About a month ago, we began transitioning our 19 mo old daughter to a toddler bed. We needed the crib for our 3 mo old son, so we are in a position now of no return.
My oldest is doing wonderful with bedtime for the most part. There is still an occasional evening when we have to repeatedly put her back to bed for up to an hour, but otherwise she normally climbs right into bed after storytime, I tuck her in and we say good night. I close the door to her room and may have to go back in once, but in the last couple days, she doesn't come out at all.
We hear her moving around in her room now after we've said goodnight and closed the door. When I go in to wake her in the morning, she's sleeping up against the door with all her blankets and pillow and stuffed animals.
I'm wondering if this is a normal behavior and if I should be intervening to stop it. If so, what's the best way to go about it? Do I go in, even though she's not trying to come out, when I hear her getting out of bed? Or do I just leave her be? Will she eventually learn to stay in bed on her own? She doesn't seem upset or anything, but she's not staying in bed.
This has only happened for a few days now. Eventually we'll also be having her brother sleep in the same room. We have a small house and right now, he sleeps in our room, but that can't last forever. I'm worried her getting up and sleeping on the floor is going to interfere with us transitioning our son into the same room.
Thanks everyone! It's good to know she's in a normal phase. Last night, she got up and slept by her door (I could hear her), but then woke a couple hours later and went right into her bed where she stayed for the rest of the night.
My son went through the same thing. In fact, for a long time he wouldn't even sleep in the bed. WE made one on the floor or let him use his tent. Totally normal, and eventually they grow out of it. (hes now 5 1/2 and sleeps in his bed every night).
I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. She's just doing what comes naturally. After all, we have to indoctrinate our Westernized kids into sleeping in a bed. Most of the world sleeps on the floor, albeit, with padding and blankets.
My daughter did the same thing. I think she slept more on the floor then in her toddler bed. I never saw a problem with it and if she was comfortable enough to sleep on the floor then let her be. It took her a few weeks of sleeping on the floor til one night I went to check on her and she was actually in her bed but the opposite way (head at foot part) but she was in bed.
I was very interested in reading these responses. My daughter is 26 months and seems to be outgrowing her crib as she wakes in the middle of the night and will not go back to sleep so I put her sleeping bag on the floor and she will eventually sleep there just fine. I figure as long as she is sleeping and in her room that it's ok. I was also glad to hear that I can probably expect the same thing to happen for awhile after getting her a big girl bed.
FTWM of a wonderful 26 month old little girl!
IMHO, you have to pick your battles as a parent. Is her sleeping on the floor really a big deal?
I would let her be. She may continue to do this after her brother shares her room, but so long as she doesn't disturb him and lets him be, it shouldn't be problematic. You may be surprised at what your son will sleep through--some kids sleep like rocks. And remember, a generation or two ago, there were kids sharing not just rooms, but BEDS.
Perfectly okay! As long as she is sleeping in her room I wouldn't worry that she is not in her bed. My daughter did this for about 3 months. Not too long after she got her big girl bed. It's just a phase and she will eventually go back to her bed on her own.
I would guess that in her crib there's an element of safety, you know, those bars. :) And that's not the case in the bed. If she's snuggling up in a corner, she maybe just likes being snuggled in, all safe and sound. I'm 32, and I like that too. :) Oh, and sometimes I just sleep on the floor cuz it just feels like the right thing.
I do not really have any advice for you since my daughter is still 7 months, i haven't gone through anything like that yet, but i can tell you that when i was a little girl i always slept on my floor close to the door too, i geuss i felt safer on the floor or something. i stopped when i got a little older, and i think i turned out alright :)! i'm no expert, but as long as she is in her own room, i'd maybe just let her be, maybe find out if she is scared or something. good luck!
Hi,
We had some of the same trouble with my son when we transitioned him to his toddler bed, except it was at nap time. He would bring his blanket and stuffed animal to the top of the stairs (his room is about 3/4 of our upstairs, open floorplan with no door, gate at top of stairs) and fall asleep there. After I finally quit trying to put him back in bed and just let him sleep at the top of the steps, he finally eventually just stayed in his bed on his own. He still got his sleep and my stress level dropped because I wasn't fighting him anymore. Good luck!
shes sleeping! let her be!
she most likely will choose the bed when she wants to. until then, as long as shes sleeping, why bother worrying about it?
My son did this to. My husband broke his crib :) so we had not choice to move him into a "big boy" bed. He would not sleep in it at all. We tried just putting the crib matrices on the floor and that did not work either. So finally we made a game out of it. We bought a small tent (it was only like $20-$30) and put that in him room. We used a special big blanket on the floor and then one of his blankets to cover him up with. Every night we made up some story of why he had to sleep in his tent. They were silly stories like the kissing monster was out in his room and was going to kiss him all night long unless he slept in him special hiding spot (My husband gladly played the kissing monster :) He got the idea soon. After a few months we moved the special big blanket onto the toddler bed. He made the transition very well. We did leave the tent in his room and let him sleep in it on days he was really good. It's always nice to have something over them to take away should they be naughty. My son is now 5 and is a avid camper :) Our youngest is 16 months and just started to climb out of the crib so we have put him in the tent now! Good luck! Like all of the other parents said it is not a big deal at all.
Ours did that too, at 3 yrs old. After fighting with her for a week or so, we realized "who cares" and every night we asked her "are you sleeping on the floor or in bed tonight?" She chose and we got her all set up. My only requirement was that she couldn't sleep behind the door (for safety). Some nights she still would and I would have to use the door to push her away and go move her. but then she lost a priviledge the next day. After a couple months of this I started moving her to bed when I would go check on her before I went to bed. That way she woke up in her bed. And eventually we stopped saying the words at night and she chose to climb into bed. The bottom line is, it doesn't matter where she sleeps as long as she is safe, warm, and sleeping! So let her be in control. but once you close the door I wouldn't get in the habit of going in because once she learns you will come in when she does certain things, she is bound to use that against you! They are so smart!
My dd did this for a little too after we transitioned to her toddler bed. We ended up putting her in a twin size bed instead and then she stayed put.
A friend let her daughter pick out new sheets for the bed and then she wanted to always sleep on them....
get some pics of her curled up on the floor and don't worry too much.
Both my children did/do this... it's the newly found freedom to be able to get out of bed, it's exciting for them.... My rule for my children is that they had to stay in their own rooms - they couldn't go into the living room, or mommy/daddy's room etc... Although once I did find my son sleeping in the bathroom. If you are afraid of her getting out of her room and into something she shouldn't you can always put a baby gate up in the doorway and leave the door open - we did this for the first few months for each child (I have a 5 1/2 year old girl and a 3 year old boy) - so they got used to STAYING in their room at bed time.
