How to get my 5 year old to sleep in his own room?

Question

I have a 5 year old son. We can get him to fall asleep in his own bed, BUT, when he wakes in the middle of the night he storms into our bed. This is every night. He may have slept the entire night in his own bed 5 times in his little life. Help!!! Serious techniques only.

Answer 1

The fast method is to tell your son that from now on he needs to sleep in his own bed, then put him to bed, and leave. Expect him to cry as much as an hour or more the first night. Usually, the crying tapers off after three or four nights and stops completely by a week.
Some parents who are uncomfortable with letting their children cry that long go in to the child's bedroom every 20 to 30 minutes. That's fine, as long as you don't stay more than about 20 seconds, don't try to calm your child all the way down, and certainly don't take him into your bed. If you give in even once you make the process of teaching him to go to sleep quietly in his own bed much more difficult.
The slower approach involves your sitting in your child's room without interacting, both at bedtime and in response to the mid-night waking; gradually, you move further and further away, until you are out of the room altogether. This approach is often harder for parents to pull off. For one thing, there's a lot of sitting and doing nothing else. For another thing, the crying tends to go on for longer.
Although it's easy to say "let him cry," I don't mean to suggest that this is a simple problem. Many parents find it almost impossible to bear listening to their child crying. If there is some reason you feel your child cannot be exposed to the frustration of being left alone at night, you might want to consult with his doctor. Sometimes having a supportive doctor on the team can help parents do what they need to do.

Answer 2

Find out what bothers him! Is he too cold, does he need a nightlight? Does he need a new bed quilt set to be proud of and want to sleep with it? I would immediately march him back to bed everytime he does this. If you have to, take away his toys. Explain to him that for every night he stays in his bed like a big boy, he can earn back a toy or two. He is doing it because you are allowing it. Is there a tree tapping on his window? Sit with him in his room at bedtime and just wait. Ask him if there is anything he's scared of, and help fix the problem so he will feel secure in his room. Give him one of your blankets to cozy up with. Buy him some new pjs and a bedtime book for him to keep by the bed.
My main point is, if you keep letting him sleep with you, he's never going to stop. March him back to bed, let him cry. It might be hard, but it seems like he's just in the habit of it. He's way too old to be doing that! Good luck.

Answer 3

You are just going to have to get up and take him back to his own bed. You might also try setting up a reward system for when he does sleep in his own bed. I have had the same problem with my daughter. She now sleeps in her own bed all night most of the time. She falls back into coming in bed with us when she is stressing about something. (She is 5 also).

Answer 4

There are a few methods you could use:

-Get him to sleep and one of you stay in the room with him. Don't do this often, in fact do it for about a week or two. The point is to let him wake up in the middle of the night and see that you are there with him.

I can't think of anymore at the given moment, but I will have more in 6 hours.

Answer 5

There's only one way to do this, by being consistant. You must take him back to his own bed night after night after night. Don't talk to him, just walk him back to his own bed, and leave the room. You have some sleepless nights ahead of you, but you must not give in. Continue to just walk him back to his own bed without engaging in any conversation, or giving his behavior any response. It is going to be hard at first, after all he is crying and carrying on like he needs you, don't react....just walk him back to his bed, tuck him in and go back to your bed. I remember doing this for an hour one night, but it did eventually work. Kids need to know that they can count on a consequence with 100% accuracy before their behavior will change, whether it be this problem or any other. The key is consistancy......Good luck.

Answer 6

It already is a habit. placed a potty seat in her room and a gate on the door. that's not risk-free for her to be wandering around and that's not accepted for a 5 twelve months previous to wake that totally contained in the direction of the evening. Your mom needs to fasten her door at evening--you are the determine contained in the abode, no longer her. Your daughter needs to sleep on her very own. it will take some nights of fits until she gets it, yet she'll end waking.

Answer 7

My son did the EXACT same thing... We first fought the battle of getting him to fall asleep in his own bed.. and then it turned into the midnight walk into our room.. I would just take his little hand and walk him back to his own bed.. Believe it or not it was as easy as that.. He sooner or later got the point that he was wasting his time because he wasn't ever going to get in my bed.

Answer 8

You grit your teeth, you get out of bed, and you escort him back to his room. You tell him he's a big boy now, and that big boys sleep in their own beds. And you do this consistently, no matter how many times he tries to weasel his way back in.

Yes, it's a pain in the butt. Yes, you're going to want to follow the path of least resistance and let him climb in so you can go back to sleep. But if you stay strong, and get the message across that you mean business and aren't going to buckle, he'll eventually give up and sleep in his own bed.

Answer 9

Is he really bothering you being in your room? Are you losing sleep or feeling crowded by him? That's a serious question,not a judgement. At least he's going down in his own room. Eventually as he matures he'll just sleep through the night and the problem will take care of itself.

Personally I don't mind my daughter coming in in the middle of the night. She's eight and doesn't snuggle with me quite as often as she used to. I kind of miss it. :)

Answer 10

Get up and march him back into his room. Talk about what made him get up. Is he scared? Does he have bad dreams. Tell him he has to sleep in his bed and mommy and daddy have to sleep in their bed. It will be a struggle the first few nights but after that he will catch on if you stay strong. Good luck and God Bless you!