Please Help My Two Year Old Won't Sleep!!!!!!!!!

You could try changing his behavior by rewarding him with a sticker chart, treats, or whatever. If he stays in bed all night he gets a shiny sticker, etc... and this works for a lot of other things too, by the way.

Is he a young 2 or is he almost 3? Maybe he's too young to appreciate the reward system. So failing that, I agree with most of the other posters...keep him in the crib. Use a bassinet or playpen for the baby. Or borrow an old crib from a friend or buy one used off Craig's List. You might have 2 kids in cribs for a while - but that's ok.

If you can't keep him in another crib, you should definitely keep him confined to his bedroom. It's really not safe for a small child to be silently roaming the house at night. Baby-gate his doorway.

My thought is that he was happy in his crib and he is still so young, maybe you should just let him have some more time to adjust. A pack n play is really useful and there is no reason why you can't have the baby sleep in a pack n play in your room or invest in one of those little co sleepers and have the baby close to you. My son is going to be 2 in just a few days and I can't imagine him not having the comfort of his crib. If you are dead set on having him sleep in the toddler bed maybe instead of closing his bedroom door put a baby gate across his door? I don't know how baby proof your house is but you must be a pretty sound sleeper, if my little guy came to my bedroom and went to sleep on the floor I would hear him. I would be scared to death at the idea that he was up roaming the house freely unsupervised. I wish I had better advice for you, I understand how exciting a new baby on the way is, just don't let your son get lost in the shuffle.
Lots of luck
B.

I think that these kids are only kids once. You have stated that he was content in his crib. How about buying one of those cheap 40 dollar porta cribs for the baby or a bassinet and giving your 2 year old some more time to be the baby too? He's already feeling the tension of the new baby coming. Now he's feeling as if he's being displaced and the baby will get "his" bed.

I promise that an infant can NOT tell if he/she is in a cheap porta crib or an expensive full sized crib. If you allow the older brother to help with the baby in small ways like getting you a diaper, bringing you the wipes, etc., you can praise and praise him for being such a big boy and a helper. THEN, you can create a few hours per week where you and your husband take turns taking him out on a BIG BOY treat or run for ice cream etc. LATER, when he's more used to the new baby, you can start talking about how much the baby is growing and how the baby needs a larger bed. THEN, you can help him to see that he would be taking great care of his little baby brother or sister by moving into his big boy bed.

Otherwise, anything I can think of is just taking a hard line with him and you have enough stress right now. Is it really worth it?

Suzi

Two is a bit soon to move them out of their crib especially if they are a child who is NOT climbing out on their own but...this too shall pass...not to worry...he will soon figure out that the bed is more comfortable. Consistency is the key so keep putting him in the toddler bed and don't worry if he falls asleep on the floor as it will not hurt him to do so. If you're unable to reach him to put him back in his bed than just cover him up with a blanket and start talking about it the next morning over breakfast. If he wakes in his bed just say "Wow, you look happy and must feel good because you slept all night in your big boy bed." Just keep up the positive reinforcement and avoid making a new bad habit like letting him sleep in your room or bed. Obviously, as a caring and loving mom you want him safe and comfy IN his bed but this change is something he has to get used to and hopefully he'll work it out before the next big change comes...Baby.

Just remember, he's doing it because he can and since we are social beings we like to be close to others we love and that goes for bedtime too. It's just not as cozy sleeping alone. If you feel that you're worried for his safety then I would start shutting the door and just keep the baby monitor in his room so you can still hear him. I put safety door knob covers on my daughter's bedroom door when she did this so that way she couldn't open the door herself. I think it's better for him to fall asleep on his own bedroom floor rather than somewhere else throughout the house where you can't find him or know what he's been up to in the middle of the night.

Good luck and best wishes!!

Good Morning A., how about putting in a half door?
One that is divided and the upper part can be left open, the lower part locked. He couldn't get out that way and you could see if he was beside the door before going in. Also would keep him from being stepped on in your room. They use these doors in a lot of church nursery's, parents can check on their little ones with out going in.

Other then Pinning his PJ's to the sheets ;) I am stumped on how to keep them in bed. We will be going though this with Zane soon. Gen already placed the toddler bed in his room so he can get used to it.

God Bless A., hopefully more knowledgeable Mama's can give you some great advice.

