How do I get my 18 mo. old to stay in his bed instead of running to mine in the middle of the night?

Shoshana - posted on 06/16/2010

The problem is letting him fall asleep in your bed. He needs to fall asleep in his bed. You can let him stay in your room until he gets sleepy but not asleep then take him to his bed so he knows that's where he is supposed to sleep.

Marissa - posted on 06/15/2010

I am going through tht same thing w/ our 2 1/2 year old son. I put him in a toddler bed about 2 months ago and he likes it but he always gets out and wants to come in our bed. We have the routine and right now I am trying the Super Nanny thing. its kinda worked but what really seems to work is if he gets out of his bed more then once I tell him that Daddy is going to put you to bed this time and I guess its the strenness in daddy's voice that he usually chooses to get right back in bed and lay down. Of course there are plenty of time during the night when he gets up and comes in our bed but honestly im tired and I don't want to wake up our 8 month old who shares his room by having my son wine and cry so I wait unitl he falls asleep and bring him back in and even if he pops up I tell him to get back in bed and heusually does,

Amanda - posted on 06/12/2010

my 22 month old has had her toddler bed for about a month now. (converted the crib). she shares a room with her older 11 yr old sister (due to lack of room anywhere else really) and she usually ends up falling asleep with her sister. i try to go in after an hour and move her to her own bed. but with being 6 1/2 months pregnant i get so tired that i end up falling asleep before i can do the transfer some nights. fortunately her sister doesn't mind too much. i'm hoping it's a phase and she starts staying in her own bed soon. once we move to a bigger house with enough room for our growing family she won't have her sister in the same room anymore. (probably be around the end of the year).

Rebecca - posted on 06/12/2010

We use a baby gate on the door for our 2 year old twins.

Jeannette Torres - posted on 06/12/2010

THANKS TO EVERYONE Keep them coming I need more help. My son got sick with a cold and there goes the routines and habits I was working on for the most part.

Vanessa - posted on 06/12/2010

Hi I am from Australia and the is this AWESOME book called 'Toddler Taming', by a paed called Dr Christopher Green and it has very practicle, effective and humorous sugestions about how to deal with 'interesting' toddler behaviour. Don't know if you can get it in the US, but I am sure you'd be able to order it online. It has been my bible! My first child Ro(now 3) was a very placid toddler, but I read the book anyway - for armed is for warned! And had the tools for my second child (Gracie now 2) and again, we haven't had many dramas with either. And Oscar (now 8 months) I am hoping he is as 'easy' as the others have been! One thing Dr Christopher Green says is you've got to be a united front at home! Toddlers know who the 'weak link' is! good Luck!

Brandy - posted on 06/12/2010

We have a routine that works 98% of the time, but as with any young child there is always a tough time at some point.

Shireen - posted on 06/12/2010

I've had the same problem with my toddler who just turned 2 last month. Initially I used the cold turkey method & hated every bit of it myself. Over a period of months he got used to the before bed routine which is bath, dinner, book, a cup of milk & bed. He voluntarily goes into his cot and I have devised a method whereby I keep a small seat near his cot & I sit until I see him fall asleep. At times he talks to me & when I dont respond to every question, gets the message and falls asleep. This is as long as he has the assurance that I am still around. He does wake up every single night and wants to crawl into my bed, but I try the same routine again..tuck him back again & sit next to his cot till he's asleep again which this time around doesnt take more than a few seconds. But yes, I agree that it is a tedious task and this schedule goes off track especially when I travel and I put him next to me when I sleep...But if you are at home then try doing this continuously for a week or so without giving in to his demands of wanting to crawl into your bed....hope this tip helps..good luck!

Sherry - posted on 06/11/2010

I switched my DD to a toddler bed when she was about a year old.

I wouldn't let him fall asleep with you anymore. I would setup a routine that ends up with him in his own room to fall asleep.

Part of my DD's problem was the newness of being able to get out of bed. We would put her to sleep and close her door. A lot of the time she would end up falling asleep on the floor in front of the door. If your little one can operate door handles install a childproof thing over the door handle on the inside of his room. When we went to bed a few hours later we picked her up and put her in her bed. She usually stayed there for the rest of the night. Occasionally, she would get out of bed and come into our room, we just brought her back to her bed, laid her down (without saying anything), and went back to our room.

If you are worried about him coming into your room, just install a child gate in his doorway. After a few nights he should eventually catch on (or it might take longer).

Good Luck!

Nicole - posted on 06/11/2010

we are having a similar problem with our little girl who is 2 1/2 she will fall asleep in our living room and I put her to bed but she almost always makes it to my bed before the sun is up. We tried the super nanny trick and it didn't work for her and I was too wore out with the baby to keep it up...

