advice about bed time?

Question

i have a two year old and she never sleeps in her bed the whole night through, only once in a blue moon. around bed time she gets in our bed to go to sleep...she wont lay in hers. Once she goes to sleep I move her to her bed, but 98% of the time when I wake up in the morning there she is, in the bed with us again. what can I do to get her to sleep in her bed?

Answer 1

What we did is:We would wait for our daughter to climb into bed, and then we started to push her around.
Everytime she got comfortable somebody moved and she started complaining.
We said thats why kids have their own bed so they dont get squashed by the grown ups.
And when we went to bed and she was already asleep in it, we would do the same until she woke up.
One evening when we went to bed and started pushing her around, she got up and went to her bed and fell asleep right away.
I quess after a few nights of uneasy sleep made her see the light - the night light that is.
Good Luck

Answer 2

Wow this sounds EXACTLY what I went through with my daughter. There is hope. She is 6 now and falls asleep in her own bed AND STAYS THERE! I have to admit I didnt really start working with her on it until last year, though.

The first thing we did was make a "star chart" and she got a star for falling asleep in her own bed. She also got another star if she stayed in bed all night (if she came to our room I helped her back into bed). The deal was that she could have the toy she wanted when she hit 10 stars.

I also made her a CD of disney lullabies and soft music and gave her simple remote so that if she woke up in the middle of the night she could turn her music back on. We put a nightlight near her bed so that she could turn it on without getting up.

Its not a perfect system, but I think even a two-year old can be cohersed with a good reward system. Try laying down with her in her bed for the first few nights, then start getting out of her bed before she falls asleep. Maybe right after storytime or prayers, depending on your bedtime tradition.

Answer 3

This is a tough one because it is a hard habit to break. I am sure you have tried telling her that big girls sleep in their own bed and rewarding her for nights that she sleeps all night in her own bed. If not try those. Give her incintive to stay in her bed like she can stay up a little later with you, or promise a trip to the zoo the next day and hold up to it. I know you don't want to have to bribe her every night, but maybe just until she get the hang of it. Try communicating with her the reason she does not wan to stay in her bed and try to work with her on the reasons. Like if she is afraid of the dark, then leave the hall light/night light on for her or put the TV on. Give her a special friend that can only sleep in her bed with her that will protect her or put a big picture of something she likes up on her wall the will keep her safe and it only stays in her room. Get some fine glitter powder and sprinkle a little on her before bed time and tell her that it is fairy dust that only works in her bed to give her the sweetest dreams and if she gets up then the fairys won't come back for her dreams If these do not work, then the moment she crawls in bed with you pick her up and put her back in her own bed. Let her cry until she falls asleep. After about a week of this she will get the idea. Also try locking your door at night so she can't get in. I know you don't want to punish her but this behavior will not just go away. I have a cousin that slept on her mom and dads floor until she was 16 years old. I know you don't want that. This is why my 9 month old has never slept with me and my husband, we need our alone time and so do you. Good luck and i hope i helped.

Answer 4

Undoing the damage that you have already done is going to be a feat in itself! Don't put her in your bed to begin with! She has insecurities about sleeping by herself and it's your fault. Put her in her bed at night and tell her that she is to sleep there. If she cries, let her, if she gets out of bed, put her right back in it. It will take you a while, but that's the only thing you can do. Also, keep your door open, but put a baby gate in front of the door, so she can't get in...you will be able to hear her cry and simply get up and put her back in her own bed!

Answer 5

Well be consistent with the removal of her to her bed. If you are a heavy sleeper good luck, I'm not If my son woke up and crawl in our bed he would be put right back into the bed. He doesn't sleep walk to our bed anymore. He went to sleep in his own bed around 15 months. Put a gate which sounds cruel in her doorway, tell her she needs to sleep in her own bed. Be consistent of this, keep on putting her back in her room.

Answer 6

My child does the same thing, I am just going to let him outgrow it. I have a 7 and a 9 year old, and they both sleep in their own bed. I am not going to force him to sleep in his bed for now, even though it can be aggravation.

Answer 7

I think it is really important to foster independance. Your child can't sleep with you forever. I save it for when my 2 yo is sick or for morning cuddles. I would be firm at bed time. Make a bed time routine and stick to it. For us, we start 30 mins before with bath time, story time, teeth brushing, kisses and finally, bed. He goes to bed without a fight because he knows what to expect. It's the same every night. It's not too late to start. Good luck.

Answer 8

Have you tried going to bed with her in her bed and when she goes to sleep you leave and if you're still up and you hear her rustling go and assure her that you're there and leave when she falls asleep again. I do that with my son he's 2 1/2 and it seems to work.

Answer 9

Here is a great book dealing with healthy sleep habits for children of all ages. It requires persistence, but will happen quickly.

Good luck!

Answer 10

my 2 yr old will not sleep w/ no one but me so i dont think u could break that by yourself