Desperate times call for desperate measures

The big girl bed is a complete disaster. Sophia will not sleep in it. In fact, she won't even lie down in it. She is completely fine throughout her entire bedtime routine until it's time to put her in that bed. The shrill screaming starts the second we put her in bed.

I go potty, she screams and cries. We put her on the potty and she goes and she's calm and excited about going on the potty. Back to bed, and the screaming begins.

I GO POTTY!

I GO POTTY!

You just went potty. Lay down, sweetheart.

Sleep with Mommy.

Daddy, sleep.

The crying and screaming continues until she is out of breath, but she doesn't give up and she will not lay down unless we are in bed with her. So last night, we converted her big girl bed back into a crib. Sophia was devastated.

I feel terrible about it, but at least she will lie down in the crib. Of course, we had to be in the room with her, but she did fall asleep, only to wake at 2 a.m. She climbed out of her crib, opened her bedroom door, all the while screaming for Mommy and Daddy. She ended up in our room and in bed with us. Again.

I know this is our fault and I know she is taking advantage of this situation, but what do I do to fix it? I cannot just leave her to scream for us at the top of the stairs because 1. I feel like I'm abandoning her and 2. she will wake up Ryan and I just can't emotionally deal with two screaming babies in the middle of the night.

We can't keep her in the crib because she can climb out and I am afraid of her falling and hurting herself. It's only a matter of time before she looses her grip and falls to the floor.

But I can't keep her in the big girl bed because, well, she won't sleep in it.

I asked the teachers at daycare and they suggested taking her out and letting her pick out her own brand new sheets to make the big girl bed more special. And they also suggested I just let her cry. Eventually she will either get back into bed or curl up on the floor and sleep. They also said it is easier said than done and I'm pretty sure I will never be able to do it.

So, I'm asking you, no begging, for help. Please help. I am a mother desperate to fix this situation before it gets worse. Have any of you dealt with this and if so, what worked for you? Any and all suggestions will be tried. I'm desperate for help.