Bedtime Struggles

welcome to the threes! he is simply testing you, as you know. it's so hard not to give in, when he's been so good before. my son was the same. in the last year or so (he is 3 1/2) he has started using all kinds of stall tactics. i found myself just giving in, at first, because i assumed there was a valid reason. nope. just turning into a big boy that has figured out he can manipulate the situation to his favor. i have cut my son down to "one" after bedtime visit from mom. to keep him in bed we had to do the supernanny method of placing him in it, over, and over, and over, without any communication. it was a struggle, to say the least. he had been sick and staying in mommy/daddy's bed, so it took several nights of enforcing the "stay in your own bed" rule. keep your temper, keep emotions out of it, and keep communication with him (what he's after) to a minimum. supernanny.com probably has more tips if you're interested. my son doesn't get out of bed at all anymore. (unless i forget to shut his door, he will jump up, close it - usually really quickly - then run back to bed lol)although we're still working on the stall tactics. i have had to just put my foot down with those as well. drink/potty/all that before bed, cutting out as many excuses as you can. i do allow myself one check on him, just to make sure all the fuss is really just nothing. i tell him, "okay, this is the last time i'm coming in so give me one more kiss." i have stuck to that so he rarely keeps fussing after that. some nights he doesn't fuss at all. you can get back there mama, good luck.

Sure, it happens with my son who is now 3 as well. Must be the age when it starts :) I usually get around the issue with distraction. I'll say "Oh my gosh, who know what? I forgot to tell you...guess what we are going to do tomorrow?...etc" I get him distracted and excited about something that is coming up - even if I have to make some stuff up. Then he forgets that he's fighting sleep. Then I'll say he better go to sleep so we can do all that...and not be tired etc. Sound simple, but it usually works for me. I also let him look at books in bed which helps him get himself to sleep.

Are you sure you're not talking about my son?! ;) I think it has something to do with the age because my son has tried to push his bedtime, too. One of the things we've started telling him when we put him in bed is that he can't get out until the sun wakes up. That kind of worked and I was trying to figure out a different way of telling him he needed to stay in bed. A few nights ago, he said that the light in his room was the sun...so now we have to tell him that when the sun OUTSIDE wakes up, he can get out of bed! Smart little guy. Hopefully that'll help you a little!

This is definitely a normal stage that kids go through. With our now 3 & 1/2 year old, we tried to be as consistent as possible with the bedtime routine and told him in advance what was to be expected of him. We also did the whole Supernanny technique which worked for a while too. After that failed, we tried a sticker reward system with him. Before bedtime, we would put out 5 stickers. Everytime he came out of his room, he got a sticker taken away and in the morning, whatever was left was what he got to have. This worked for a few weeks at least until he decided that he didn't want stickers anymore. Anyway, I think you just have to be firm and try different strategies. Hopefully something will work with your son.

our son started this like clockwork when he turned 3.
just be firm and consistent. our son is usually good at bedtime, but nap time is either non existent, or it only works to make sure hes in his room, though i start by putting him in his bed.
give him a sippy with water in it, a favorite book, and a toy to keep him occupied in bed, if that works.

Yeah. I hear you here. Both of mine were horrible about going to bed. But - you know what? - who can blame them. They're SO excited about life and all it has to offer. They're SO in love with Mom and Dad, they want even MORE time with you. There's just a LOT going on in their little lives :-) So - even with the routine - mine were always popping out of bed. I just keep putting them back in bed. Very calmly. The first time, I say "It's sleep time now, you need to stay in your bed." The second time, I just put them there - don't say a word. I don't even look them in the eye and I keep putting them back. This is a boring game to them, so eventually, they quit struggling. Another little thing I did too was rub their backs or feet and hum. Just to help them calm down. My husband still likes his back rubbed before bed, don't see any harm in that. Good luck. KEEP the routine! Always :-)