Hope you don't mind if I join the party
My dd is doing very similar things at present.. Just over a week ago we were at my mum's and dd got out of her travel cot after her nap and arrived downstairs to greet us!! That same evening she got out of her normal cot! This was the first time she'd ever got out of either of her cots! Since then she's taken it upon herself to get out when she wakes up. I didn't have a problem with this just reminded her each time that she should wait in her cot for me to come and get her (I usually make it up there before she wakes as I'm very disciplined about getting her up at the same times).
Anyway, on Thu we were at my mum's again and I put her down for her nap as usual and within seconds she was out, I gave her a cuddle, told her it was time for sleepys and put her back, needless to say she got out again, and again and again - I did try to do walk in/walk out but she was getting hysterical so I reverted to pu/pd and this worked and she slept for 1.5hrs 30 mins after she should have gone down. That same evening she wouldn't settle at bedtime and it took me 10mins to settle her using pu/pd again.
Since then it has been the same thing for each nap and each bedtime and this is the little girl who always amazes my friends and family at how you put her in her cot and she says night night and turns over and goes to sleep!!! She's also consistent on sleeping through the night and having a 1.5/2hr nap each day.
My mother in law believes that I should be putting her in a bed now (she has a cotbed) but I don't feel that she's ready... She's an incredibly bright little girl and I've always discussed everything with her first (silly I know but its always worked, suggesting the idea, letting her take it in and then gently pushing her towards the goal - her dad's exactly the same LOL!!!!) as a result she achieves each goal first time with no regressions. I've asked her if she wants me to take the bars off her cot and make it into a big girls bed like mummy and daddy's and she says 'no' - I've also said that if she continues to get out of her cot I will do it as me and daddy are worried that she'll hurt herself... and she still says a very firm 'no!'
I initially thought her two year molars were threatening as the night before last was the worst she's been since she was last teething as she woke at 3am, then again 4.30 eventually dropping off after 5. Last night however she went off at 7.50 and woke at 6.45 but only took an 1hr nap this afternoon...
Tonight I've settled her down using pu/pd and patting her on the back and she got out of her cot twice but the 3rd and 4th time she just stood up and called me, then burst into tears... tonight we're now concerned that she may have had a nightmare as, she gets up if we shut the door but if left open she appears to settle..... The problem with that is, the stairs are immediately outside her bedroom door and she can climb over her stairgate too.. so we've put a bolt on her bedroom door which we lock when we go to bed so we sleep - otherwise I lie awake worrying I'll wake up to find her lying at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck!!!
SO, should I persevere by going in & resettling her when she wakes or convert the cotbed and continue??? Is it teething/developmental?? Should I change her nap length??? Questions, questions I'm dumbfounded I only hope you guys and girls have some advice...!
Her current routine is:
7am Wake - OJ and cuddles in bed with Mummy
7.30 Breakfast
11.45 Lunch
12.30 nap (1.5-2hrs)
6-6.30 dinner
7pm bedtime routine
7.30-45 lights out
