Moved to bed - no more good sleeper

Two weeks ago we converted DS2's cot to a bed and moved it into DS1's room.

DS2 is 22 months so it seemed like time to move him to a bed, DS1 had been in a bed since about 16 months and it was never a problem. DS2 was a dream sleeper - he would go straight down every night without a fuss and sleep for 12 - 13 hours without stirring (except for the odd night when he'd wake for water, but would go straight back down). He would also go straight down for a day sleep and sleep for up to 4 hours.

We moved them into the same room to make it easier for DS1 to go down at night (he didn't like being in a room by himself - not working so far as now he just mucks around with DS2 instead of going to sleep) and to maybe get to sleep in longer on weekends as they might play together in their room for a while (not working so far LOL!!).

So now, DS2 won't go to sleep at all unless we sit in the room until he is nearly asleep. Which is mostly not too long, but can be over an hour, especially if DS1 is going down at the same time and they keep egging each other on. Plus he is getting up at 4:30 every morning. If I take him back to bed and sit or lie in there for about 15mins he'll settle back down, but then gets up again in 15 or 30 mins. Then DS1 wakes up and refuses to go back down. For day sleeps, we usually have to put DS1 in our bed so that DS2 will go down, and then sit with DS2 and keep fingers crossed that DS1 will go down (sometimes yes and sometimes no, but that's no different to before anyway).

I can't survive on 5 1/2 hours sleep for much longer, but don't want to go back to a cot. They will go back to separate rooms next week if things don't settle but I think the DS2 in a bed thing will still be a problem. Has anyone else gone through this and how long did it take to settle?? Any tips??

Sorry for the long post :redface:.

Firstly big :hug:
We had a similar issue with DS, he was a great sleeper in the cot and would self settle day & night when we moved him into a bed he couldnt go to sleep by himself for a while, I'd would have to lie next to him until he went to sleep. We found that he improved with time and now will go to sleep at night by himself and most nights will sleep 7.30pm to 6ish. My thoughts were that they feel really secure in the cot with the four sides while in a bed they can feel the "empty space".
The other thing was DS never really had a lovey when in the cot - wasnt interested - but since going into the bed he has 2 stuffed toys which he cant sleep without.
Oh and another thing we have found that if DS is off colour or its a cold night he will disturb and cry out so i just bring him into our bed so we both get more sleep.
Hang in there darl this wont last forever "this too will pass" :lol:

I know you said you didn't want the cot back again but how about using it to transition him - maybe take one side off for a week or so then the next then into the bed (if your cot won't collapse without its sides).
Is the bed in a corner? Maybe having walls on 2 sides might make him feel more secure.

Thanks girls.

Well, he has never had any interest in a lovey (except his sheet), and still doesn't. And he has not ever and still will not, sleep in a bed with us (or anyone else). He has to have his own space. If he would sleep in our bed I wouldn't mind at all, but it's a no-goer. He has improved and now might lie still for a whole 5 minutes - but not a second more - then he 's climbing everywhere and getting into everything.

Chloe, his bed is in a corner. Maybe we could try putting one side back on the cot. I don't know. It's funny, he's not distressed or anything. If someone stays in there with him he will just lie quietly until he gets sleepy enough (unless Jack is egging him on to sit up or make funny noises). But he just won't stay put if we are not there with him. Mind you, he has never been good at being "still", even in his cot he moved all over the place.

We had to move my Dd#2 in with Dd#1 about 2 months ago. She was only 26 months. We popped her in a toddler bed. Like your boy, my DD#2 was a fantastic sleeper, we would pop her in her cot at 7pm, and not hear a peep out of her till 7am the next morning.
It turned yucky when we made the move to a bed. It was party time according to little miss. She was still up at 9pm some tnights. We too would lie with her, eventually she would fall asleep, but lying there for 2hrs each night was not something i was prepared to do....she was crabby in the day too. The lack of sleep was catching up on her, and eventually she got sick, gastro bug, run down etc etc. ..............so we bit the bullet and put her back in her cot (still sharing with her sister).

I just felt she was too young to understand the whole big bed thing (i.e we stay in it !!!!:lol:). Shes a totally different girl now. I know we still have the hurdle of a big bed later down the track, but for her, she just wasnt ready (i think we were, but she wasnt).......good luck.

Thanks for sharing mbear. I'm beginning to think we might have to go back to the cot too, although I do think that at nearly 2 he should be ready. And he definitely understands what he should do, it's just the impulse control which is not coming to the party!

We are all showing the effects of lack of sleep atm and I am sick as well from being run down so we might have no choice but to go back to the cot.

MR - We tried moving DS around that age and had to go back to the cot so he ended up moving about 4 months later and he was "ready" then.