Is 2.5 too young for this?

KimW

We just moved DD to a toddler bed a few weeks ago.  For the first 2 or 3 weeks it was great, she didn't get out of bed once.  Now she realizes she's free to come and go, so every nap and bed time is a battle.  This morning it was barely 5:30 when she came to our room, waking #2 up in the process.  I've been trying to put her down for a nap for over 1/2 hour now, and she keeps getting up.  So I just put her back to bed and told her that if she gets out of bed once more, she doesn't get to play with her play doh when she wakes up (something I told her she could do before I put her down).

Is she too young to understand that type of delayed consequence?  What tricks do you use to keep them in bed?

Pesky

1.  Gate in the doorway so she can't leave the room.

2.  Clock that turns from red to green, green signaling it is time to get up.

3.  Incentives -- stickers or band-aids (that was DD's currency) for every time she stays in her bed until allowed to get up.

ETA:  we moved DD to her big-girl bed at 22 months so I think you are fine age-wise, although it can depend on the kid. 

bls27

I do think 2.5 year olds are a little young to understand the delayed consequences- especially if she does eventually fall asleep.

My older DD was constantly getting up so I put one of those child-proof door knobs on the inside of her room so she couldn't be out.  It took only a few days that she had to stay in her room.  Of course, once she fell asleep, I opened the door. I know that doesn't really help the 5:30 am wake-up time but my kids still do that occasionally.

I liked that red/green idea too.

mabma80

We moved each of our boys into the toddler bed a few months after they turned one.  Probably around 16 mths old.  it was a challenge with them keep getting out of their bed.  But, I would just pick them up and put them back. Did that for a week or two and they finally got that they had to stay in their bed during the night and at naps.  It was a pain to do cause it was like never ending.  But I stuck to my guns and they did great!

It's basically will power. They try to out do you so you give in.  You just have to keep putting them back and don't make a big scene about it, cause they'll think it's a game.

GL!  : ) 

lmdbww

I have a gate in DD's doorway just for this reason. Once she's in there, she knows she's in there until I come back.

Although I have no idea how i'll ever take the gate down because it will then become a free-for-all like you described. lol But in the meantime it works.