How do u get a Two yr old to stay in her own bed?

Question

Is there any other way other than listening to her cry n scream till she wears herself out? I can't handle listening to her cry that way again- it nearly ripped my heart out!

Answer 1

You are in a tough spot my friend. It sucks to hear you child cry like that, my husband almost had to restrain me when we went through this. Ok, here is what we did. We would put her to bed and she'd scream like someone was going to kill her. I'd wait 5 min., go into her room, but her back into bed, give her a kiss and a hug and leave the room. Wait another 5 min., and do it again and again and again. After about 3 days, it stopped. She knew we were there for her, no one was going to abondon her and she felt safe. She is now 7 and there were no ill affects of doing this. Good luck. You are not harming her by letting her cry for 5 min intervals. Trust me, you are hurting more than she is.

Answer 2

Been there, done that. Here's the scoop. You can either spend the rest of the next decade with a (larger & larger) kid in your bed, or you can have it over with in a week and enjoy a normal schedule and a tiny bit of adult peace in the evenings.

I assure you, the first night is the worst. It's best not to send a mixed signal by giving in the second night. Here's how you sleep train a baby/toddler.

Do the bedtime ritual, explain that everyone sleeps in their own beds from now on, and that you're not going to change your mind. She'll protest, and you need to be ready for that. Let her cry and protest (may need a gate across her open doorway to keep her in) for a pre-determined amount of time. (up to you, maybe 5 min.) Then go in, reassure that you love her, it's time to sleep, pat on back, say good nite, and WALK AWAY. Wait a little longer then, maybe 6 or 7 min, and repeat.

The first night we did this she cried 90 min, the second nite 30 min, the third night 3 min, and then it was over. Voila', a baby who soothes herself to sleep. That's what she needs to learn, and you need to help her to learn it: that she can relax herself and self-soothe and fall asleep without your help. It's a very important skill for kids to learn, and I believe empowers them.

We all have wake/sleep cycles throughout the night, so expect her to get into some light arousal stages every few hours, and maybe even cry to try to get you to soothe her back to sleep. Just do the same thing you did at the start of the night: wait (by the clock,) reassure, walk away, repeat at a little longer interval.

You'll be SOOOOO glad you did it, and you'll be a happier and better rested parent for her if you do.

Be prepared for back-sliding behavior with illnesses, etc. That's normal. You know what to do once she's feeling better!

good luck.

Answer 3

Ripping your heart out was her mission! Crying never killed anyone but I can understand your dilemma. Try sleeping on the floor next to her bed for a week or two. This is so that she will learn to fall asleep in her own bed but still have the comfort of your presence. Gradually, leave when she falls asleep so that she wakes up alone (and reward her with hugs and kisses for being a "Big Girl!") the next morning. If she wakes up throughout the night, don't allow her to get in your bed - you will have to make her get in her own bed. It also helps to buy her a special stuffed (safe plush) animal and call it the Mommy Bear (or whatever animal). It will take trial and error but just hold your ground - and eventually she will succumb to you - and not the opposite.

Answer 4

Try telling her a story till she falls asleep in her own bed. Lay there a few minutes and if she is still asleep after a while, leave her there and she should be ok. Do that till she gets used to the idea. It should work. Never give into her crying, she will get off on that always and use it to her advantage. Good luck!

Answer 5

Try having a very structured night time routine. Read a story, say prayers, tuck her in and kiss her good night whatever you do. Then unfortunately you may just have to listen to her scream. If she keeps getting up, just put her back in her bed, but no more stories or one more glass of water, etc. It can be heartbreaking at first, but it usually only takes a couple of days. When she realizes that you mean business, she'll eventually give up the battle. Don't give in to her crying though, or she'll know that if she cries long enough you'll give in. Good luck.

Answer 6

Many people say let them cry it out, which works great with some kids but mine screamed for four hours every night for three weeks and then I realised it wasn't going to work. I made it through with a lot of sheer luck and intuition but it took a long time.

Save your sanity - buy a book written by an expert on sleep issues. Try Good night, sleep tight, by Kim West. Save time, same your sanity, read what the experts say to do, not what we say here on yahoo.

Answer 7

Sort of yes, sort of no.

You need to be clear what behaviour you expect from her, and reward good behaviour, not bad behaviour. Let me be clear: reward means rewarding with your presence. If you go to her when she cries or gets up, and not otherwise, you are implicitly teaching her to cry! You need to do the opposite.

Have a bed time routine to ease her into bed. After you put her to bed, assure her that you will check on her in just a minute. So long as she's being good, do it. Literally, come back every minute, then every two minutes, then gradually stretch. Don't even go sit down, just leave the room, wait a short time, then 'reward' her good behaviour by returning quickly, telling her how good she is being, etc. If she gets up, or cries, tell her that her behaviour is not acceptable, ultimately you probably do have to close the door. Show her that crying = closed door, quiet in bed = open door and lots of checks from mommy. Kids learn fast so long as you stick with it and are consistent. If you really stick with this, I think you'll find a huge differance within days, and a complete turnaround within two weeks or so.

Good luck. Its worth it - for both of you. She needs her sleep as much as you need to unwind.

Answer 8

I have no parenting skills but my hypothesis would be to start planning daily activities better to excercise her mind and body so when bed times comes she will be ready for bed. And also give her something to look forward to in the morning, so she will know if she stays up all night and sleeps all morning she will miss this fun activity. I don't know if TV is good for kids, but say she likes sesame street in the morning, explain to her if she goes to bed the right time she can get up early and watch it. If this problem gets out of hand start looking for in-house assistance from a friend or family member, even your mom because they have a lot of experience and can demonstrate it better then telling you.

Answer 9

You should try a book called "The Sleep Fairy". I can't remember who the author is though. It's a good story about two little girls that don't stay in their beds. Then their parents read them the story of the sleep fairy, she comes and leaves little gifts if the girls stay in bed and don't get up or call out or cry..anyway you get the picture. I tried it with my twin 3 year olds, and it worked great. I had to start buying little gifts for them when they stayed in bed. Hopefully this works for you!

Answer 10

I had the same issue with my daughter when she was 2. Does your daughter have a tv in her room? If she does at her bedtime make it a ritual that she gets to watch a half hour tv program like blues clues or something like that while shes in her bed. Maybe she'll fall asleep while watching it, if not it will relax her and get comfy in bed and fall asleep after the show and turn the tv off. thats what I did and it worked. I also tell my daughter that if she goes to bed like a big girl she can do big girl things. maybe that will help. Good luck