Well it happened (2 months ago) the moment I had been dreading when this tall cheeky monkey child of mine looped his giraffe legs over the top of his cot to climb out for freedom. He has never been a solid sleeper (sleep I miss you my good friend!) but he had gotten better & now it felt like we were back to square frigging one. Down came one of the sides of the cot to give him that freedom to come & go as he pleases transforming his cot into a toddler bed. The only extra addition we have had to get is an inflatable sleeping bed which goes on his floor as a precaution as he rolls in his sleep & it has cushioned his fall a many a time.
That first week of him in his toddler bed was a real test. I lasted 4 days of 6.30am-9.30pm of Kobe staying up with no day nap just a grumpy over tired child wanting to be held as he was too tired before I cracked it & cried on Luke. Im not one for tears but when I start its hard to stop. Exhaustion does that to me. I also hate asking for help unless at breaking point so Luke just automatically thinks I am content to do it all. Unfortunately getting Kobe to stay in his bed has always been the death of me (obviously this is just a dramatic figure of speech). Its so draining & exhausting & he is smart enough to know at the end of the day I just give in. So Im all to happy to share/hand over the bedtime routine with Luke. For such an easy going person he takes no shit from Kobe at bedtime thankfully!
After 2 weeks of trial & error (we seriously/desperately were playing a Disney movie at bedtime in the hope that it would lull Kobe to sleep, sometimes it worked but mostly it didn’t), we were making progress slowly & surely. Kobe seems to stay in his bed at night if Luke is the one to tuck him in while I scurry out the room like an escaped prisoner making a mad dash for freedom.
Day naps are a completely different story, as its all on me to put Kobe to bed. Being the weaker willed parent, Kobe blatantly keeps walking back out after being tucked in to the point where I walk him back to his room for an hour to & fro then give up defeated. He actually thinks it’s a game where he comes out & asks “mummy carry (me back)”. He did a week of staying in his room sooking for an hour then only having a half hour nap. After 2 months, I find what works best is me laying on the floor next to his bed while he carries on til he falls asleep then I crawl out stealth commando style. Apart from once or twice a week I find myself falling asleep too. I would like to have him go to sleep on his own very soon. Anyone else going thru this/ been thru this?!?
One small step towards getting him to stay in his bed & all it takes is one giant leap out…
Happy Tuesday friends!
Miss G
xx
figsandtwigs 
It’s hard to believe they can make us feel like pulling our hair out when they look like angels in their sleep. I feel for you. 99% of the reason that Little Chop still co-sleeps with us is that I don’t have the energy or the patience for the nap/bedtime struggle – as it is, she takes 45-60 mins to go to sleep with me lying on the bed right next to her. My partner also seems to think that I am capable and content to do EVERYTHING until I erupt in tears of exhaustion/ frustration and then he realises he needs to step up without being asked. Perhaps Luke can do the bedtime routine – I think kids tend to play up more to mum. Love the cot, haven’t seen one like that before.
Kids are without a doubt so darn SWEET when they are sleeping, its the getting them to bed is the problem for ME:( Kobe is the same as lil chop he is the king of procrastination at bedtime takes about 30-60mins to go down for a nap than has an hour (if that nowadays). Yep I usually skip out on Luke & the bedtime nightime routine 15 mins before Kobe goes to bed so I dont have to hear/feel guilty about Kobe asking mummy to lie down. Keep me posted how you go on any progress on getting lil chop to her own bed (& staying in it). I know we will eventually get there, I have hope!!!
(Psst, the cot was a fabulous Ebay find!)