We switched B (2.5) to a toddler bed last night. We figured since we were already sitting in his room until he fell asleep at night we might as well get it over with. It did not go great. He woke up at 2:30, came into our room (note: buy toddler proof door handle), and when he was ushered back to his room he was was awake until 5. I don't know everything that happened but I know there was crying, chatting, attempts to get out of the room, and playing. When I went in at 4am to relieve my husband the toy bin was tipped over, there were toys everywhere, B was sitting in bed playing with a fire truck, and my husband was lying on the floor under a toddler blanket. I eventually convinced him to lie down and rubbed his back until he fell asleep, but it was a rough night. Anybody have any tips to make the coming nights any smoother? We have a bedtime sticker chart but it doesn't seem to be an incentive, last night he told me "I don't want stickers and prizes".
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Was he excited about the bed? My daughter got hers for Christmas so she was pretty pumped about it. We had to give the crib her baby sister so I put the pack n play in big sisters room. She got 2 to 3 chances to stay in bed (with plenty of discussion about what the consequence would be) and if she didn't stay in bed we "took her new bed away" and put her in the pack n play. I know that seems harsh but my DD is a rule breaker for sure and I didn't know what else to do. I let her cry for 2 or 3 minutes (she was pissed) then came in and said she could get back in her new bed but she had to stay there. That worked well enough. She still sometimes gets up at night but she was doing that in her crib too. She falls asleep no problem when ushered back to her room, so no help there.
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This is my worst nightmare. We haven't made the switch yet, but Weissbluth says that when the child comes out of the room, to keep the interaction minimal (no talking) and usher them back to their room. And don't react when they come out of their room (like, no "you know you're supposed to stay in your room" etc). Even if it takes a hundred times of walking them back... what I haven't figured out is how to keep them in their room if they are crying and upset, if we're not supposed to talk to them!
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@Mrs. Sunshine: He was excited about it! We had a whole talk about how he's a big boy, and he suggested that we give his baby brother his crib "because I'm a big boy and he's just a little baby!" The playpen is a great idea, I'm going to steal that!
@BabyTsMom: I know, I don't know either. I've put a lock on his door now but if he's just in his room crying and yelling am I supposed to just ignore it? I have a five month old asleep in the next room!
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@BabyTsMom: @erinbaderin: I do my best to keep my interaction minimal and it does help but if my DD is crying or upset I will always hug her/ask what she needs and then do my best to stay silent while executing that. We did cry it out with her when she was younger but it feels so different to me to do while she's in her bed. She's never been one to have us sit next to her while she falls asleep though so I don't have much helpful advice there, just understanding.
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@erinbaderin: When we switched he was younger (20 months) and after 1 night where I had to lay in there for 2 hours until he fell asleep we got the toddler lock for his room. I was actually amazed that he only tried the door for a minute or so before getting mad and going back to his bed. After a couple nights he just went to bed normally. We also have a 5 month old and there are some nights where he's regressed and screamed but our 5 month old slept through it all. @MrBee had a good post about this when they went through something similar with Charlie.
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