Staying in Bed - Tinley Park,IL

Did you switch him to the toddler bed so the baby could have the crib, or was he climbing out of it?
My son slept in the toddler bed for three months and then decided to sleep on the floor. He has been sleeping on the floor for just over a year now (he is 3 1/2). I don't allow him to sleep behind the door, in case there ever was an emergency, like a fire.
At first, I tried to keep him in the bed, but decided as long as he stayed in his room and was sleeping normal that it was fine. He still very rarely sleeps in the bed.
We als tried a full bed vs. toddler an there was no diff.
If you stick to the toddler bed, try putting it in the corner so it is somewhat "enclosed". I like the others' idea of a canopy.
I have heard they will choose the bed after a while for the comfort, just not in my case.
Good luck.

16 months is early for a big boy bed. I know you did it because of your new edition but I was just reading some research that said most kids are not ready til 3, before then they like the comnfinment of the crib. I liked the idea of making the bed like a cave, maybe that would resemle the crib.
Good luck

Do you have a railing on the bed? I would put a railing up. Also put a chart with your sons name on it and get stickers so each day he gets one if he stays in his bed. Then when he gets 5 or 7 get him something special.

I am also in the middle of this process to with my 2.5 yo. We give him incentives for staying in it for naps and bedtime. He gets a hand stamp or sticker afterwards for being a good sleeper, and he loves it. You need to remind them while putting him down, "if you stay in bed, you get your hand stamp when you wake up". Ocassionally I may up the deal to a movie when he wakes up after nap, or a mini-packet of M&M's. That is not to say that there are times when I need to sit outside his door and bring him back in 3-6 times. They get the idea after a while what is expected.

When we moved our son to a big boy bed (18.5mo) we told him that if he stayed in bed all night he would get a new engine (from Thomas). He stayed in bed the whole night. Maybe you can offer your son an incentive to stay in bed?

We turned our son's bed into a "cave." I tied a sheet on top of the head and footboards and draped it over the side. He loves crawling inside his dark little fortress to go to sleep.

This may sound weird but let him. He is staying in his room and that is great. Eventually he will be comfortable enough to stay in it all night. It is new to him so it may take him awhile to adjust. I would just leave a pillow by the door and cover him with a blanket. When he is ready he will let you know. Also you can do rails (for safely) but I guarantee he will just go around them and still get out. Good luck!

I put my daughter in a toddler bed at 12 months due to a new addition to our family. I kept finding her on the floor here and there and I thought she kept falling. I guess she just feels comfy on the floor. Like all the other parents stated, as long as they sleep in their own room.

Hi Terry, my advise is just to be presistent and patient we went through the same thing with our son when he was 18 months. I even found him sleeping on the floor by our bedroom door in the middle of the night a couple of times (I felt awful). Eventually he'll accept it, I recommend you involve him in decorating his bed or the wall around it with stickers/decall of his interest.
I know it can be tough though especially at night when you're tired, I had a newborn at that time too.
Good luck!

If he's in his room, and he's sleeping, hurray! Sounds like a win to me.

Although if you do find a method to tempt him to his bed, let me know. My 3yo recently started sleeping on the floor after years of sleeping in his bed. I have no idea what's so appealing about the floor, but they're so much smaller and lighter than us that I doubt it's uncomfortable for them.

T.,

We had similiar issues when our son moved to a "big boy" bed @ 20 months. Taking him to the store to pick out some "big boy" sheets helped. Moving his bed into the corner of the room helped too. If he sleeps on the floor for awhile - so be it. At least he's sleeping in his room! We put him in warmer "footie" PJ's until he routine ly slept in bed. Then he could wear the lighter weight "big boy" PJ's. I also liked the cave idea - wish I had thought of or heard of that one! Good luck & don't worry about it!