Toddlers: 24 Months+
Kflie83
member
Sleeping on the floor
Kflie83
member
We transitioned DS to a toddler bed about 2 months ago when he started climbing out. He slept in his bed a few times, but mostly grabbed his pillow and blanket and slept by the door. Now he will only sleep on the floor by the door. Is this normal? Is there a way to get him to sleep on his bed? He has a night light in his room, so it's not just him trying to get closer to the light. Ugh! I don't know what to do! He is still needing to CIO almost every night and nap. When he was sleeping in the crib he'd go down without a fuss. I am so frustrated! I almost just want to put the front back on the crib, although I know it would be pointless and he'd climb out in 5 seconds. Help!
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Re: Sleeping on the floor
Diito this. DS went through about a 2-3 week phases of this and then it passed.
If he WANTS to sleep on the floor and he's getting a good nights sleep, then the problem is completely lost on me. He knows where his bed is, clearly he is able to get in and out as he chooses. What's the big deal?
What I DO think might be a problem is that it doesn't sound to me like he is choosing to sleep on the floor. It sounds to me like he is screaming at the door every night until he falls asleep where he is from sheer exhaustion. If, after 2 months or more, he is STILL"needing" to CIO, this clearly is not a child a child for whom CIO works. That coupled with the separation anxiety that is normal for a 2 year old, it seems to me you've created a kind of cruel bedtime environment that works for no one. It's probably time to try a new strategy.
The bed is a transition, it comes with new freedoms for him and new found freedom can also be scary. He needs the reassurances and comfort that come from boundaries. With our son, the transition was about a week and a half of us going in, putting him back in bed, tucking him in, rubbing his back for a few minutes, reminding him it was bedtime and assuring him that we would check back in. Yes, it's more work for you than is required to shut a door and ignore your child while they scream however, it was only a lot of work for a week and a half. After the initial investment of time, we now have a child who is blissfully happy in his own bed once again.
Two is a tough age. Your child is spending every minute of every day figuring out where you end and he begins. He's testing limits to see what he can do but still needs to know there are limits. He wants to be independent but still really needs you. It's also the beginning of magical thinking. He's probably not 100% sure that when that door closes that you still exist. At night, after he's spent an entire day trying to figure out the world and his place in it, presenting him with a new transition to get used to and then forcing him to go it alone while he's over tired is just not likely to yield positive results. After 2 months of this NOT WORKING, it's time to try a developmentally supportive tactic and help him through the transition. Just because he's ready to be out of his crib (and clearly he is) does not mean he is ready to magically make it work all on his own.