we have a toddler - 3 yrs 3 months -who has in the last 3 nights become a posessed child at night - he has gone from a settled sleep to getting up at 3am and refusing to go back to bed, and then tonight to refusing to go to sleep in his bed and jumping out as soon as we leave the room - we've tried the old return immediately to bed trick to the point where after 2oo returns he is jumping out as soon as you turn to leave the room. we are now trying keeping the bedroom door shut (when it escalates) by means of a rope thru where the doorhandle should be( we had to remove it to stop him banging the door) - he simply bangs on the door for up to 2 hours with toys etc making a huge racket that no-one can sleep thru, and we worry that the police will knock on the door.
our question is - is it acceptable to keep his door forcibly shut - he can see thru but not fit his head thru - and how do we practice the reassurance that would normally be involved periodically if he were simply crying in his bed. And any other ideas?
please dont lock your child in his room!!!! you will do more harm than good! you could try this
put a chair by childs bed when he gets up in the night tell him once that it is night time and he needs to be a sleep put him back to bed and sit on the chair untill he falls asleep, if he gets up again before going to sleep put him back to bed gently but DO NOT speak to him keep doing this, he will give in and go to sleep.
once you have him going to sleep with you sat by the bed you can start moving the chair towards the door a little every night, soon he will be going back to bed and back to sleep without your help!!this does take time but if you stick to it i promise it will work. your child is still very young and needs to know you are there for him in the night please please dont lock him in on his own!!!!!
I agree, your son is too little to be locked in his room, have you any idea as to why he is getting up in the night, is he scared of something or having night terrors? Or does he simply want to play and is not tired any more? Look at what he is eating or drinking before he goes to bed, anything with a stimulus in will not allow him a good nights sleep (do not give him fizzy drinks, high sugar foods or food with the dreaded 'e' numbers in after 4.00 in the afternoon, as these will stay in his system for a long time) Instead give him warm milky drinks, or a cereal (not sugar coated) before he goes to bed. I hope you find a remedy to restore peace in the house for all your sakes!
I would agree with last two comments - believe me, you spend half their life trying to get them to stay in bed and the other half trying to get them out of bed!!
Only other thing is, and not to scare you, you may find that you have to return him to be LOADS of times even up to 70 or 80 the first night BUT they will get less and less. I don't say this to frighten you only to point out that although it seems useless, it will work and you must persevere. You are not alone - think we have all been there. The ones who did not keep at it still have 6YO's in their marital beds!!
