HELP - my perfect sleeping 2yr old suddenly gets out of cot - what now!

[NappyValley]

My darling DS figured out how to get out of his travel cot at the weekend and now is climbing out of his cot and won't go to bed and keeps wanting me to read more stories. he is totally shattered and over tired as he did not sleep at nursery either today. (he is normally a 2hrs daytime and 12hrs at night boy).
Now he is calling from his bedroom door and I am beside myself with frustration and am trying to e the parent and not yell at him, and just put him back to bed. But help please.

I think the best plan is to go and buy a big bed and then it is easier AND safer to do rapid returns an get him to stay in bed. But what do I do tonight!

Take the mattress out of the cot and put it on the floor?

Oh and don't give in, persevre because it's only a phase! He's just testing you.

Like the idea of mattress on floor. Why the hell didn't I think of that!
GOt to put him back in bed again now.
Have just reminded myself that I am the grown up and if all those people on telly can do it, so can i.

Right he is not instilled on the floor. He even says in bed until I am out of the room now which is a good sign, but I can hear him dancing around now and singing

have you got a laptop because this could take a while.

Everytime you hear him not in bed you go and lay him back in bed without talking or looking at him (well tell him once firmly just so you can be sure he knows what you expect)

So when you finished the first story......how many more did you read? Because you know when you cave once they expect you to cave everytime. Bet if you had said no more stories now, you have had one and now its bedtime (very firm tone) he wouldn't have asked again?

Yeah stories finished a while ago, as I said I would only read it if he stayed in bed.
Am trying to just be firm and put him back into bed each time but it is so hard as I would normally be eating something and it looks like food is not going to happen. got to go and return him to bed again.

what is the verdict on leaving the bedroom door open or shut? He has always slept with the door shut

I'd shut it i think

Thanks all for the help and support. he gave up and it all went quiet. I check after about 30 mins and he was asleep on the mattress (expected him to be behind the door!!!

Tomorrow night we will start with a firm last book (which we have always done for months, I just gave in today) and a firm stance and then rapid returns hopefully without losing my temper.

I hope if we keep it up he will realise I won't budge and then eventually it will get easier.

Thanks again mumsnet, you bring sanity!

LovemyGirls I owe you one!!

I've been there I know what it's like, dd1 was the best she climbed over the stairgate took her nappy off, poohed and covered herself in it but after 1 week she has never ever given me grief over bedtime, she was 3 when she did that and is now 8!

Expect a few nights like tonight then he will get the message - DD had us going from 7.30 till nearly 10am the second night we did rapid return
Is it just you or is there someone else who can share it with you? DH and I did 1/2 hour shifts camped outside DD's door and a LARGE glass of wine when it all went quiet!!
Not looking forward to repeating it all with DS in a few months time but it is SO worth all the hard work.

Good luck

Sorry - 10PM Didn't mean to scare you that much!

Well it has got easier and the "big bed" was ordered promptly on wed morning and will arrive tomorrow. Hopefully that will help as I don't think he likes being on the floor.

I have been much firmer last 2 night and declared up front the number of books and then proceeded to do the rapid returns. They seem to carry on until he demands more milk and when I ignore that one and just put him to bed he gets the message and settles!

Have been on my own tues, wed, thurs but DH is back and is on duty tomorrow as I am at work, so he will have to do the rapid returns for the daytime nap which is much harder, ha ha ha!!!

Thanks for all the reassurance that this will get better as on tuesday I really felt that life as I knew it might be over!!!!!

Poor mite is not getting enough sleep but hopefully we will have a quiet weekend and lots of rapid returns and by monday we will be back on track (ha ha I dream!!)

Still going to make big deal of the bed (we talked about it today) and new sheets and stuff so hopefully he will want to stay in it. It has a really good rail so he can't fall out but can climb in and out.