26 month jumps out of bed and wakes early!

[kerrisspencer]

My 26 month old son has just started in a bed, as he kept climbing from his cot. The problem is two fold. Firstly, he wont stay in his bed. He kept jumping out and opening the door. This went on for 2 hours and he thought it was a game, even though we remained silent and just placed him back in the bed. Anyway, I have decided to sit on the floor in his room until he falls asleep. He keeps looking up though and messing around, so I just kept putting him back under the covers until he eventually nodded off! (30mins)  During the night he cries sometimes, so I go in and pat him and go back to bed. However, this morning and the last few mornings, he has woken at 5am, got out of bed and come in to our room. My DH took him back to bed but was unable to leave the room as baby kept saying "Daddy sit there!" DH sat on the floor (no contact or talking) but as soon as he attempts to leave the room DS wakes up. Even if he is breathing deeply like he's asleep! DH eventually had to bring baby downstairs as he was cold sitting on the floor. (BIG MISTAKE) Ds fell asleep on top of him on the sofa! (OH NO!) Do you think at 5am, we should get a quilt and fall asleep on the floor next to his bed? I am already exhausted and dont want to start early rising, as well as broken nights.
He goes to bed at 8pm and has a small afternoon sleep (20 mins to 30 mins) and he is very active all day.
Please help I feel at the end of my tether!

[elfin]

I have yet to deal with the transition to a big bed.  Have you tried putting a baby gate up at the doorway of his room, so as to at least keep him in his room?  Have you tried just returning him to bed with no talking or interaction, and then leaving?

Just throwing out a couple thoughts that I know have worked for others.

[Carrie~Ryan~Adam]

We have  had the same problem for the past year - since we switched to the bed. Our only solution is to close the door and put a door knob stopper on the inside so he can't get out. With the exception of a couple months in the fall when he truely did not want the door closed (after some sort of nightmare), he doesn't mind the door closed - and sleeps much better! If it's open and he wakes up (at anytime of night or morning), he immediately pops out of bed and comes to our room. And if it's after 6:00 AM, he won't go back to sleep!

If someone has another solution, I'll be glad to try it!!

[kerrisspencer]

Elfin,
Yes we did have a stair gate at the door but it was even more impossible to leave the room as it was extra wake up noise and difficult to climb over if we tried to avoid opening and shutting it!
We always use no interaction in our night time dealings also.