THE PROBLEM: How and when do I move my twins Alexander and Jacob aged 2½ from their cots into beds?
THEIR MUM LISA SAYS: I'm struggling with moving the twins from the safety and security of their cots, especially as the boys share a bedroom. I tried lowering the cot sides a few months ago but it was a disaster. The boys wouldn't settle; they just ran riot.
I put a safety gate on their door but Alex just opened it and they appeared at the top of the stairs screaming. In the end, I gave up and raised the sides of the cots again! How can I complete the transition without repeating the disaster?
WONDERNANNY GITTE SAYS: There's never an exact time to move your toddler to a bed. But there is one golden rule: if your toddler starts scaling the sides of the cot, it's definitely time for change to avoid an injury. Lisa says the boys have clilmbed their way out already, so it's definitely time to get them into beds.
Lisa is far more likely to succeed if she talks to the boys about the change and keeps them involved. Let them help decide how the new set-up will look. Most importantly, they should be encouraged to personalise their beds by choosing their own bed linen and putting their toys and names on them.
Lisa needs to tighten the boys' bedtime routine during the transition period: bathtime, stories and a drink of milk in the room, then brushing teeth and straight to bed.
Things should be calm and quiet to help the boys relax. Don't let them downstairs again and don't let them watch TV as this would stimulate them.
If the boys climb out of bed and start running around, Lisa should hold off for a few moments rather than rushing straight up. If they clearly aren't going to settle, Lisa should enter their room, point to their beds and say in a firm voice: 'Bed!'
Keep your interaction to a minimum, including allowing the boys to climb back into bed themselves. This is a way of giving them some extra freedom, so don't worry if you hear them padding around their room a bit. As long as they're not charging around like elephants, try and ignore them.
Often, if you don't make an issue out of a situation, it's far more likely that the novelty will wear off quickly.
If ignoring them or being firm about telling them to get back into bed fails to work, Lisa should settle one twin to prevent him disturbing the other. As Alex is apparantly the instigator of most of the mischief, Jacob should be settled first.
By turning her attention to Jacob and completely ignoring Alex, Alex's partner in crime and his audience will be removed, with Alex eventually being left with no option other than to get into his own bed and settle down.
This may take some time, but it needs to be faced sooner or later so stick to your guns and the boys will realise you mean business.
