HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Last Night I battled my child for 2 hours putting him down to sleep. It was like an episode of Super nanny where he came out of his room and I put him back in. After 2 hours my husband was kind enough to go lay down with him in his bed. He fell asleep and my husband was able to sneak out of his bed at 2 am
I'm at my witts end, I can not reason with him, he's turning 3 next week but is really functioning like a 2 year old. I don't want every night to be this nightmare!!!! I do not want him sleeping in my bed ever again!!! I made that mistake a few nights when he woke up in the middle of the night crying and I think I started this habit! Please please help, advice is much needed!!!!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

BRIBERY!!!

I got DS a bedtime chart - brush teeth, go bathroom, PJs, story, light out.... a few days of that he got a "prize".

(google bedtime routine chart)

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

you have to keep it up and having you or your DH sleeping in there with him is NOT helping.. it's instead creating another bad habit..

It's a battle of wills and you have to show him who is boss.. I know how difficult it is but you are going to have to continue putting him back over and over until he gets it that you are serious

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Posted by bicosi

you have to keep it up and having you or your DH sleeping in there with him is NOT helping.. it's instead creating another bad habit..

It's a battle of wills and you have to show him who is boss.. I know how difficult it is but you are going to have to continue putting him back over and over until he gets it that you are serious

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Posted by babyonthebrain

Posted by bicosi

you have to keep it up and having you or your DH sleeping in there with him is NOT helping.. it's instead creating another bad habit..

It's a battle of wills and you have to show him who is boss.. I know how difficult it is but you are going to have to continue putting him back over and over until he gets it that you are serious

UGH I know you are so right!!!! But I don't know if I have it in me, 2 hours last night seriously almost broke me down!!!! I wanted to go to sleep SO BAD, I have to get up at 5:45 in the morning and it's wearing me down!!! I want to reverse his lock and lock him in there I swear!!!!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

After your post yesterday, (I had posted on it) I did the same as you. DS took 2.5 hours to fall asleep, but he fell asleep in his own bed, and on his own. We'll see how tonight goes.

Everytime he came down the stairs, I brought him back up and put him in his bed. If he screamed at the top of the stairs, I ignored him. Eventually, he saw he was fighting a losing battle and tucked himself in.

I would just keep doing what your doing-minus having DH sleep in the bed till he falls asleep. They do understand, and are manipulative little boogers!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Posted by bicosi

Posted by babyonthebrain

Posted by bicosi

you have to keep it up and having you or your DH sleeping in there with him is NOT helping.. it's instead creating another bad habit..

It's a battle of wills and you have to show him who is boss.. I know how difficult it is but you are going to have to continue putting him back over and over until he gets it that you are serious

UGH I know you are so right!!!! But I don't know if I have it in me, 2 hours last night seriously almost broke me down!!!! I wanted to go to sleep SO BAD, I have to get up at 5:45 in the morning and it's wearing me down!!! I want to reverse his lock and lock him in there I swear!!!!

I used to lock MY door so that my son wouldn't come into my room.. Call me heartless or cruel but after putting him back for hours after and him STILL comng down, I was LOSING it! I would sometimes find him passed out at my door but I tell you what, HE GOT IT! lol

Let your DH take turns putting him back if you have to but just keep doing it.. GL!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Posted by babyonthebrain

Posted by bicosi

Posted by babyonthebrain

Posted by bicosi

you have to keep it up and having you or your DH sleeping in there with him is NOT helping.. it's instead creating another bad habit..

It's a battle of wills and you have to show him who is boss.. I know how difficult it is but you are going to have to continue putting him back over and over until he gets it that you are serious

UGH I know you are so right!!!! But I don't know if I have it in me, 2 hours last night seriously almost broke me down!!!! I wanted to go to sleep SO BAD, I have to get up at 5:45 in the morning and it's wearing me down!!! I want to reverse his lock and lock him in there I swear!!!!

I used to lock MY door so that my son wouldn't come into my room.. Call me heartless or cruel but after putting him back for hours after and him STILL comng down, I was LOSING it! I would sometimes find him passed out at my door but I tell you what, HE GOT IT! lol

Let your DH take turns putting him back if you have to but just keep doing it.. GL!

