Keeping a baby in bed at bed time.

[*Ali*]

Up untill the last few weeks Tori has been really easy to put to bed, basically we wold put her to bed with her bottle and she would go to sleep. However, latley she has taken to drinking some of her bottle, chucking it out of her bed and climbing out of bed and appearing in the lounge room (she has been in her big girl bed since she was 1).
It doesnt matter how many times we returned her to bed she would just get up again, so we had been putting her in her pram until she fell asleep and transferring her to her bed, but I have said to DH that this is not a long term solution and we are rapidly running out of time before Baby #2 arrives to get her into a routine.
We have started a new routine this week with, shower, stories in bed, milk- but she is still getting up, so we have taken to sitting on the end of her bed (not talking to her, or making eye contact) until she decides to lay down still and go to sleep- however it is taking 30mins- 1 hour each night (we are on night 5)

I am not comfortable with the idea of shutting in her bedroom in the dark, as she is really still a baby and I know she still needs help to settle sometimes (plus I am scared of the dark and I would hate it if someone did that to me).



Are we doing the right hting? Will she eventually get the idea that bed time means you stay in bed? Is there anything else we could try?

[Nelle]

Aww hugs Ali, I was chatting with mum about this today, cos I'm so worried about when River goes to a big boy bed! We don't even bother tucking him in, he's rolled and stood up in his cot before we're out the door!

But mum reckoned my sister was similar, and persistence paid for her.

My thoughts would be not to reward her at all with attention when she gets out? Just pick her up and lay her back down without talking or really connecting with her, say goodnight and leave.
Another thought could be, to get one of those light show toys that project on the roof, and teach her to lie in bed and watch it? That might be too much stimulation though, not sure, might calm some kids and excite others...
You might not feel so bad about shutting her in if there's a light in there too...we shut Riv's door, but then we've always done that, so he's used to it, plus has a Fisher Price toy that has a light he can turn on...

I'm guessing that it's just going to come down to persistence, whatever you decide to do, it's going to take awhile before she gets the message. So be encouraged, and all the best! Hopefully it 'clicks' for her soon!

[widdly]

it is so hard to know what is the 'right' thing to do. Archie went into his big boy bed this week and he is one extremely stubborn and perist boy. i am like you in that i thought it would be cruel and scarey to sut his bedroom door, i didn't want to make him scared of the dark or edtime. however, the first night of his big bed he was fine with the bed but he quickly workec out that he could just come out any time he wanted. He was constantly coming out the room for 2.5 hours! i tried everything to convince him to stay there, but it was turning int a game for him, so i did end up shutting the door. He was hysterical the first time i shut, i made sure his night light was on and let him know that he ws safe and cosy in his bed and it wasn't scarey to shut the door. The next night and every night since he has been perfectly fine with having the door shut and goes straight to sleep.

i felt SO cruel shutting him in there and i still dont like the idea of it, but its what works for him and its his signal that its sleep time.

i dont think there is any right or wrong way to go about it, you will know in your heart what to do, it is really hard, but you will work our how to get her to realise that bedtime is not playtime.

GL i hope you work someting out very soon