*sigh* first night of cot to bed DID NOT go well... any advice?

[WilfShelf]

We padded the floor, tucked him in well, settled him down nicely, blah blah blah.

3am, in runs a small boy 'Mummy! A scary fing!'

Cue restless hours of being lay upon and squawking 'pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese go to sleep, darling' until DH relented and took him down to park in front of the telly.

Tonight, then, what should my plan be?

With my DS I just put him back in the cot (bed still up) and a few weeks later he just went and got in the bed at bedtime and was fine. We read books on the bed and talked about it in the meantime.

Thanks

Unfortunately we had to make him go cold turkey as we only have a cotbed and he climbed out so had to convert it sharpish in case he fell out...

I'm thinking bribery is the only option now?

Did this with DD at 18 months after she managed to climb out and it took about two weeks of her getting out several times a night and having to be put back to bed before she would stay in it.

I would suggest consistency, returning him to bed and telling him "it's bedtime, see you in the morning" and obviously reassuring him if he is scared. And a nightlight if he hasn't got one.

I felt like a zombie by the end of the second week but it did work eventually...

Thanks - I had a bit of a gruelling bedtime because he realised how things are now and didn't like it. We also put the babygate up at the door (I don't know if this is cruel but I don't want him wandering around the house at night until he's used to his bed etc...)

He was NOT happy. So I just sat with him while he screamed and wailed for an hour and 10 minutes but I sort of mostly ignored him except for cuddles etc..

Eventually he came and sat on my knee on the bed and fell asleep. If he wakes up tonight, we've decided we're going to have to just go back to sitting with him in there until he goes back to sleep. We had got too used to a full night's sleep for the last 6 months! Hopefully it will be a few days max while he settles in. Don't remember any of this with the other two, though prob ably I have blanked it out