Big kids bed - getting out constant, tips?

[MamaBanana12]

Hi!

My 2.5 yo has gone into her big bed, she since 6 months has been an epic sleeper, all night and never been a bother, always self settled and just been an angel.

Well since putting her in her big bed, she's just getting out multiple times and being a general pain, she is still going to sleep eventually but it feels like we're having to do more 'you have to stay in bed because of XYZ' and it's just not helping!

Any tips ?? She's waking a few times in the night too just getting out and standing at the gate!

Mine did this too around the same age and would regularly be found asleep on the floor at the gate! He's almost 5 now and it's been a long time since it was an issue but I can't remember what changed (if anything) to get him to stay in bed!

You can either decide she isn't ready and go back to the cot, or fully commit. Every single time say it's bed now and put her back. She will soon get the message that lack or bars doesn't mean getting up is fine. It is all completely new to her, so will take some time.

Yeah the cots in the skip 🤣 so committing is where we are at!

I was hoping they'd be a magic trick 🤣

Yeah I think she'd quite happily sleep on the floor! Guess it's just perseverance till she gets bored!

We just put a stairgate on their bedroom door and left them to it. Found them asleep in some strange places for a bit but soon the novelty of getting out of bed wore off.

Stairgate on the door and leave them to it. Start bedtime early to anticipate a bit of messing about. Mine never fell asleep in strange places and would put themselves back in bed when they realised they weren’t getting a reaction.

Snap! I mentioned this on here once though and was properly rounded on with people telling me it was akin to putting them in prison 🤔

We do have a stairgate on her room, she just stands there with the door open, do I just leave her? She doesn't cry or anything she just shouts us 🤣 she's a little madam

Thanks I think il try this with the ignoring as at the minute we're up and down and she's running back into bed when we are coming up the stairs!

Haha wtf?? How does that make sense when they’ve just come out of a cot?? Isn’t that the ultimate baby prison 🤣

I’m not a fan of gates at the top of the stairs in case they climb over, and wouldn’t gate an older child’s room if they were potty trained and it was restricting access to the loo but surely they’re the perfect transition when they’ve had the full restriction of the cot but aren’t yet old enough to safely roam the house (and stay in their bloody bed at bedtime!!). DS had a dog gate on his door because he was a climber, he’s 3 next month and we’ve just removed it.

That's what I thought, too, but you can't argue with someone unreasonable!

We didn't need one for the youngest, who used to just go to bed sometimes without even being told. Luckily, really, because the door to that bedroom is directly opposite the opening to the stairs (1950s semi). The one we put on the eldest's is still there despite him being 13 soon! It stays open against the wall and makes a great towel rail.