Big bed - playing instead of sleeping

[Chickadee]

We took down the cot and set up the big bed today. Chloe loves it. Unfortunately she only wants to play, not sleep, now that she has freedom to get up and get to her toys. Moving her toys out isn't really a viable option. I've tried to keep her relatively immobile by giving her books to look at in bed. As long as she's playing quietly, should I bother going in (every 3 minutes :eek: ) to tell her to get back in bed? Personally I don't care if she plays until she passes out, when she does finally fall asleep she sleeps for 2 or more hours. But she'll be starting back to daycare in Jan (Yay!) and I don't want to cause more problems with her not sleeping there. Any opinions, stories or advice are more than welcome!

As I finish typing this she's starting to bang on her bedroom door and ease it open :(

[whatwasithinking]

It's a new toy and I wanna play mummy ;)

Seriously don't stress - just let her become familiar with this foreign piece of furniture that has appeared in her room today.
She should tire herself out and sleep tonight - you probably will have to perservere (no idea on how to spell that word) for a couple of days just whilst she settles in.

Hannah did exactly the same thing when we got her a new bed for about 3days - it will pass and become easier.

[Chickadee]

Thanks Donna! That's what my gut was saying, but it wanted back up :) It probably doesn't help that we had a lazy morning so she hasn't had a good run around to exhaust herself.

[whatwasithinking]

Hannah doesn't want to sleep today either :rolleyes:

By 5pm she will be so cranky. ggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[draught]

Martha
We had the same problem when DD1 moved into a bed. I hadn't discovered all of you so instead sent out emails to my sisters and SIL and friends asking for advice. The response was to let her go at night - I would go in every 10 minutes or so and calmly tell her to get back into bed. During the day I had the advantage that her bedroom is off the lounge so I would leave the door ajar and again, every 10 minutes put her in. From memory it only took a few days/nights for her to get it. You are right too - a big run around in the morning always helped tire her out.

Congrats on daycare - work will be much easier for you!

[Chickadee]

Update - This afternoon I ended up laying down with her, since she wanted to sleep in my bed I figured me in her bed would be an acceptable compromise. So I dozed for 1.5 hours while she played and occassionally snapped me back to conciousness by banging on her toy piano or pulling my hair (nice one!). By 4pm she was past exhausted and verging on hysterical. I put her back in bed, held her while she screamed, did some patting, and 2 minutes later she passed out. Slept till 6:30, including being pulled out of bed and into the car.

Tonight we had one story and then night night. I heard her get back up almost immediately - she set off a noisy toy followed by a quick patter of feet back to bed. Silence since then, granted that was only half an hour ago (our routine went out the window this week). Either she's asleep, or trying to read a book in the dark :rolleyes:

[Chickadee]

Nope. She wasn't asleep yet, she was just laying in bed. I've now left her with half a dozen books to look at in the dark :rolleyes:

[lil monkey]

Hang in there Martha!

My cousin's son when he was Chloe's age did exactly the same thing - I think after 3-4 nights he got the message and read one book and then went to sleep.

He is now 4 and still every now and then wonders in and out of his room but amuses himself and eventually goes to sleep. His brother ended up in a bed when he was 14 months as he kept climbing out and it took a few days again for him to get used to his little bed.

The two boys now share a room and the first night they 'bunked' together, we could hear laughter, toys, crying (hurting each other no doubt) and it took 3 hours but they fell asleep.

Basically, the novelty will wear off - not necessarily tonight, but it will wear off! :D

Hang in there - if it's any consolation, I won't be getting any sleep tonight either thanks to Tayla's chicken pox! :(

[rynosmum]

Good luck Martha !

Ry is a pretty good sleeper but I've been wondering how he is going to do when we move to a big bed next year. I'll be watching Chloe's progress intently..... ;)

She must be so excited with her new found freedom ! :D

[Chickadee]

Rynosmum - New freedom indeed. She never did climb out of her big cot, and only out of her portacot for one day (I seem to have scared her out of ever trying again :)) So this is a huge novelty. I'll miss having her contained to be honest, but the last week to two weeks she's wanted nothing but to sleep with us, so I thought the novelty of her own big bed might get her out of ours. Co-sleeping in our bed turns into playtime and I'm tired of having little fingers caught in my hair.

Lu - Thanks for the support and story. I hope Tayla's spots clear up soon, poor thing :( And you're sick too!

