We have a 2 and a half year old who has started sleeping in a bed a few months ago instead of a cot. Over the past few weeks we're experiencing some issues and we're out of ideas.
The night always starts out like this: we put him to bed, then when we come to bed find he's already gone and moved himself to our bed. We move him back, then a few hours later the shennanigans begin:
He gets out of bed and carrying his pillow, a few choice toys, his comfort toy and dummy and coming to our room and just opening the door and standing there wanting to come and sleep in our bed.
When we take him back and explain he has to sleep in his bed he tries to make you stay with him as long as possible. I have tried asking what is wrong, he sometimes says things like there's a shark under his bed or whatever. We've illuminated his bedroom since he wants the light. But he still doesn't want to stay in his bed. He'll repeat this every night every 5 minutes or so until one of us firmly tells him he has to stay in bed. Then he'll stop coming to our room and just go downstairs and sleep on the couch. We've tried sweet talking him and patting his cheek to sleep, reading him stories, looking under his bed for sharks and cows finding none, turning some of his lights off, some sleep music.
Is this normal and what else can we try?