How can u teach a child to sleep in his bed?

Question

My son has been sleeping with me since he was borned. he will take a nap in his bed but he will wake up crying. what should i do

Answer 1

Leave him in it. If he leaves, put him back in. If he cries, let him cry.

Answer 2

My son used to be like that but the difference is that I almost lost him when he was 8 days old because he would stop breathing and so I was scared to leave him in his crib by himself well he kept thinking he needed to sleep with me until I weened him off when I was pregnant with my daughter because my big belly and I needed more room and my bf was a bed hog also so the queen sized bed was just too small for the 3 of us, so we started by tucking him into his own bed and laying with him for a bit or until he falls asleep start a normal bedtime routine like take a bath, read a book maybe have a healthy snack (my kids like to have a few grapes or a couple of crackers or some popcorn) then have him brush his teeth and explain to him that tonight he is going to be a big boy and sleep in his own bed. If he needs a night lite get one for him or leave the hall light on or something to soothe him. He might not like this at first but if you explain it to him like he is a big boy because he gets to sleep in his own bed he will probaably like the idea of being a big boy! It might take a while to get him used to it but if you stay consistant every night with the bedtime routine he will stop sleeping in your bed on a regular basis, if he does wake up in the middle of the night let him crawl in. My 4 year old still crawls in sometimes! Good Luck!

Answer 3

How old is he? If he is older than say 12 months it may be time to put him and bed and let him learn some self soothing habits. Meaning when he crys don't run in and take him out of bed. Let him cry in few days he'll be lulling himself to sleep like a pro.

Answer 4

WOW, that's why you never start doing that. I learned from my parents when they had my little brother. They let him sleep in their bed until he was 4 years old and they had an awful time trying to get him to sleep in his own bed, so I told myself when I had kids, I would never do that and I have a son now and I didn't let him sleep in my bed ever.

From watching my parents deal with my brother, they would send him back to his room and tuck him in his bed with a teddy bear every time. There wre alot of sleepless nights, but eventaully after doing it hundreds of times, he got it. Then when he tried to get out of his bed into theirs, they would scold him and tell him he must sleep in his own bed and walk him back to his bed. And when he slept in his bed all night, they would give him a treat in the morning as a reward like a piece of fruit, yougrt or something to show him he did a good job. But if he didn't sleep in his bed the whole night, they would take his favorite toy away. So try using the reward system and see how that goes.

Answer 5

Just put him in his bed and put a gate up at his door so he can't leave the room and prepare yourself for a night of crying. He'll figure out in a few nights that he is in his bed for night time. Obviously since he naps in his room he knows how to get himself to sleep in there and feel comfortable.

I think lying in bed with him to "ease the transition" actually only makes it worse because then you get him used to you sleeping in his bed with him only to take that away as well in a few days....

Good luck!

Answer 6

Went through this with my oldest and at 5 she STILL wouldn't sleep in her room so we started out with a pallet beside our bed then after a few nights moved it to by our dor then outside our door so on until we had her sleeping in her bed, not the best method I am sure but it worked and within a couple of weeks she was in her bed. After she started sleeping in it we took her to the store and let her select her own comforter, lamp etc. Good luck.

Answer 7

Tell him he WILL be sleeping in his own bed when it's bedtime, and you don't want any crying about it. Lock your bedroom door before you go to sleep so he can't get in. I did that - it worked just fine and he wasn't traumatized at all and he saw during a week that this was the way it would be. He never went back to his old habit. Just don't give in no matter what he does - cry, vomit, scream... Tell him to be quiet and GO TO SLEEP.

Answer 8

Put him in his bed, make him comfortable, kiss him goodnight. Do this every time he gets into your bed. Don't allow him to nap in your bed. To be fair, you started this practice, not him, so its your responsibility to own up to the mistake. If he's old enough, just say you are sorry that you made a mistake but from now on your bed is for grown ups and his bed is for him. He's trained you to respond to what he wants, so now you have to retrain him. Be gentle though, you are to blame, not him.

Next kid, don't let them into your bed out of the feeding/nursing stage. When they are done feeding/nursing then they go to their bed.

Answer 9

This is what I have against co-sleeping, plus the fact that it can be dangerous.

Our son comes down the hall every night and sleeps in our room. We put a mattress on the floor for him to make it less attractive than sleeping with us.

We made a rule that he must fall asleep in his own bed, but if he wakes up he is always welcome to come down the hall and get on his mattress.

It works for us...we get our husband and wife time, and he feels secure. Some hardcores will tell you to make him stay in there.....my doctor once told me to hold the door shut while he screamed, he'll just get tired and fall asleep (ABUSIVE in my book).

You have to do what works for you.

Answer 10

Let him cry for a bit, or soothe him but don't take him back to bed with you.

The more you coddle him, the more he will cling to you and not want to be left without you. Over time he will adjust to not having to have you sleep near him all the time.

Answer 11

Just keep putting him back in his own bed if he cries let him cry he'll soon get used to it and be fine it's a common solution to the problem.