Ann Marie - posted on 06/11/2010

We let our toddler sleep with some of her stuffed animals on the bed with her. She lays in bed and plays with them until she falls asleep. We don't mind if she stays up for a little while, as long as she stays in bed. We also have a set bedtime routine: bath, pajamas, a book or two, prayers, and we tuck her into bed. If she gets off of the bed after that, we tell her very sternly to get right back in bed, and she cries a bit in protest, but she does it!

Kimberly - posted on 06/11/2010

The Super Nanny routine is to tuck your child into bed and give kisses and hugs, tell them good night and that you love them and leave the room. The 1st time they get out of bed, tuck them back in and say good night love you. 2nd and the rest of times, just put them back to bed WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. Keep doing this until they fall asleep or at least stay in bed. May take a couple hrs the first few nights, but eventually they will learn to stay in bed and just fall asleep, or at least lay there until they fall asleep. I did this and it worked like a charm!! Good Luck!!

Brooke - posted on 06/11/2010

Hi. What exactly is the super nanny routine?? Our 2 year old still happily sleeps in her cot as we have always put her in a sleep sack so she can't climb out (without it on she is out in a flash) but am dreeding having to put her into a bed as I am expecting she will just get up again if there is nothing keeping her in there.

Heather - posted on 06/10/2010

Honestly? We gated his room off, for his safety and our peace of mind. His room is the ONLY true safe spot in the house, and we dont want him freely running around the house so.... yea!

Kimberly - posted on 06/10/2010

I don't believe that u start with the toddler bed too early. I put my 1st son in his toddler bed at 10mo old. I had another baby on the way and needed the crib. He did really well and by the 3rd night I believe he was sleeping in his bed. After awhile we had a problem with him getting up and we did the SUPER NANNY routine, worked GREAT. I would definatley try that, what have u got to loose? I was laying on the floor with him until he would fall asleep and that was getting old, so we super nanny'd him lol.



Also, I don't keep toys in the kid's room, so they know that when they go in there it's bedtime and that's it.

Jeannette Torres - posted on 06/08/2010

Thanks, You are right we are just going to set the schedule and he will have to do it with some fuss expected I guess.

Christine - posted on 06/08/2010

Often when I check on my son before I go to bed, his light will be on and he will be asleep on the floor - obviously he has been playing with his toys and then has gotten tired and fallen asleep. If your son wants to play a bit more in his room after you've done the bedtime routine, look at it as his own 'quiet time' - which is important in itself ie he can entertain himself (in his room) without having to be in bed with you first or have you in the room, which is really what you want. As for your husband, together you need to take steps to fix the issue at hand before you get to the point where you won't be bothered with noises after 10pm!!! Kids need you to set boundaries ... let them dictate what they want to do and the likelihood of not being bothered after 10pm is unlikely!

Jeannette Torres - posted on 06/08/2010

I like that and have done it early in the evening, as a normal child would, but then he is ready for bed but stays awake for another 2-3 hours. What about then? Do I do the sleep routine of the Super Nanny with an 18 mo. old? My husband doesn't want to be bother with noises afte 10pm so I'm a little strap for time in the evening.

Carthelle - posted on 06/05/2010

I think he gets out so much because he is too young, most babies don't move to a toddler bed until they are around 2 and can understand more of what's going on. I waited till my son was 2 and then at that age we went and he picked out the sheets and stuff he wanted so it was a fun experience and an easy transition

Danielle - posted on 06/04/2010

OH, and another suggestion if you want to keep him from wandering- try to install a screen door on his room. I know of TWO people who have done this because their kids wandered, and they didn't want to close the door entirely. And we considered it!

Christine - posted on 06/03/2010

Oh dear :( No more falling asleep in your room first!!! Perhaps introduce a bedtime routine so he knows what's expected - dinner , bath, book reading in his room and then lights out and close the door. I think you will have to be consistent and tough. Good luck!

Christina - posted on 06/03/2010

My son does this too. I got some of those door knob things to put on the door that are "suppose" to keep them in their rooms but it didnt work maybe they will work for u. Good Luck hopefully I find something that helps me too.

Jeannette Torres - posted on 06/03/2010

Thanks for the tip but I think there is something wrong with this kid I tried that and he won't go to sleep until 11 to 1130pm and then he is up by 8:30 to 9am lol

Danielle - posted on 06/03/2010

My daughter was 18 months when her crib was converted because she climbed out. We did the same thing... I had to sit in her room for sometimes two hours waiting for her to be really asleep to sneak out. She's almost 2 now, and I'll be honest. I just stopped. I got so exhausted from it, that I just decided it was enough. At first, she would stand at the gate at her door and cry, and eventually fall asleep on the floor. But- I discovered an even better trick. I let her stay up an extra half an hour, and she falls right asleep when I lay her down now. Very rarely does she get up any more, and usually, when she doesn't sleep right away, she stays in bed. I think its something that takes a lot of patience and practice, but eventually they get the hang of it.

Jessica - posted on 06/02/2010

my daughter was like that to so i just closed her door and it worked, she still throws a fit from time to time but usually she does really good.. but i also have a video monitor so i can see her.