Have you tried offering a reward for staying in her bed all night? As far as transitioning to the new bed, let her help pick out her new bedding so she has some involvement. You might pick out a couple of options in advance and let her choose from those other she might go off on a whole new theme. Brag up how she is such a big girl to get the new bed. Have you friends and neighbors brag her up too. My kids liked to turn the light on too. I fixed the problem by getting (I don't know what this is called) a thing I could screw into the light socket. It sort of looks like a light socket. You can buy them at Wal-Mart back by the light switch covers. Anyway, it had a pull chain on it (some come with an extra outlet). I would just turn the light off at the bulb every night so flipping the switch didnt work. I put a night light in the extra outlet so the kids can't reach it. I would move the furniture away from the light switch so she doesn't have a reason to be climbing. Since your dd seems to enjoy her time in isolation, I would probably leave the door open. Give her a consequence for every time she wanders out. You may have to take away a toy or some other action. Don't sit and talk to her. Make a simple statement and return her to bed. After the first time, just use a gesture and no words. Don't let her have the attention she's wanting. If she knows you mean business, she'll quit. Good luck! She will get over this.

Oh, mine is metal, and has skinny slats spaced about every 4 inches so it was easy to tie on the rail. Since you don't have slats, that won't help you. Depends on how your bed is made, would there be another way to attach the rail somehow to the frame? If they were both wood (the bed and the frame) maybe you could drill holes and bolt them together? Just a thought. If you know someone handy with wood, maybe have them help you make a "to fit" rail. Or have you looked into those tents they make to keep adventurous tots in their cribs? I've never actually seen one, but have heard about them. Don't even know if it would work on a toddler bed, just trying to brainstorm : )

Wow. Is this an old thread? I will tell you the end of the story. We live in the state of Tennessee, and any need outside the regular curriculum is considered a "special need". We ended up being assigned an Individualized Education Program Team after he completed Kindergarten. We never said we wanted anything more, but his teacher approached us. They knew he needed more. What they do here, is an enrichment program for those kids who need more, on top of regular classes. It's was the perfect blend. He got the mainstream information, socialization, etc. and then he got more so he wasn't bored. After elementary, we have magnet schools to which you can apply depending on your standardized test scores. His were off the chart in science and math, and so, he's attended and will continue to attend, math/science focused magnets. There are hudreds of kids just like him! There are many who are head and shoulders above him that challenge him in class, the curriculum is interesting and very focused. The high school he attends is all about getting these kids ready for university. And US News and World Report agrees. One of the top in the nation. It's a public school. So I think we just got lucky. Tennessee seems to have done it all right. I hear the nightmare stories, but mine isn't one of them. He has learned to channel all that energy and now, I get to sit back and relax. He learned our city bus system and can go anywhere he wants (we stay in touch via text), and for example, he just attended the district wide concert band camp and enjoyed being around kids who love playing music for no other reason than to be excellent and have fun playing. Today, he's off to the Southern District youth camp for church. He can cook so he helps out at the end of the day and experiments in the kitchen. He's active and involved in our community via school and church. He stays busy doing what he loves doing, and I don't have to be exhausted any more. I think he's achieving much? For his age, absolutely. We'll see where his educational journey takes him, but I think he'll land on his feet.

We went with a full size bed. our DS didn't need it, but Mom and Dad did......He went through a period of needing someone to lay down with him to fall asleep during the night terror times. So we upsized to ensure if we were laying down with him and happened to fall asleep, we might get a couple hours of decent rest, rather than hanging off the side of a twin..... And he loves the big bed, can share with his cousin if they have a sleep over.