DD finally got her big bed earlier this week, we had been preparing her for it, talking about it, having her there when we picked the bed and letting her pick the doona cover etc.
Prior to her bed coming was had transitioned her from our bedroom, where she would sleep either in our bed or on a mattress on the floor, to her cot (side off) in her bedroom. That transition went much better than expected, still some messing about, but minor to what she had been doing. We would read her a number of books whilst she lay in the cot and would often end with her in my lap singing to her to sleep. Sometimes she would wake an hour later and was easily resettled, or she would get up about 4:30 and come into our bed, there were also some full on sleep throughs :dance: We kept the hall light on for her and her door slightly a jar so she could see if she needed to come to us in the dark.
Now we have stuck with the same routine with the move to the big bed. I was in no hurry to rush her, but once it was all set up she wanted to be in it. Her level of messing around has increased ten fold, wants to be on our lap with us in her bed, constantly back and forth between the bed and us. We have explained to her it is ok to come into to us if she wakes up, but she needs to go so sleep in her bed first. Finally when I tell her it is time to turn the light off and go to sleep, she started with the "I'm scared" business. I bring DH back in to talk to her about it and last night it ended with her coming to bed with me. When she came to bed with me, I did not read to her and explained that to come to bed with me now she has to go to sleep. So with a bit of singing she went down and stayed asleep all night. Today we went out and bought her a special torch to help when she is scared and a night light which we explained to her kept scary things away. Well that did not help, once again once I said it was sleep time she was scared again, so now she is back asleep in our bed.
I don't know how to feel, a part of me is unsympathetic and a bit angry at her as I feel her being scared is not genuine, but then I feel bad as she could be really scared. I do feel though that if she was really scared that she would refuse to go to the bed right from the start.
How do we help her with this? I would like to see her settled into her new bed before this new bub arrives (don't want her to connect major change to the new baby). I was thinking we could reintroduce music (must get her stereo re setup) or maybe some new books.

