Since DS can get out of cot and sleeping bag he thinks bedtime is just a great game.... please help

[sueanna]

2 weeks ago my DS (28months) discovered how to get out of his cot and how to unzip his sleeping bag.
Up until then he was a 7.10pm - 7.10am sleeper...perfect! Now after the usual bedtime routine, he is put to bed and constantly gets up and opens his door with a big grin on his face! Everytime I do as so many people say, pick him up, tell him its time to go to sleep and put him back in bed... nice and calmly.
No change.
On Tuesday evening, this lasted until 9.30pm! I was not quite so calm after doing this 26times in one evening and told my husband to deal with it, as I was getting rather frustrated to say the least.
DS is now not sleeping at lunchtime either due to the same thing, and is now waking up between 5.30 and 6.30am.
He needs his sleep but just won't give in to it.
Last night I sat with him and stroked his head until he fell asleep at 8pm, as I just wanted him to go to sleep.
Tonight he just messed about wriggling, jumping up. So I told him it was sleep time (to which he replied 'no' with a grin), gave him a kiss and went out.....again...and again...and again...

Please help

I dread this happening with my DS (2.5) -hes still in a cot at the moment but looking as if hes about to make a break for it!

How about a stairgate on his bedroom door so at least he can't get out? Might be easier for you to "ignore" him for a bit then?

I would advise moving to a bed and whilst it is not easy for the first couple of weeks while you try and combat the novelty factor, it does wear off and they do settle down. It might be that he's not comfortable in his cot anymore and if he can get out of it, it might be safer to move to a bed. Sorry you're having such a time of it, it's a nightmare when sleep routines just seem to disappear.

Definitly put a stairgate on the door, and a warm sleepsuit on him, and then IGNORE!

is it on of those grobag things with arms?? If so - turn it inside out - and put it on back to front - that kept even my Houdini (who figured out his gro-bag at 14 months ) subdued for sometime

Thanks for your replies,

Thought about the stairgate, but he can undo them aswell!! Bit of a bright spark.

We did move him to a 'big boys bed' after 3days, as I didn't want him to hurt himself getting out of his cot, and said if he stayed in his bed he would get a buzz lightyear cover. Which he wanted and seemed excited about, but playing about seems to be a higher priority at the moment.

I suppose it's just a phase I just hope it doesn't last long!

We did put his bag on back to front, but he gets up and waddles out of his room...sits on the stairs, or slides down (which is even more fun!!).

Hi we had this with ds2 when he made the move to a big boy bed. We moved a stairgate from downstairs to his bedroom. He is also able to open every childproof lock going so we had to screw it so tightly that it could only be opened using our hips to push against it aswell. He spent the first couple of weeks trashing his room every night but we would only say "go to bed" to him, not get involved in any conversations at all. As long as he wasn't making so much noise that he woke his little sister then we just let him get on with it hoping that the novelty would wear off and it finally did...or it could've been falling off one of the shelves he'd climbed onto and scaring himself that made him stop!

DD then learnt how to climb the stairs and I had to move the stairgate from his room one afternoon to prevent her climbing up and forgot til bedtime that ds2 didn't have it on his room anymore. We decided to see how it went and it was about 4 weeks before he realised he could leave his room after bedtime!

OK maybe i'll try the screw it up REALLY tight method. I'm willing to try anything!
Within reason, of course!

It makes you feel so much better when you really know other people have gone through this and come out the other side without having to resort to the cane!!

We've just moved DS into his own bed. I found sitting with him and explaining that he goes into his bed to go to sleep has meant he has been quite good about it on the whole. At nap time he can have a play for a while in his room if he chooses to, but night time bed time really is bed time. He waits in his bed in the mornings most times wanting to be picked up although we haven't stipulated he can't get up then! Bless him. When he does get out to play, it has mostly been for ten minutes or so and so far he has always made it back into bed. After the first few times I would just put him back to bed wordlessly.

Sorry, DS is just 2.

Aah flossam, that's so sweet, waiting for you in the mornings

I agree sueanna, MN is great for making you feel you're not alone when DC are driving you up the wall.

He has taken to tiptoeing around upstairs and then flying back to his room and sitting on his bed casually reading a book and looking all innocent when we go up to investigate

Disco affect with DD's bedroom light while she was sleeping was funny as well, we could hear a clicking noise over the listener and couldn't figure out what it was. DP crept up the stairs and found DS2 standing on a beanbag in her room flicking the light on and off. DP does a better stern poker face than me, DS2 can always tell when I'm trying not to laugh!

Yes, Flossam, I did the little chat about sleep and how I love to go to sleep, and how great it is having my own bed.... as it worked with my DD (now 4) she only got out of bed about 4 times (what an angel!). Although I think she is the one who showed him how to climb in and out of his cot in the first place (not such and angel now).
Anyway, I think he understands, as he wants to show everyone his big bed, when they come to visit. I think he's just trying to test the boundaries, as he is a bit of a pickle.

He is SO different to DD, you think you've got it all worked out after No.1 and then DS comes along and you have to work out new solutions all over again. It's nice in one way, but very frustrating too.