Transitioning to BBB early?

[Lindsay27]

Say it ain't so!!!

So, we've had a LOT of bedtime antics this week, and initially I thought that maybe Ben was UT so I tried pushing his BT back by 30mins, but I am finding it is making no difference.  He just does.not. want to go to bed.  1.5hrs of WI/WO last night and I was at my wits end.  I finally just stood outside his door, reassuring him, and he was completely hysterical.  Then, he finally goes quite, so I go downstairs.  About 10mins later I go back up to listen at the door and make sure he's gone to sleep, then I hear his bedroom door flutter.  I open it, and he's lying on the floor with his blankie and stuffed dog    When all had gone 'quiet' he had gotten out of his crib, and I had NO clue!!!        No thump on the floor, nothing.  He's like a ninja.

2hrs after I started BT, I ended up having to rock him to sleep (what!?) which I haven't done since he was 8 months old!

Today at nap time, same thing.  And I couldn't stand outside his door this time because I saw him with my own 2 eyes trying to escape his crib.  We did have a friend and her LO here during nap time, so I really don't think that was helping matters, I ended up having to abandon the nap until after they went home, then I had to sit beside his bed and settle him to sleep.

He's only 22 months old, and he is so NOT ready for a BBB...but what else can I do?  He's escaped his crib once and tried a second time.  I don't even know how to go about this, he is developmentally not ready.  I can't understand how I would ever get him to stay in a BBB.

I'm at a loss.  Help!

[*Ali*]

We moved DS2 to a BBB before he turned two as he was climbing out and it just wasn't safe.  They can break legs and arms etc. if they fall so I would move him. We moved DS1 around 27mo for the same reason.

Was he an independent sleeper before he started resisting bt?

What times does he get up,  nap and go to bed?

[Lindsay27]

Yes, he's an independent sleeper (or was, until this week!).  We normally just put him in his crib, say 'night night' and he goes right to sleep.

His routine is roughly:

WU 6am (though can be anywhere from 5:30 - 6:30am)
Nap 12:30 - 2:30
BT 7pm

He is generally an early riser and chronic EW'er, which I've just accepted and have stopped trying to 'fix' because I've tried everything under the sun and nothing makes a difference.

When we started having BT resistance I tried pushing his BT to 7:30 thinking he may be UT, but maybe he's OT?  He's been on this routine for several months and we've never had issues.  Tonight, much of the same.  DH is in his room settling him.

His crib converts to a daybed, so I just need to get the sleep guard on it and then we can convert it.  I just really don't know how this is going to go, I can't seem him ever just staying in bed.  I know I don't have any choice because it's dangerous the way it is, but I struggle to think how it is going to work.  I guess just a lot of persistence on our part and trying to stay consistent with putting him back in bed?

[goldmom]

DS was climbing out of his crib for a few months before we finally moved him to a BBB at 24 months (converted his crib to a toddler bed), as we didn't either think he was ready for it. He was actually very good at climbing out. It was very rare for him to climb out at BT or in motn, mostly just by nap time and in the mornings (in the mornings he would stay in crib and call for us, but then insist on coming out by himself without help, I had to watch him climb out every morning).

We only switched him when he figured out how to open the door to his room, which made him start climbing out of his crib in motn too, which we felt was a lot less safe than doing it while he was fully awake. When we switched to a bbb we also put a child lock on his room which stops him (mostly) from getting out of bed during the night, he just comes out of it in the morning and for naps (he also climbs in by himself now which is great).

If he climbed out of his crib before his nap and fell asleep on the floor we just let him be, we wouldn't move him back into his crib. Not sure what I would do if it had happened at BT - hugs for having to deal with this.

We also have a roughly 13 hour day with a 1.5-2 hour nap (getting to the shorter end now as DS is a few months older).

[*Ali*]

Both of mine were independent sleepers when we moved them but we ended up using different techniques to suit their personalities and the situations.

With DS1 we had to do GW. DH (mostly as I was usually taking care of 7mo DS2) would sit on the floor by his bed in silence. As soon as he started getting out of bed he would gently lift him back in. He could do what he wanted in the bed but if he tried to get out he was put back in. He took hours to stop getting out and and go to sleep the first few times but soon he realised it was pointless trying to climb out or engage DH in conversation as he just got told "it's sleepy time" and put back in bed. Soon he was going to sleep quickly as long as we sat by the bed. Then over the following weeks we moved away from the bed to the door and then outside the door and down the hall, by which point he had stopped looking for us and was settling him independently again. Unfortunately it did mean the end of napping for us as he never did fall asleep at nap time despite us persisting for up to 3hrs every day for a week. Then I just gave up on the naps as I had DS2 too watch as well and could only do it during ds2's nap time or if someone else was home to help me. So we moved to 30 min naps in the car or on the sofa.

With DS2 we simply did WIWO. We had a gate at the door and he would get out of bed and come stand at the gate crying. I would go into the room, lift him calmly back in bed and say "It's sleepy time, lie down and go to sleep now please. Night night, love you." We had to do this for an hour or more on a few nights but he soon realised he may as well just go to sleep. Luckily he mostly fell asleep feeding for naps or was so drowsy from feeding that we didn't have battles at nap time. By the time he weaned and started going down completely awake for naps he was used to just going to sleep without getting out at BT so it was fine.

HTH

[HenaV]

My DD moved to BGB just before her 2nd birthday because if two successful escapes. She wasn't even using her skill and climbing out properly, she seemed to be just launching herself out. Her cot converted into a bed by taking a side off, sooner hitba bed guard and away we went.

Initially she didn't get out but then quite enjoyed the fact she could. I would just walk her back, tell her it was Still night nights and put  her back. Just after her 2nd birthday we introduced the gro-clock ad after 3 mornings of

her working it out, touch wood, we haven't looked back. Since then she stays in bed (if if she EWs) until Mr Sunshine comes up and the she'll call me. Might be worth a shot?

Hth

Hena

[Lindsay27]

Ughhhh, I do not know what's going on here.  He's literally lost all ability to self settle in the last week.  Just complete hysterics if you even think about leaving his room.  I'm sure it's just some kind of phase, but oy!  These 2hr bedtimes are killing us, not to mention he's getting seriously OT from going to bed 2hrs later than normal every night.

I am going to get the bed rail tomorrow so we can maybe start to think about the transition to the BBB/take the front off the crib.  I can't help but wonder if this is just some crazy developmental leap or something, or maybe canines finally coming through (though...they don't really seem to be bothering him?).

[My little Liam]

Lindsay, by DS does not know how to climb out of his crib yet (thank god!!!) but i am sure you remember me posting about screaming at bt and at nw a few weeks ago. I was sure i lost my independant sleeper as i had to litterally sit by his crib every night and nap until he fell asleep and even them he would scream a bit. All i can say is that i now realise that it must have been developmental because it is now over and he is back to independant sleep as if it never happened... All i did was try to settle normally for every nap, bt and nw and if he started to scream i would go in and sit next to the crib (sometimes i even slept there for most of the night). One day he just settled alone and things were back to normal. I think it lasted 2-3 weeks. I was so exhausted and frustrated that i would have to do st all over again! My mom came to visit for the weekend and planned t start after she left but two days after dhe left things started to get better. Yes we were teething canines but i dont think that was the problem, truthfully (although i was hoping that was what it was just to have a reason for the screaming!)

Since liam isnt climbing out of his crib i dont knoe how to help you with that, but i think the screaming is just a phase and will  pass...

[My little Liam]

Oh i do have to mention that since the developmental leap liam has begun his terrible twos with tantrums and full on laying on the floor screamfests over nothing. Let the fun begin...