My 22 month old son has been in a toddler bed since February. My problem is about 75% of the time he will not go to sleep in his bed, he lays down by the door in his room and cries for about five minutes and then goes to sleep. Sometimes I try to push the door open and pick him up and put him in bed. But most of the time when I do this he wakes up and it starts him off crying even harder and longer than the first time. What do I do? Let him sleep on the floor? Or put his crib back up? I feel guilty knowing he's sleeping on the floor but can't stay up all night waiting for him to be sleeping deep enough so I can put him in his bed. Also telling him to stay in his bed is basically useless.
You might try leaving the door open and installing a baby gate in the doorway. This way, he can't leave his room when he's supposed to be sleeping, but you can step over him and carry him to bed.
My son takes his naps on the floor and sleeps in his bed at night. I say, let him sleep on the floor. Just get down on the floor and make sure it is childproof at that level - no corners on the bottom of the dresser that he might roll onto. no electrical outlets visible if he wakes up and gets curious, etc. I say, don't feel guilty; feel proud of yourself for letting him be an individual while you are protecting him from any floor level dangers.
Honestly, after having two girls that are hard to put down, I would just lay a thick blanket on the floor so there is some padding and let your little one sleep on the floor if that's what he wants. Just give him some blankets to cover up with or dress him in warmer jammies. Also, maybe try putting a baby doll or stuffed animal in his toddler bed to go to sleep. Do a nighttime routine with the stuffed animal and put it to bed and cover it up, say goodnight, etc., so your son sees that is where you can sleep. My rule lately has been if you are in your room sleeping, wherever that may be, then that is fine. Hope this helps.
My girls did that for a period of time as well. I would feel so bad finding them asleep up against the door at night! So I totally know how you feel. I think it just stopped after awhile, honestly.
He's almost too young to really get the idea of a reward system, ya know?
I used to transfer my girls back to their bed, when I went to sleep much later and they seemed to sleep through it at that point.
Know that everything is a PHASE and will not last forever!!!!!
Put the mattress on the floor.
Rejoice that he's sleeping in his own room instead of trying to climb into mommy and daddy's bed!
I have a friend whose daughter did the same thing. She, the mom, just made sure her daughter was warm enough and about a month later the daughter began staying in her bed thru the night. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it and stay with the bed time ritual of starting him out in his bed.
Good luck....
When I was a small child, I refused to sleep in my bed. I think I had heard stories of monsters that eat kids, and I figured the monster would come and look in the bed. If it didn't find a kid, it would move on to the next room. As a result I slept in all sorts of strange places, including under the bed, on my book shelves, in the toy chest, in the bathtub, in the hallway, and even in the buffet down in the dining room. I have vague memories of sneaking off to these places, and feeling safe and calm once I made it there. My parents joke that it was like a game of hide and seek every morning, and they took a lot of pictures of me curled up in strange places. Unless there is some medical reason that sleeping on the floor is dangerous for your son, just let him sleep where he wants. Eventually he will grow out of the stage. I started sleeping in my bed again when I started school (about age 6). And I'm fine. Remember that in many cultures, beds are sometimes on the floor and frequently much harder than ours. At least he is staying in his room!
In many Asian countries, people sleep on mats on the floor. I think he will be fine. Kids are flexible. They will sleep wherever they are comfortable. Once, my step brother, when he was about 8, fell asleep under the kitchen table with his head rested on a bowling ball! I wouldn't wake your son to move him.... He will figure out he likes the bed better eventually! The important thing is that he is sleeping.
My oldest was put in a toddler bed when she was 20 months. I thought she was old enough then (and she had a new sibling who needed the crib) but she wouldn't stay in her bed either. We ended up locking her in her room because she'd wander the house at 3 AM and that really worried us. We later regretted it though because she worried that we'd lock her in her room during the day time if ever we closed the door so I don't recommend that. With our second we left her in the crib until she was three and then when we made the move to the toddler bed she did great. It was a completely different story.
I watched Super Nanny once (after our experience with Number One or we'd have done it this way) have the parent stay in the room with the kid while the kid fell asleep. Super Nanny was adamant that the parent not make any eye contact or talk to the kid while he was falling asleep. Just having the parent's presence helped the kid stay in bed and if he didn't then the parent would put him back into bed without saying a word. Then leave the room when the kid was asleep. Then each night the parent repeat the process of sitting in the room but would move a little bit closer to the door and then eventually out to the hall. The whole thing took about a week but then the kid was sleeping in his bed on his own. Security in the bed was established and all was well. I wish I'd have seen that before my oldest because that is how be would have handled her since we had to use the crib for Number Two. If I were you I'd try Super Nanny's approach or I'd consider the crib again though it really isn't the end of the world for the kid to sleep on the floor. The greater concern is that he's not feeling safe in his new bed at nighttime.
Good Luck. Hope this helps.
I had the same problem. I got him his own little sleeping bag from Sportsman's Warehouse. It is very nice, so I don't feel guilty about letting him sleep on the floor. It also keeps him out of my bed. I tell him he can use his sleeping bag on my floor (when he gets scared and comes in) but that he can't sleep in my bed. Sometimes he even ends up in his toddler bed by morning.
Is there any way that you can install a baby gate inside the room so that you can still swing the door open? If he falls asleep at the gate, you can still get to him without waking him up with the door.
My little brother did this for a couple of weeks/months when he moved into a bed, and I figure it my son will do it too once we move him into a toddler bed.
Good Luck!
My friend's baby is doing the same thing. They just put sleeping bags on her floor and on their floor. We've heard it's a phase... as long as they are sleeping, let them sleep. It's not so bad being a kid and sleeping on the floor..it's not uncomfortable for them. So just enjoy that you are both sleeping. Could be worse.
My oldest did this when we moved her. We eventually figured out that the road noises near her room scared her so she would sleep on the livingroom floor. Once we moved, first to a different room, then house.... she never has had a problem sleeping in a bed. If he sleeps on the floor... then let him. He will eventually move into a bed.
S.,
My daughters did the same thing. They would not sleep in their beds either when they were toddlers. My husband and I would wake up in the morning to find our girls sleeping on the floor on either side of our bed. The good news, they did outgrow it. So, go ahead and let him sleep on the floor, before you know it, he will be sleeping in his bed.
Best of luck to you.
