure no naps were had today. I think I might start holding the door tight but as you say Jbck it will be heartbreaking. I think I'm reaching the end of my tether.

How about getting a new bedcover and some exciting things in her room (paint a tellytubby or something), so that she can't wait to get into her bed in her new 'magic room'. Is 2 too young to be bribed (I can't remember) - if she stays in her bed all night, the nightlite fairy will leave a little treat in the morning (and I quote Dr Tanya Byron)

kjg
when ds moved into bed at 12mths he found it fun that he could ge tup when he wanted...so for the first week i sat quietly in the corner of his room and when he got up i just lay him down and told him it was sleep time...since that week passed we have had no probs at all

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