Looking for good advice! We used Babywise on our now 2-1/2 year old son and he has been sleeping through the night since he was 6 weeks old. We moved him to a "big boy bed" about a year ago and he has always been under the understanding that he is to call for Mom or Dad if he wakes up at night and needs something. That was working great until I got pregnant and had morning sickness and was wiped out, and he started getting out of bed in the mornings by himself to come and wake me up. About a month ago we moved him into the master bedroom because he will be sharing it with his new sister in about two months. Ever since then, he has started waking up at least 3 times a night and coming into our room. First it was he needed to go potty. Then it was little things like a pillow fell off his bed. He even went through a monster stage. We tried putting a child lock on the inside of his bedroom door but he knows how to take it off. I am so tired, nearing the end of my pregnancy, that I have just given up and put the baby gate in his doorway (he was wandering around in the middle of the night out in the house!) because I just cannot keep doing this! Help! I want a way to keep him in his bed under his own control - he has done it for the past year 100% on his own and he has slept through the night his entire life so I don't understand what is going on! We are getting desperate because I don't want him waking up his sister by turning on the light (another antic) or purposefully pooping his pants (yet another attempt) in the middle of the night. We need this stopped NOW! Any advice would be gladly appreciated!
Why not try putting him back in his bdrm, since that seemed to be working? You can always put the kids together later on, once you've established a routine with the new baby.
Looking for good advice! We used Babywise on our now 2-1/2 year old son and he has been sleeping through the night since he was 6 weeks old. We moved him to a "big boy bed" about a year ago and he has always been under the understanding that he is to call for Mom or Dad if he wakes up at night and needs something. That was working great until I got pregnant and had morning sickness and was wiped out, and he started getting out of bed in the mornings by himself to come and wake me up. About a month ago we moved him into the master bedroom because he will be sharing it with his new sister in about two months. Ever since then, he has started waking up at least 3 times a night and coming into our room. First it was he needed to go potty. Then it was little things like a pillow fell off his bed. He even went through a monster stage. We tried putting a child lock on the inside of his bedroom door but he knows how to take it off. I am so tired, nearing the end of my pregnancy, that I have just given up and put the baby gate in his doorway (he was wandering around in the middle of the night out in the house!) because I just cannot keep doing this! Help! I want a way to keep him in his bed under his own control - he has done it for the past year 100% on his own and he has slept through the night his entire life so I don't understand what is going on! We are getting desperate because I don't want him waking up his sister by turning on the light (another antic) or purposefully pooping his pants (yet another attempt) in the middle of the night. We need this stopped NOW! Any advice would be gladly appreciated!
My son went through a really hard stage when we first switched him to a big boy bed but it sounds like your son adjusted okay to that at first. you may try letting him sleep with the lights on for a little while as he gets used to being in the new room. He may be waking up and forgetting where he is and getting scared. He is probably stressed with so much change going on right now. I lay down with my son until he fell asleep for a few months before my second son was born and that seemed to calm him and get him used to sleeping on his own again. When are you due? Hopefully your son will adjust before then.
I am beginning to wonder if even all the gradual changes we are making are still taking a toll on him! The other night, every time he came out, I made him get back in his bed and he eventually had a MAJOR temper tantrum because I took away every privelege he has. It took two hours to get him to fall asleep but he finally did and slept through the night. Since then, he has only come out of his room like a couple times and only woke up to go to the bathroom (hey, I usually have to go, too! ;o) We have been laying down with him for a couple minutes at bedtime and that seems to help keep him calm. I am due in 27 days (but who's counting?!). The baby is going to sleep in a bassinett in the living room at night for the first couple months so even after she comes, we will have another adjustment period to continue being consistent with his bedtime stuff! Thanks for the advice - it's good to hear that other people deal with the same/similar problems - I always feel like I am a failure as a parent but I have to remember that every kid drives their parents nuts - it's not just mine! LOL!
You should have seen the concoction we put together to keep my son in his bed. He fell out of the bed every night and freaked himself out so we put the side of his crib back on the toddler bed but left it unattached. We just pushed it up with a trunk and held it in place. That way he could still climb out but he wasn't falling out. They all go through phases. You are not a failure as a parent. Sometimes they just take more parenting than others. Good Luck!
LOL! The things we do to keep our children safe! My son knows how to take those round doorknob safety things off and I even tried taping it so it couldn't pop apart (he stood there and peeled the tape off until he could get it off), I thought for sure anyone who saw it would think we were completely insance! LOL! I like how you put it - sometimes they just need more parenting than others! So true!
Maybe the issue isn't a problem with sleeping habits but a question of jealousy. With all the attention that is given to a new baby (even before birth) your son may be acting out because of a need for more mommy or daddy time. You could try to set up a nigh time routine that gives your son the undivided attention of you and your husband - maybe play a game together or do a puzzle. Then, be sure to give lots of hugs and kisses and assure him that he is going to be a great big brother.