So ever since I took the cot side off it’s been hell getting my son to stay in bed. I put it back on but now he realises he can get up he just climbs out. I’ve been trying to just bring him back to bed without conversation or eye contact but he finds it hilliarous anyway. Tonight I tried 2 different sleeping bags (he climbed out with both) and when I was in a moment of insanity about to tie him to the bed and my husband stopped me we decided to use our daytime “put you in the playpen” option. He figured out how to climb out. He climbed out of our last resort!
So I did the only thing that I could think of and held him on my lap for 2 minutes in lieu of the playpen. He struggled harder than I’ve ever seen and I kept him firmly there then told him why. I told him he had to walk back to bed because I felt like carrying him was part of the reward he was looking for by getting up. He had a tantrum at the bottom of the stairs so I did it again.
Getting him to walk up the stairs was still like pulling teeth but he did it floppily after the third time. We gave him some water because he’d sweated a lot getting so worked up. He climbed into bed and then refused a kiss and cuddle from me but accepted one from his dad (he was still very upset).
I feel like a horrible person upsetting him so much but I just didn’t know how I could make him stay in bed. He hasn’t got up.
Was this a reasonable response to the situation or have I permanently traumatised my poor baby? Now he can climb out of the play pen I feel like this holding thing is my best option as a last resort but I don’t want him to start hating cuddles :(