2 1/2 year old is driving me nuts

[ImBrian]

Dd is 2 1/2 and had to move out of her cot a couple of months ago when she discovered how to escape. Thing weren't to bad to start with but now she's turned into a nightmare! She won't stay in her bed, just gets up and trashes her room. She shares a room with my 6 year old dd who obviously can't sleep because of her so it needs nipping in the bud.
Her bed time routine is good, bath, pjs, milk and story with her in bed at around 7.30 but she's still up and bouncing about at 9.30 and then gets up at 5/6 am.

Tonight I've sat in her room for 2 hours and put her back in bed every time. She has sat a laughed at me so not very effective.
I need a giant cage cot so she can't escape.
Any suggestions please?

Watching with interest. DS is almost 2 and I'm facing similar problems here. He was fine at first but it seems he's just worked out that he can escape and, like your dd trashes the place!

Only thing I can think of is do you have black out blinds? I'd be lost without them cos my 2 1/2 year old wouldn't believe that it's night time. I moved her nearly five months ago from cot to her bed and she doesn't get out of it yet (we can't quite believe our luck so far) but I think it's because it's dark so she waits for me to put light on in morning.

Does your LO still nap? Maybe not tried enough at 730?

I have black out vertical blinds and curtains but they still let a fair bit of light in. She's in villan mode so tonight will be fun!

Would a star chart work, with a reward once she stays in bed a few nights in a row? Sorry don't have much experience with this age group!

Fix the light leakage! I have various teddies shoved in to keep it dark.

My 4 year old did this when he switched to a bed. In the end I just cut his nap a bit and had to keep putting him back while I sat next to him. Fi ally worked. I've got this to look forward to with dd. She's 2.5, in a cot but needs to be in a bed really.

I wonder if bringing her bedtime forward may help. Sounds counterintuitive, but it could be that she is overtired at 7.30pm. We moved DD1's bedtime forward when she was 2.5 and she settles and sleeps much better now.

Not always practical though I know, especially if sharing.

Agree with smoke that a reward chart may also help.

Well tonight we had no fuss and the night before she only got up once. Her sister slept in another room so I'm wondering if this was the difference!

The transition of cot to bed is a big one in a toddlers life. They discover a whole world of freedom which they never knew existed! The key is to find a happy medium between bedtime and playtime. This blog about a tantrum free bedtime might help, it has a lot of tips for settling. goo.gl/S6f01J