How can I get my nearly 3 year old to go to bed and stay in bed at night?

[toratora]

We have quiet time, bath, warm milk, story time and she just seems to get herself more and more wound up. She has been putting herself back to bed at about 10pm, exhausted and absolutely horrible the next day as she is so tired - any advice that will get her to stay in her bed and not wander around the house yawning would be greatly appreciated!

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Anyone? I am dreading bedtime tonight.

just keep puting her back into bed with no talking
for about a million times
for the next few months and then
one day it will be cracked and she will happily got ot bed and stay there
good luck

Agree with trinity - tis the only way. And it won't be pleasant but you just have to grit our teeth and do it.

sorry - and good luck!

May not be the most admirable parenting tactic, but one frazzled night I just got cross with ds and told him that it was bedtime and if he got up one more time mummy was going to get very very cross. Unbelievably, it did the trick...

Be determined. Sit outside her room and put her straight back to bed (your face should be like thunder). She will soon get bored.

How about breaking the cycle? We had the same problem with DS until we hit upon giving him a reason to look forward to snuggling down. We promised him a made up story. To get the story he had to lie down and have the duvet over him and promise to stay in bed. Then we just make it up. He's always in the story and it's a fair few minutes long to make it satisfying and calm him down too. He loved it so much that we still do it now.
After the story, I used to get my book and sit in the doorway and say that if he was still awake by the time I'd finished a chapter, he could have another story. He was usually asleep within a few minutes. If he tried to get up or talk to me, I'd say that I'd have to go and read somewhere else as I couldn't concentrate. He was so into the idea of having me there that he accepted that. As he got better at it, I'd say I'll go and get a cup of tea and if you're still awake when I get back, etc, etc... It took a while but not I very rarely stay and I very rarely have a problem at bedtime. Fingers crossed you find a way though. I still remember wanting to hurl DS through the window..

We keep having this problem with ours (3 and4). It goes through phases (doing badly atm Grr).

Things that work for us are:

Don't put to bed too early (esp light nights).
Try to have some outdoor play in the evening (to help with light nights).
If necessary sit in bedroom until asleep (mine share a room and just play if I don't do this).

How to get the 3 yo to stay in bed all night - now thats another problem .

Thank you for all your advice - she was good last night, I sat outside her room and each time she got out of bed I went in silently and she jumped back into bed giggling. Will see how it goes tonight and sit outside her room again.

Once she is asleep she does not leave the bed until gone 7am which is brilliant.

Thanks again