How can I get my kid to sleep??

[wineandcake]

Mac has napped a grand total of once the past week and a half. He figured out how to escape from his flipped around crib and we moved him to a toddler bed for safety reasons (he was constantly climbing out and hurting himself, he never learned). Now it's gotten to a point where he is miserable from not sleeping and I'm miserable, exhausted, and pregnant. HOW DO YOU GET TODDLERS TO SLEEP IN REAL BEDS? We've been alternating laying in it with him for over an hour now, and at night stay with him until he falls asleep. He's driving me insane and we both need a break from him (usually naptime) but that's just not going to happen today.

[sjames2015]

I have resorted to sleeping the entire night with her either in her bed or mine. I'm trying her bed more just so that she gets used to it. Once she asleep I can get up and leave but if I do that she will eventually get up again. So I just stay in there all night and she's sleeping more than she has in a very long time. Hoping after a few nights or a week she will start staying in there more. She loves her big girl bed.

[summer]

We are not there yet, so I don't know how well this works, but I've heard that you just keep putting them back in their bed every time they get out, no matter how many times that is. After a few days, they are supposed to get the message and will stay in their beds.

Meanwhile, my DS is refusing to nap and my DD is spending her "sleep" time grunting and groaning, trying to poop. So I do feel you on the lack of sleep and breaks.

[holly321]

My dd is almost 4, and we still struggle to get her to sleep often. Example, bed time is 7:30. She was up until 10:30 last night.

We had a while of us having to lay with her until she slept. I never automatically did it, I did if she was still getting up every 2 minutes for about 20 minutes.
She goes through phases where we can get her to sleep, and then she goes a week or two where she WILL not stay in bed.
I lay with her for awhile and rub her back, and it often gets her to calm down and stay in bed. Not necessarily fall asleep, but she stays
I also alternate her sounds and lighting. It helps her. I can see how that would be counterproductive for some people

[ericalee27]

DS2 is in a big boy bed and at this point, one of us (usually me) just lays with him until he's asleep - otherwise, he won't stay in the bed and we have no way to keep him in the room right now (knob covers, gates, etc. do not work for this monkey)