Hi Pansy, I know how you feel (well not the twins bit but the rest). We have recently had this same issue with DD and we too have another one due in 10 weeks. We seem to have gotten the better of her but it certainly wasn't without tears and throwing my hands up in despair. Closing the door didn't work for us either as DD just kept opening it. We found persistance payed off..and as frustrating as it is we just had to remain calm and keep putting her back to bed. We got more firm in our voice and facial expressions as we went on and eventually didn't say much just put her back to bed. We also changed her nightly routine slightly which seemed to help. We used to read a book out on the couch and then go down to her room (worked when she was contained in a cot) but since going into her big girls bed we now read a book in bed with the lights dimmed and minimal stimulation..this seems to have had a positive effect and she settles down for bed whilst we are reading. I hope something works for you soon, it really is so stressful and frustrating..and made that much more stressful with the thought that omg i will have to deal with this and a baby soon (well that was my thought when we were having problems..on the other side of things it drove me to remain calm and persistance because I did not want to be dealing with this and a baby!). Best of luck with it all.
I am so glad I am not the only one dealing with this at the moment, My 2 year old DS is driving us insame at the moment, we have booked in with Ngala (sleep people) here in Perth because we have tried everything and its not working... now he is in his portacot in our room sleeping (the last thing i wanted to happen)...
I feel for everyone who is going through this.. I am 4 months pregnant so luckily have time to sort this out.
I have the super nanny book and have tried some of her techniques but DS just screams and screams its horrible. I have been in tears so much lately. I guess being pg doesnt help with the hormones etc.
DS isnt in a bed yet, we still have him in the cot, maybe we should take the rail off try that, he might want his inependance, but then again i think he will get out everytime he wakes up.. He just doesnt know how to settle himself and wants his Dada all the time i am not allowed to put him to sleep and his dada.
Good luck lets hope this all settles for us very soon...
I don't know if this helps much because I haven't actually tried it but when we took my DD to the sleep clinic we watched a PPP video on getting toddlers to stay in their beds and PPP suggests trying a positive approach like:
"It is bedtime. You need to get into your beds and stay there. Mummy (or Daddy) will come back in 2 mins and if you are still in bed we can have a cuddle."
If they stay in bed for 2 mins and then do it again except this time leave the gap of 5 mins and then 10 mins and then 20 mins and so on . . .
The theory is that kids get out of bed as an attention seeking behaviour and so instead of feeding their poor behaviour choices with attention, turn it around so that they are doing a behaviour worthy of being awarded with attention.
I think it is a bit like the idea of control comforting but without the crying and the kids are a bit older. I think that as the intervals increase, the kids will supposedly go to sleep.
As I said, I haven't tried it because I haven't needed to yet but I thought it sounded like an interesting idea but possibily a little idealistic. I don't know but it is a suggestion.
Hmm, the only reason I don't know if that will work, is cos it could go on forever...
I think its best to do the Supernanny advice a la Amberj - don't talk to them at all after the first 2 times. Just put them back and leave the room. However I have also done that myself and lost count after 48 times back to bed.
Now I sit in the room until she goes to sleep. I don't talk to her (cept for an occasional sshhh), don't interact with her and she drops off within 30 mins, and that is dropping back minute by minute. JOY!
I personally would try the safety gate as well so they cant get out. I would leave them in there.. together.. even if they fall asleep on the floor while playing you can go in and put them into there beds later..
Since they think its a game you going in there every 2 seconds.. not going in at all.. they wont get the same excitment as before.
Even if they need to poop.. I have left my son in his room till the morning, and then he went in the morning.
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