How do you settle in a bed??

Olivia is 20 months old and has been in a bed for about a week now (DH's idea, certainly not mine) and it has been hit and miss. She happily goes down for both of her sleeps and will stay in her bed as long as she doesn't wake up overnight. If she wakes up I can't settle her again.
I've tried laying down with her but then she just plays with me. I ignore her but that doesn't help. I've tried letting her play for a little while until she falls asleep. I've tried the night light.
I've lost it tonight and she is back in her cot. This is probably giving her the wrong message but I'm exhausted.

So once again ladies, Please save me. How do you settle your little one's in bed??

Thanks everyone.

umm we put jack in his bed in Nov and wow I was liek where has my terrific sleeper gone ... 2 1/2 mths on he is doing great...

during the day I started laying with him and still do he is usually asleep within 10min

at night some nights I lay with him others I just turn out light and close the door he knows I mean business then

when she wakes during the night and you lay with her is there a reason for her waking ie: thirsty (jack has sipper of water in bed with him all the time) also if you lay with her to oget back to sleep make sure no lights no talking if she keeps acting up use a gruff voice with enough its night time good night, then nothing again HTH thats what we did anyway

Oh my goodness we are goign through the same. My DD1 stayed in a cot until she was well over three. That was the plan for DD2, but she climbed out and nearly fell on her head, so it was a bed just before she was three. It may have coincided with daylight savings, but it seems her wonderful sleeping has slowly gone downhill day by day, night by night, and now she is taking hours to get to sleep, whilst having tantrums (as opposed to 1/2 hour of quietness and then off to sleep) and then waking in the night. I have to go and lie with her too, and being 7 months preg this is not making me very excited to have another child come along.
I don't know what to suggest except maybe going back to the cot. I would definitely leave her in there as long as she's happy.
Good luck, and just know i am out there going through similar!! oxo

when we first made the mve to big bed, DD would often come searching for us in the middle of the night... I started to tell her when I put her to bed that Mummy and Daddy love her very much but DD stays in DD bed all night. When she did come out, we'd walk her straight back to her bed with a reminder (the first time) that DD stays in DD's bed and every time after that there would be no talking.
Occassionally we still get her climbing out of bed to have quiet play when I put her down at night... but it is rare and so long as it is quiet we let her go because she only ever lasts 15 minutes and then climbs back into bed and goes to sleep on her own.

There have been times I've sat with DD to settle her - but I only ever stay until she is in that sleepy awake state where she is just about to drift off and then I sneak out; I don't wait until she is fully asleep.

HTH and good luck.

MG

DD doesnt wake at night but we also put up two rails so she cant get out at all, maybe try taht, she may feel more secure like in her cot