Wont stay in bed!!!

I have had it - am totally out of ideas!! DS turned 2 at the end of November and moved to a big bed around September. All was going well and he would go straight to sleep for a nap and then at nighttime perfectly.

Now it's a totally different story. He had his tonsils out mid December and since then he has totally given up his nap (which is fine - his brothers stopped around this time too) and will not stay in his bed at night time. It takes upward of 2 hours to get him to stay in bed. He comes out of his room, laughs at us when we tell him to get back into bed, ignores us, pretends he needs a drink or has to do a wee - basically just causes havoc for two hours while we are trying to get the other boys to bed. We have tried saying nothing - just putting him back in his room, yelling at him and even showing him that his brothers are in bed and saying "its bed time for you too" and putting him to bed. Nothing works.

We take it in turns sitting outside his room as we are sick of walking up and down the hall. lights on/lights off, door open/ door closed - what else do we do??? We are all so tired (him included) but he just wont give in!!

Please post any tricks you have used to keep your little one in bed as we are at the end of our tether!

We use a night light in DD's room and close the door until we head off to bed (but listen out for sounds in the meantime :lol:), then we open the door.

It's how we've always done it - and she doesn't seem bothered by it at all, its routine.

If she does seem to be making a bit of noise in her room after we've put her to bed I walk in there, put her back to bed and say nothing, no eye contact either. The first night I tried it I did it twenty times, and since then I may only have to go in there one or twice in total each week.

I view it as attention seeking (when you mention DS coming out, wanting this and that, laughing at you etc) and by interacting with him you give him the attention he desires. Cut out that attention and he'll probably get very bored of it quick enough (I hope so for your sake hun :lol:).

Depends on his level of understanding maybe also give him warning before its bed time e.g. 'ok, time to have your last drink and wee - its bed time in 5 mins' etc, and then say it at 3 mins to bed time then 1 minute till bedtime perhaps.

Good luck hun!