He has decided to not be a great sleeper anymore and this is his tired-boy face. He is still sweet in unpredictable spurts (and when being totally entertained or getting his own way). But, the days of him being agreeable, quiet, and easy are gone. Here is how it started: He figured out how to get out of his crib about 6 months ago. He was not quite old enough to understand "stay in your bed or else..." so, after a few long days and nights (ie: him coming in my room a few times a night just to say hi), we bought a crib net and trapped him in. This net, or "tent" as we taught him to call it (in an effort to trick him into thinking it might be fun), has been a lifesaver.
Well, all good things have to come to an end sometime, and last week was the end. He figured out how to get out with the net on. He is like Houdini! He gets out and I go in his room and the net is still on. It does not look disturbed. So we put him in over and over again.... begin the calm, loving reasoning on why he needs to stay in bed and ending in threatening to take his blanket away, etc. To make a long story short, we are done with naps and bedtime is hellish instead of calming.
Does anyone have ANY ideas for us? Seriously we might try anything. After observing his skills at staying in the crib because we have told him to, I am hesitant to use a toddler bed yet. But maybe that is what we have to do... who knows?
9 comments:
We just have David sit outside their rooms and get after them every time that they get out of bed. Have you ever watched Supernanny? She says the first time they get out of bed you tell them it is bedtime and put them back in their bed. Every time after that you don't say anything to them and put them back in bed and just keep doing it until they stay. It works for Supernanny!!!
We are going through the same thing, so when you figure it out let us know. I like the Supernanny method, and it worked with Molly, but Tyler seems to think it is a game and I give in before he does. Luckily we only go through it at naptime, and he goes down great at bedtime. Good luck!
i am the last person to give advice since i only have one child and he still sleeps in his crib and is too chubby to climb out- but i was just talking to my friend about this today and she has four kids and has been through it all. she said that they went to the toddler bed and it took a whole week or so to get it all hammered out- but they would just put all the toys out of reach and hold the door closed so he couldnt get out until they knew he was asleep or whatever- she said this could also be done with a child proof door knob thing. she said that eventually eh would whine himself over to his bed or around there and crash. they would go in later and make sure he was in his bed safe and sound and then leave the door so that he could get out in the morning.
We did the super nanny thing too.Worked for Liza and Daniel but not for Rainey! The only thing that works with Rainey is lying down beside him or on the floor next to his bed for the 5-10 minutes that it takes to get him to sleep. We also had to shorten his naps so he would be tried enough to go to sleep when we put him in bed. Good luck!
Love to hear the creative way you use to get him to stay in bed...
I am pretty sure my parents use to tie my brothers in their cribs but you would go to jail for that now. Good luck!
Jessica's comment made me laugh so hard! If we did half the things that people did in the 70's we would definitely go to jail. :-) We all turned out fine though right?
I never was good at this kind of thing- Brody took care of it. Maybe you could hire him for a week or something.
I hate to admit it, but I think it's time to transition to the toddler bed. Brad did the same thing at 1 1/2 years old. We did the childproof knob on the inside for a little bit and he would just crash on his bed after a while. But doesn't he share a room with the boys? That might be tricky. I would definitely try the toddler bed- he might surprise you (don't they alway?) and stay in bed! Good luck and let us know the outcome.
Ha! I'm sorry I take such comfort in your struggles, but I honestly do because we are going through exactly the same thing. Blake is in a bed and did great for the first week. Now he gets out every night and nap. Actually I've kind of given up on naps. EVERY night I do the supernanny thing. Just pick him up and take him back to the bed without saying anything to him- over and over. Usually this lasts an hour. Brian isn't home(tax season) and I'm usually feeding Lila. It is exhausting!!!! I've tried begging, bribing, yelling and taking things away- no luck. So no, I don't have any tricks that work, but keep me posted if you find something.
I feel so bad for you! I hate sleep issues, it's so exhausting.
I had a friend who somehow tied the crib tent on, so her son couldn't get out. I don't know if it was a good idea, but it worked for her. Good luck, call me if you come for Spring Break.
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