Theresa - I knew you'd have some good advice from dd1's adventures. Thanks. I think if she doesn't settle down herself in a few days I will need to toughen up about enforcing her being in bed and not playing, and try your 10 minute routine.

[H&B'sMum]

Thank goodness you posted this Martha, as Harry is going into his big bed after the hols. I've been wondering how he will go, not being confinded and having the freedom to get in and out. But I agree the first few nights will be hard but then they should settle down.
How did Chloe go last night????

[Chickadee]

I wish you luck Karena. I'd suggest you pick a week when you don't have any major committments, as your routine and sleeping patterns might get thrown out of whack for a while.

Last night I put her into bed at 9:45, late I know, our routine has slipped later and later over the last weeks. I checked her at 10:15 after a while of silence and she was still awake though being quiet in her bed. Left her with books, in the dark, and continuing silence. I went in around 11 I think and she was passed out :)

Today, day2. We were out walking and shopping most of the morning and early afternoon so I thought she'd be tired. We got home, offered her a snack (refused) and I put her straight to bed around 3pm. I've heard her a few times and gone to tell her to get back into bed. Went to look after 10 minutes silence, and that was a mistake as my opening the door and leaving again set off tears and demands for me to sleep there. Calmed her, back to bed. A while of silence, and then a thump. I found her fallen on the floor (I put a spare mattress on the floor beside her bed). More demands for me to sleep with her. Its now 3:50 and I can hear her pattering around.

[tickle]

I feel your pain Martha.
I have the same dramas with Oliver.
We've just got him out of the whole co-sleeping thing (I can get a good nights sleep!!) and now he can get out of the cot.
Because he is so young (16 months) he doesn't really understand it and thinks it's all a big joke if I tell him to get back in bed.
We will persist. :rolleyes:

[tickle]

Oh, I meant to ask you, did she wake at all last night, or just sleep through?
O woke a few times and was easily resettled once he knew where he was, hope it doesn't become a habit!!

[Chickadee]

Unless she has a bad dream, Chloe generally sleeps through. After she was asleep I went in and moved her away from the edge of the bed and made sure the floor mattress was out to catch her falls.

It's now 1.25 hours since I put her to bed for her nap and I can still hear her. Grrrr. :mad:

[H&B'sMum]

Hang in there Martha. I'm sure she will get it eventually. I was going to do it the week one of us is home on hols, so he can stay kinda in his own routine and hopefully he will adjust.

[whatwasithinking]

How's it going Martha?

Is Chloe sleeping well in the big bed?

[Chickadee]

Yes Donna. She sleeps in the biggest bed now. Mine. :(

Some days she will have quiet time in her own room instead of napping. Other days when she is very tired I can convince her to nap in our bed, or I make her cry herself out in her own bed. I'm so mean. Night time sleeps are increasingly in our bed till she finally passes out. Then I move her back to her own but if she wakes in the night she winds up back in our bed again.

Her sleep schedule is all over the place. The last two nights she wouldn't go to bed till after 10pm. Sometimes she sleeps in, other days up at 6am. Might not nap, might sleep 4 hours.

I know what I need to do to push her back to a 7am-8pm day routine, but don't have the energy.

[whatwasithinking]

Oh Martha - I am so sorry that this is happening for you.:eek:

Hannah only ever slept in our bed when it was thundering - but OMG this morning she wanted to sleep in our bed because the garbage man frightened her.

I had to open the curtains and show her the lights of the truck and then wait till he drove past to wave to him so she would believe he was friendly and not scary. (cute I guess but not at 4am!!)

[Chickadee]

Thanks Donna. That is pretty cute about waving to the garbage truck :p

One of the strange things is that even when her door is open, when I've told her to go to bed she won't come out of her room unless I tell her it is ok. She will stand at the door and call to me, but won't come out. I don't know quite how I did that, I never yelled at her :confused: I wish I could be so convincing about other things. Of course that means when she wants to come into our bed I have to get up and get her too. But i can live with that.

In the new year she will be starting at daycare, and I think that having a better rhythm to her day will help. Since I'm working at home all the time now I've let our routine fall apart. I half expect her not to sleep at daycare but to join in with the older kids for their quiet time (she'll be in a mixed age room), but that's ok too.

[whatwasithinking]

I half expect her not to sleep at daycare but to join in with the older kids for their quiet time (she'll be in a mixed age room), but that's ok too.
Don't fret - trust me she will sleep at daycare!