We moved our just-3yr old into a toddler bed last week, after he vaulted out of his cotbed 20 times in an hour. It's his old bed, just with the sides taken off. He slept really well in it the first night, but since then he will NOT stay in it once we put him to bed at night.
During the day today, I bribed him with a smartie for his lunchtime nap, and he didn't leave his room once. But every night he is up til 11pm or later, refusing to go to bed. We tried a sticker chart but he is not interested, and the Smartie trick doesn;t work after the first 'escape' as he knows it's now gone and he has nothing to lose.
We tried the softly-softly approach for a night, then went with the Supernanny 'return them to the bed with no reaction' for the last 7 nights. That happens from 7.30-11pm every night, and often later. My son thinks it is a game, and doesn't seem to have any impact on him other than to either make him giggle and say 'take me back to bed', or make him upset and less inclined to go to sleep.
Please tell me this method works in the long run - and if not, what else we can do. We have left his door open as despite a nightlight (which was sufficient when he was in a cot), he has become afraid of the dark. He then slams it shut and wakes his baby sister, whose ability in putting herself to sleep has been decimated (she was really good before, but now is woken so many times by the door that she is freaking out when we leave the room).
I know it is a big transition (one that he instigated by jumping out of the cot - he'd be in his cot still if we had anything to do with it!), and my son is particularly stubborn, but this is plain dangerous. My husband caught him climbing over the top stairgate last night, and later on trying to let himself out of the front door!!!!
We need to crack this as my DD (13mo) is a gymnast already and will be out of her cot far sooner than DS, and THAT will be an even bigger challenge... as she is even MORE stubborn!
HELP!