My Plan For 2 Year Old Who Doesn't Stay In Bed

[sahm2three]

What if I use the big play yard around his cot? He can't climb it, or hasn't yet anyway. So what if I put that around his cot on the floor in the room he sleeps in? Might make my nap time a little more peaceful. Thoughts?

[legomom922]

I did that for a crazy 18 month old I had..it didn't work..he kept pushing the whole playyard around the room, and he would hold on to it and rock it. he broke it, it is all out of shape now & bent. I termed him after that as that was my last resort..

[nannyde]

You can do that but really the cot won't have anything to do with it. It will be him napping in a play yard. A child that gets up during nap will immediately go the least restrictive thing he can get to. If he can get out of a playpen he will get into the room. If he can get out of the room he will get into the hall. If he can get out of the hall he will get into the living room. And so on...

[Cat Herder]

Honestly I believe it will just prolong the issue. He does not want to lay down, but he HAS to. There should be no compromise.

I would put him back on his mat, every time, for as long as it takes. I know this for a fact, I have seen me do it many, many, many times... It typically takes a few days for the average kid to a few weeks for the worst of the worst. Occasionally one who has done well for months will want to test the waters, again....NEVER compromise or you have to start all over again.

There is nothing easy about it. I will give you that. I move everyone to a mat at 12 months and it always requires my non-stop supervision and replacing little selves who decide to test my ability to "notice"....

No eye contact, no discussion.....just physically pick him up and place him back on his mat, every time. As we speak I am giving the "don't even think about it look" to a grinning/mischievous little gremlin...... He is too cute for words, BUT he will be staying on his mat today.

[sahm2three]

Honestly I believe it will just prolong the issue. He does not want to lay down, but he HAS to. There should be no compromise.

I would put him back on his mat, every time, for as long as it takes. I know this for a fact, I have seen me do it many, many, many times... It typically takes a few days for the average kid to a few weeks for the worst of the worst. Occasionally one who has done well for months will want to test the waters, again....NEVER compromise or you have to start all over again.

There is nothing easy about it. I will give you that. I move everyone to a mat at 12 months and it always requires my non-stop supervision and replacing little selves who decide to test my ability to "notice"....

No eye contact, no discussion.....just physically pick him up and place him back on his mat, every time. As we speak I am giving the "don't even think about it look" to a grinning/mischievous little gremlin...... He is too cute for words, BUT he will be staying on his mat today.

I moved him to a cot/mat when he turned 2. In October. I have been struggling with this since then. Constantly putting him back on the mat each time. Some days so sleeping at all. He thinks it is a fun game. And he ends up keeping the other children up in the room. Ugh. He isn't destructive, just mischievious. So he is into EVERYTHING all the time. If not the play yard, then what? I have done the no eye contact and no talking and constant putting him back down for a couple months. Ugh.

[Cat Herder]

Are you in an area where you can seperate him from the group?

[sahm2three]

Are you in an area where you can seperate him from the group?

Not really. I have the others strategically placed for other sleep issues. I have him in the toddler room. The other rooms have babies with sleep issues.

[Lilbutterflie]

Sounds like you are doing it right with no eye contact, no talking, placing him back on the mat every time.
If you can possibly separate him in a different room, I would do that. Or perhaps put the mat snug in a corner and sit with your back to him, but right up against the mat. This way he can't even step off the mat without running into some part of you.

[Cat Herder]

With my last "Class clown" I moved a book shelf "catty-corner" to create a little hallway between the back of the cabinet and the wall just wide enough to slide his mat in. It worked like a charm...he could not see anyone and slept well.

That particular child's issue turned out to be that he was still in a crib with a paci and tv (at 2.5!!) at home...the close quarters made him feel more "secure" and he no longer had an audience to play to.

Maybe that will help?

[Abigail]

Do you make the room dark and play soft music for nap time? Do you eat just before nap or have a quiet calm transition to nap time? Maybe you changed your routine slightly and didn't notice it yourself. Do you live in an area where the weather is nice and they just want to be outside? I wish, we just have blizzard after blizzard, LOL.

I would put him to bed last so you can sit with him. Make sure their are no toys around him and no one else's face to look at to get attention. Pat his back and usually after 10-15 minutes they should be sleeping. I would decide that you are going to stick to the rules (meaning you must nap) and give up your "break" for a week or two as you will continue for an hour returning this child to the cot.

[countrymom]

why would you drive yourself crazy, put him in a pnp and thats it. I had one just climb out a few min. ago (I heard the door open) I took his hand and put him back in the pnp. I know for a fact that at night he is crazy. They put him in a single bed and he roams the halls all night till about midnight, but they let him, or they still rock him to sleep (he's a big heavy kid) I'm the no nonsense mom when it comes to bedtime, ask my own kids.

[sahm2three]

why would you drive yourself crazy, put him in a pnp and thats it. I had one just climb out a few min. ago (I heard the door open) I took his hand and put him back in the pnp. I know for a fact that at night he is crazy. They put him in a single bed and he roams the halls all night till about midnight, but they let him, or they still rock him to sleep (he's a big heavy kid) I'm the no nonsense mom when it comes to bedtime, ask my own kids.

Because he climbs out and once even rocked it so hard he knocked it over! So, there is no way I would put him back in it! I am going to give the play yard a try, if it doesn't work, I am going to have to rearrange kids I guess. Ugh.

[Cat Herder]

Because he climbs out and once even rocked it so hard he knocked it over! So, there is no way I would put him back in it! I am going to give the play yard a try, if it doesn't work, I am going to have to rearrange kids I guess. Ugh.

I fully agree with you. PNP's are not safe for children who are capable of climbing out. They also have weight limits. Can you maybe put him next to your desk (or whatever area you are in) during nap?

I have one right here, sleeping next to my chair today because he got his pacifier back over the holidays to make it easier at home

So frustrating..... some days I swear it is not worth closing for the holidays...

[Blackcat31]

Maybe you should put the PNP over him upside down like a cage!?!? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING....!!!!!!
I had one who had a similar problem staying put on his mat so I set a kitchen timer and put it on a ledge near him. I told him he could not get up until the bell went off....he stayed put watching that timer for so long he fell asleep. We do this everyday now and he never gets up until the bell goes off...I don't know why...but he stays put. (My timer only goes to 60 minutes but I set it back after he falls asleep)