Locking my door is an awesome idea, the only problem I can see with that for me is that I have a stairs at the top with a gate, my worst fear is that he climbs over the gate and falls down the stairs. I could not forgive myself if something happened to him. I am preparing myself to fight a 3 hour battle tonight!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Posted by babyonthebrain

Posted by neener1211

After your post yesterday, (I had posted on it) I did the same as you. DS took 2.5 hours to fall asleep, but he fell asleep in his own bed, and on his own. We'll see how tonight goes.

Everytime he came down the stairs, I brought him back up and put him in his bed. If he screamed at the top of the stairs, I ignored him. Eventually, he saw he was fighting a losing battle and tucked himself in.

I would just keep doing what your doing-minus having DH sleep in the bed till he falls asleep. They do understand, and are manipulative little boogers!

I KNOW!!! such stinkers!!!! I'm ready for a 3 hour battle tonight, I'm trying not to feel defeated but I really am
I know he gets it, he tried to come in my room and I told him no go to bed and he told me no right back. He knows what he is doing for sure. UGHH I never thought I would go through thsi seriously, I think my sister in law gave me the evil eye!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

I responded on your other thread, but we just went through this with my 3 yo DS. DH had gotten into the habit of laying in bed with him every night and then he was screaming when DH left, getting up in the middle of the night ang giving us a hard time going back down, etc. The sticker chart has really worked and before this he never really got it so I was surprised, it's worth a shot for you. We also turned the knob around so we could lock him in his room. It sounds awful and it was, but once he realize how much he didn't like it (I only had to leave him in there like that for a few minutes) it was a good threat. If he didn't behave, the door was getting locked. That kept him in bed. Before that I was putting him in the PNP but he figured out how to climb out of that recently so that has lost it's effectiveness. Also, we HAD to drop his naps. I realized when he napped he was a beast at bedtime because he just wasn't tired. When he didn't nap and we got him in bed by 7 (start bedtime at 6:30) he went out without a peep most nights. Hope tonight goes better for you, I know how much it stinks!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

AJ is ASD, and we battle/battled this as well..


we use melatonin.. every night at the same time he gets some and it relaxes him and gets him back into some sort of routine to get to sleep.

its all natural but can increase nightmares.

we usually do 4 weeks on 2 weeks off. its been a life savor. there have been nights though he has taken it and had meltdowns for 4-5 hours.

AJs nighttime battle started at around 3.5 years old...

speak to your team, and to your dr. and see what they have to say.

i recommend it though...

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

Put a gate at his doorway. One Step Ahead sells a retractable one that I swear by! They can't climb it, and it is not in the way when not in use. A few nights of screaming int eh doorway should cure him of his habit! I obviously also have issues with my DD and sleeping - Besides the gate, other things that have worked for me are the twilight turtle that projects stars onto the ceiling -- I tell her to count the stars as she is drifting off, I tell her about all of the fun things that she will do the next day, so she can think about them-- that usually helps her relax, and I leave her door open if she is really upset -- the gate is there so she can't escape. Good luck!

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

We had a professional "babyproof" his room. Furniture bolted to walls, closet door locks and a gate at his door.

He is 3 and has a bed, but every night he will go to sleep on the floor, up against the gate at his door. When he is asleep we move him to the bed.

While not perfect, it works for now. I figure someday he will figure out that the bed is more comfortable than the floor and make his move.

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

I recently went through the same thing. My DS is 2 and will be 3 in April. Here is what worked for me. First, we took the night light out of his room and put it in the hallway. We kept his door open, but put a baby gate in the doorway. We agreed to sit outside the door until he feel asleep, where he really couldnt see us. If he complained or got out of bed we threatened to close the door (which would leave him in the dark). A few times we had to start to close the door, but it got him upset enough that he got back in bed. When he woke up in the middle of the night we did the same thing- said "Go back to sleep or I am closing the door" After about a week and a half he started sleeping through the night again. Hope this helps, it was a lifesaver for us.- He had been waking up to 6 times a night for about 2 months prior.

Re: HELPPPP!!!! S.O.S toddler mommies!!!!

When my DS was that age, he was a NIGHTMARE to put to bed. He climbed over gates, you name it...he figured it out. So we reversed the lock on his door and had to lock him in until he fell asleep. Once asleep we would open it. Rough times, but he soon learned that bedtime is not negotiable and we no longer needed to lock his door. He learned the routine and stop fighting it. What ever you do, just be consistent so he gets the message loud and clear.