Moving from a cot to a bed, can you help?

We've tried reward charts and threatening to put him back in his cot like a baby (which is what we have ended up doing - but he doesn't seem to object to this).
WillowFae

He's two and a half – he's gone from a cot to a bed, wow! He's got his very own castle now. So, he's jumping on the bed because he's excited about his new space that doesn't confine him, and because he can get out. He's got something new in his room.

It's very simple, 'while mummy's reading a story, I'd like you to come and sit down and listen to it.' Get him engaged with the story - you know, turning the pages. And get him actively engaged with it, asking 'so what does the bunny do, why is he over there then?' Etc, etc, etc. So you get your child involved with the story that you're reading. If he continues jumping about, you should tell him you're going to close the book and end the story, and it'll be bedtime if he continues to jump around. There's a time and a place.

So it's not about trying reward charts or anything like that. The fact is he's gone from a baby in a cot to a big boy in a bed. Don't fret and put him back in his cot like a baby. He's not a baby. Recognise it as it is – he's a toddler and he's got a big bed now. But yes, it also presents this scenario, 'oh, I can get out of this bed as well' which challenges you, his parents.

Put a bed guard up for safety. Put some cuddlies round the side of the bed so it doesn’t seem so big and overwhelming. And it's really about establishing a nice little bedtime routine, like you've always done, but when he bounces on the bed, you say 'ok, two more bounces and then I want you to come and sit down and read the story with mummy because it's time for bed.'

What you will need to do is the sleep-separation technique so you can re-establish his initiation to sleep on his own.

You threatened to put him back in his cot and you ended up doing it – what you masked was not really dealing with the situation in hand. Of course he doesn't object to his cot – he's safe there. When you're ready to move on to putting him into a big bed, remember it will be all about the technique.

Good luck!

Jo