K. Nana of 5

Our son has decided that he likes his crib better than the toddler bed, even though he used to sleep in it just fine. I've found that he likes to sleep sideways so he can be surrounded on three sides by something secure. If your son is similar, try putting the bed against the wall, if it's not already, and see if you can get a secure bed rail. That might help. (Our bed rail is not all that secure. We have the big one back in the crib and the little one in a pack and play. For now.)

Last weekend we moved our 2 year old son from his crib to a full size bed. He was fine in his crib, but my mom needed it at her house and it is time for him to have a bigger bed anyway. We put a gate up in the doorway, one of the ones from one step ahead that has the foot pedal that you step on to open it. With it up it allows us to shut the door almost all the way, but it won't completely close, yet our son can open the door and see out. If he tries hard enough he can open the gate, but we can hear him when that happens. If he gets up in the night he usually is too asleep to try the gate so he yells for one of us and we go in.

I am not sure if this will help, but at least you would be able to get in if he fell asleep on the floor! And you could hear him if he tried to get out!

To echo Suzi below, my 18 month old is still in her portable crib with no problem since my kids have such different sleep needs that I can't have them in the same room. I bought mine used from a friend, and a bumper for it off craigslist, but if that's not possible, I recommend this one (http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Childrens-Products-Portable-N..., which has the advantage of being able to roll through doorways and will last up until they are 50 pounds. It might take the pressure off and give you a little more time to ease your big guy into the situation!

I think you are lucky he is not throwing a fit about it. I have a couple suggestions. First I don't think you should go backward and put him back in his crib since you have already made the change. I would suggest a baby gate on his door so he is not totally closed in. That way if he does fall to sleep on the floor you can get to him easily. There are also tents you can get for beds that might make him feel more secure.

when we moved my son to a big bed out of the toddler bed he slept on the floor a lot and would find him in the hall, room or anywhere and we had hardwood floors. He just preferred the floor over his big bed. We thought it must be the big bed and set the toddler bed back up but he decided he liked the floor. He didn't even take his pillow or blanket with him. He never came to our room though but would find him in the morning sleeping on his floor or in the hallway. If you don't want your child moving into your room at night put up a baby gate at the door and leave his door open so he doesn't sleep next to the door where you can't get it open. He is 16 now and still doesn't have a problem sleeping on the floor and we bought him an expensive inner spring mattress with pillow top. When we stay in hotels he prefers the floor over the hotel beds so we never have a complaint out of him if we have company or he has friends over. He is always the first one to offer to sleep on the floor and if he had his way he wouldn't have a bed in his room. He has asked several times if he can get rid of the bed and just sleep on the floor. He says the bed is just wasting space that he could have for other things.

I had a friend in high school that also preferred to sleep on the floor so there are some kids that just like the floor and usually have better posture than the rest of us that sleep on comfy beds.

A. D-

I am in a similar but different situation. My daughter is 21 months old and we moved her to a toddler bed aboout two weeks ago. The reason we did this now and not later (I'm due in September) is because she was climbing out onto her changing table (that cannot be detached). I did not want to get a crib tent so we moved her. The first week or so she did pretty well. She's actually moved to her big girl bed very well overall but in the past week or so, she has been waking 1-5 times a night!! She has done this in the past (never been a sleep through the night kind of girl) and often would fall back asleep on her own. But not anymore. She cries and cries and even last night was crying out "No, Give me that!" so I don't know if she's having night terrors or bad dreams? Or maybe she wakes and realizes she can get out of the bed but doesn't because it's dark (she does have the light of the alarm clock but not very bright). So I am stumped as well. I wonder when (if?) she'll ever sleep through the night? She still has a binky so I know often times she just loses it and wants it but doesn't look for it (probably because she knows we'll get it for her). If she wakes after 3 am, I just put her in bed with us (I get up at 5:45 and get her up at 6 anyways).

I know kids are only kids once so I do not mind having to help her back to sleep (most times she just needs her binky and a pat on the back) but other times she needs to be rocked again and still other times, the only way she'll go back to sleep is to sleep with us (we occasionally co-sleep so this is not a problem). I wish she would sleep through the night but then I think that she's only young once so if this is how it's going to be, so be it!

I know in our house, a half door or just a gate would not work because if she could see the light from the living room down the hall, she would NEVER sleep (or if she heard the TV). At least he is staying in his room! I would not worry about him sleeping anywhere in his room as long as it's safe. My only recommendation would be to put one of those door knob protectors on the inside of his door so he cannot get out and roam hte house or get into your room. Heaven forbid you or your husband get up in the middle of the night and trip over him or step on him!!

Good luck!