ARRGHHH, where do I start?!? Today is definitely a 'pull your hair out day' and I need your help!
My ds is 21mo and has been quite a good sleeper (compared to alot of babes I read about on here!) and sleeps through 5/7 nights a week loves his bedtime routine and was happy to go into his cot as long as it followed pretty much the same sort of pattern.
Well on Good Friday we decided it was time to move him into a 'first bed' (an ikea one lent to us by a friend) so we had the long weekend for any night movements etc. We put our old stair gate on his door. Well he only woke twice the first night and then pretty much sleeps through. The problem we have is putting him down, day or night. We follow the same routine we did for his cot, books before bed, cuddles in the chair with quiet songs and then into the big bed. This is when NO NO NO starts being shouted and archy backs etc. etc. He has been going through his new found 'choice' freedom by saying 'no' about 100 times a day for the last month or so. But we are finding this particularly challenging as there are no bars to keep him trapped in! He just gets out comes to the gate and rattles it calling for us. We go in, put him back, say it's time for sleep, leave, and it repeats over and over again (about 5-8 times). We then end up staying with him till he calms and drops off holding our hand (some of the time.. really don't want a new habit to form!).
What's going on?!? I read some previous 'big bed' threads and they all say this could be a phase, but it's been two weeks now. It's just taken me 1hr to settle him now (lunchtime) when it used to take me 15mins or so in his cot..(bliss). How do you get them to stay in their bed, or atleast stop battling with you and lie down? ARRGH! I've seen the 'put them back in their bed each time they get up' on tv, but they make it look so easy and it usually only takes a few goes...