I'm hoping someone has some good ideas about getting a 3 year old to stay in his bed when it is time to take a nap or go to bed at night time. He sleeps in a toddler bed and I no longer have baby gates up, because he started climbing over them and I was affraid he was going to get hurt. He is consantly climbing out of his bed and coming out of his room at least 50 times everytime I put down for a nap. He is very stubborn. This has been going on for at least 4 months since he has his own room now. And if I stay in his room with him until he falls asleep I will end up fallinf asleep before him LOL..Any ideas will help I'm sure
It may be time to give up the nap. He may be more tired at bedtime and fall asleep faster. Maybe something to consider.
Maybe he is not ready to be in his own room.
My friend used a sticker chart to help her daughter transition. At the end of the chart was a trip to the toy store. She eventually changed up the rules. The chart was a little bigger and the stickers were bigger so she only put one on every day (instead of nap and bed). I think she started with a week and eventually moved to two wks.
I just moved my 7 yr old into her own bed. Her class is going camping and I used that as the goal. She has to be able to go to sleep in her bed with me, just like on the camping trip. We make sure she is TIRED so that sleep comes easily.
Stephanie
This may sound harsh but I put a child proof lock on the inside of the door because my daughters room was at the top of the stairs and no baby gate could keep her out. She didn't stay in "bed" nessecarily, lol sometimes she fell asleep on the chair with a book in her hand or under the bed with her barbies, but she slept in her room. And she had no problem with it.I kept the baby monitor on of course.
Good Luck
When my daughter was 3, she contantly left her room as well. We noticed that she stopped taking naps, so she has "Quiet Time" Where she could play, but had to stay in her room. The only time she could come out is to use the potty. She had 2 rules. 1) Stay in her room. 2) Play quietly. If she had trouble with the rules, the door closed. She hated having the door closed. For bedtime, again she had to stay in her room or the door closed and/or her lamp on her nightstand was turned off. Both of which she hated.
I've heard of another system that I've heard works. Have 3 cards. Each time your son leaves the room, a card is taken away. When all three cards have been used, then her isn't allowed to leave his room. If he has all three cards, then he can have a "prize". Good luck! I hope you find something that works!
what about a 'good sleeper' chart. Every night he stays in bed without getting up, he gets to put a star on his chart. When he gets so many he gets a treat, or a fun night out, or a toy he really wants, etc.
If he gets out of bed, he has to take a star off.
Maybe that will help to motivate him.
Is it that he's not sleepy yet? does he nap during the day? If so, it might be time to take that nap away and that way he'll be sleepy when it comes time to go to bed.
Good luck
We also have a lock on our just turned 3 year old's door. With a one year old too, I just don't want to deal with putting him in his bed over and over. We still end up tucking him in more than once fairly often, but at least if it is time to stay in his room, he stays in his room. He certainly has no problem getting our attention if he needs us, and the lock on the door doesn't slow down our getting to him. It just means we don't have to hold the door closed or keep putting him back in his room.
Hello T.: I have learned over the many years of parenting to be creative about beds and naptime. We would have our children get a pile of blankets and make "nests" on the floor or on the bed if possible and they would pretend to be baby birds or Big Bird in his nest. I has worked for my five children and when I ran a daycare, as well as with grandchildren. Good Luck in your adventure of parenthood, and I hope this helps. NanaG
HI T.,
I went through this with one of my kids. I had 3 older kids and one younger at the time and had no time to sit with her. So I started noticing that she was really ok at the end of the day and she didn't need that nap. I would go back to the baby gate and give him time to play quietly in his room. I have trained my kids to room time everyday and it gives me a needed break, ususally to do chores or finish school with an older child. I did have to administer some swats to stop them from leaving the room and make them understand I meant it.
So hopefully come bed time, he will be too tired to go to fight going to bed. God Bless.
Stac
