2 yr old DS please sleep in your own bed!

[NeedlesCuties]

We moved DS from his cot to a toddler bed over a month ago, around the time of his 2nd birthday. He took to it like a duck to water and all was fine.

In the past week or so he's had chickenpox and has been ill with it, which has knocked him out of sorts. I let him sleep in our bed as I felt sorry for him being ill.

Now he's still slightly ill, but the spots are scabbed and he's on the mend. We've sort of fallen into a 'new routine' that I really don't like or want to continue...

He insists on being put down to bed in our bed (we aren't in it at this time) and he will fall asleep happily. When he's asleep I will move him into his own bed. However, he wakes at about 2am, realises he isn't in our bed and freaks out, comes running to our room or cries till we go to him.

The past few nights he's come into our bed in the early hours and dozed but hasn't slept still enough for any of us to sleep well :(

Any tips on getting back to 'normal'? How do I get him to settle in his own bed? How do I wean him off wanting to be in with us?

I'm wondering if this is a phase all 2-year-olds go through, or if it's linked to him being sick.

I've always been quite stubborn about having my children in my bed at night.
It's something I've tried to avoid as much as possible.
One way I have done this when they get really clingy is to get into their bed with them for a cuddle instead. When they go to sleep or calm down enough, I can then get out and return to my own bed alone.
Is the toddler bed big enough for you to squeeze into for a cuddle? If not, can you kneel on the floor beside it and cuddle your DS enough to calm him?
When he gets used to being in his own bed again, I'm sure he'll go back to sleeping alone like he did before.

DS is at home all day with me (SAHM) and he only see's DH in evenings after work, so a quirk he has is that at bedtime he's clingy to his dad.

DH often does go in and lie in bed with DS or lie on the floor holding DS's hand. The very second DH leaves the room DS seems to snap awake and scream. Now that he can get out of the bed, he comes running into our room.

Perhaps DH needs to stay a bit longer, till DS is in a deeper sleep. That might help.

I think I might be a bit of a pushover and I hate hearing him cry and scream at night :(

It's really hard, isn't it.
My DCs went through phases like this too.
Be reassured though, it is a phase and it won't last forever. (Though it might feel like it sometimes!)
Have you tried the technique of leaving the room, just for a minute and then coming back? You keep leaving and returning, leaving for a little longer each time. The child is reassured by knowing that you'll come back soon. Eventually they fall asleep while waiting for you to come back. They then learn to sleep without you.
It can be quite effective.

Will try that.... have sort of half-heartedly tried it, but it was a bit slapstick as DS got out of bed and followed me

I'm due DC2 in August, so hoping he grows out of it by then.... please!

Don't worry, August is still a few months away.
A lot can change between now and then! :)

Last night might have changed it...

He went to sleep in our bed, I transfered him when he was asleep. It's 8:13am and he's still asleep in his own bed! Unheard of in recent days!

I added another thicker blanket in his bed along with his duvet, so maybe that was all he needed, just a bit more heat.

Either way, we're glad of the full night of sleep :)

Great!!! That's fantastic news.
Well done!
Yes, it could well be that he was waking up with the cold and wanted the heat of your bed.
Long may it last...!!!