Am I the only one that.....?

Question

....actually started my child out in his own dark room in the bed by himself. My son slept in a cradle in my room for about a week. Then we moved him to his own room. We put him in his bed at nap time and bed time, cut out the lights, and walked out. We never had any problems with him sleeping through the night. Also we never put him down with a pacifier or a bottle. Am I the only one that did this? It seems like some parents on here have so many problems with their children demanding they sleep with them, etc..

Just to clear something up...I'm not on a "high horse" nor am I judging those with situations that people feel they "need" to sleep with their children. I'm simply stating that this is what I did, and it worked out well. I was not really addressing those that sleep with their children. I was curious as how this has worked out with people that did as I have, and how often people actually do it that way. And if you will read the responses, most have said they have encountered no sleep issues when they've done the same thing.

Answer 1

No I put kids to bed in their own rooms since they were a month old. They slept in a bassinet next to my bed for the first month because I was breastfeeding and it was easier, but then I moved them to their own room and did the same. Neither of my kids are afraid of the dark and niether of them have any trouble going to bed and staying asleep until morning.

Answer 2

Nope, I am right with you. My kids didn't get night lights, they are not scared of the dark and will NOT sleep with me. They did not receive pacifiers of any type, as for bottles I breast fed so that was never a problem.
Where I come from this is more common than not. I know I'm gonna upset a lot of people with this comment, but kids having a pacifier after 4mos. is just pointless and parents who let their kids have them at 3yrs old should be reported for neglect.
Putting a kid to bed with a bottle is just stupid, unless they want them to choke, or have rotten teeth.
Most of that is just laziness on the parents part.
Granted I will say some kids feel better with night lights and they will grow out of being scared of the dark eventually, but I never understood why a parent would encourage them to be afraid of the dark by giving a nightlight to begin with. But thats just my thoughts.

Answer 3

I've got you beat, from the time we brought her home from hospital my daughter slept in her own crib in her own room. She never went down with a bottle but because of a "sucking" issue she did sleep with a pacifier, kept it until she was almost three, never had a battle to remove it, she gave it up on her own. My daughter came to our bed a total of three times in her life and both times was when we moved, the first night in the new home. Her and I did have our "slumber party nights" where we would "hole up" in the masterbedroom with videos junk food but that was a "bonding" thing we had. She never had a television in her room. Not even a nightlight. SHE prefered the dark. I never had any problems with putting her to bed, we had a night time "ritual" that started when she was about two and finally ended when she was about eight.

Answer 4

When my sons were infants, they were in a bassinet in my room for the first six weeks, then we put them in cribs by themselves. Once they were old enough to kneel/stand up in the crib, we went through the "Help, I'm miserably lonely and I just haaaaaave to get up right now!" screaming phase. At first I would check on them constantly, but when I realized they were just doing it for attention, I stopped and let them "cry it out." My younger son (20 months) is still in his crib (hasn't figured out yet how to climb out, thank God!) and goes to bed with no problem. His older brother (will be 3 on Friday), however, has been in a toddler bed since he was about 2, give or take, and it's a constant fight with him. He will NOT stay in his bed. I've tried everything. And it's not like he was spoiled by going to bed with me everynight, and now he wants to go back. He just realizes that he can hop right out of bed, so he does. Any advice for me?? I'm tired of spending 30 - 45 minutes every night lying on the floor next to his bed until he falls asleep. The whole "keep going back in there and putting him to bed" theory leads to screaming fits, which eventually wakes his brother up (they share a room).

Answer 5

Nope! Me too. My son has slept in our bed once (he had the flu and I was scared that he would choke on his vomit in his sleep). He's also never had a pacifier (it upsets me to see kids almost in kindergarden still using them!) It's a problem brought on by the parents of those "problem sleeper". It's the same problem that results in tantrums, hitting, etc. No boundries. It's important for toddlers to have limits and guidelines. Without rules, we have chaos! I don't know about anyone else, but the toddler years are chaotic enough without added burdens! I agree, it's an easy way out for a lot of parents that don't have the back bone to stand up to their own kids! Wait until the teen years.....

Answer 6

No your not and you need to get up off your high horse. EVERYONE has a different situation... so you cant be judging anything. What does it matter how other people deal with THEIR kids. Maybe some people LIKE haveing a family bed... You do things your way and everyone else will do things their own way!

Answer 7

My 16 month old daughter has always slept in her room, from the day we brought her home from the hospital. We have never had any trouble with her bedtime or naptime. I am now 31 weeks pregnant with #2, and we plan to do the same thing.

Answer 8

No you are not the only one. That is how my two oldest daughters slept. The refused to breastfeed and were bottle fed. They NEVER went to bed with a bottle.. and ALWAYS self soothed themselves to sleep. My two youngest, my boys, breastfed. And when you breastfeed its not that easy, because their before bed "bottle" is the breast, and the only way to feed it to them is to cuddle them while nursing.. and too many breastfed babies are used to that and do need cuddling to sleep. Alot of breastfeeding mothers will make the mistake (I being one.. and am now paying for it) of taking our breastfed babies to our bed when they get up in the night when they are first born so we can sleep. (With having older kids, you need sleep sometime.. my baby was up all night.. and I had 3 older kids up all day.) but now I am having issues because my youngest ONLY wants to sleep with me and is in the habit of nursing all night with me. So that is something I am attempting to break him of now... But all situations are different.. its not that most just "bring their kids to bed with them" As is in my case, I never would have gotten any sleep.

Answer 9

My son has always slept in his own room. he does have a night light, but he wakes up scared with out it....it is very dim so that helps not to be too used to too much light. My son never had a pacifier at bedtime until he was 4 months old...he couldn't keep one in....he does go down with one now, but because he didn't have one to begin with, when it falls out...he continues to sleep wiht out demanding it...which is great.

Answer 10

We did the same thing without even really thinking about what we were doing... it just felt right! And we like you... have never had ANY issues with sleep! There are too many books out there telling parents that if they do not co sleep or their baby cries for 15 minutes they will become serial killers!
:o)
Sometimes I feel like such an inadequate mother... but then I come on yahoo answers... and I feel like a genius.... LOL sorry to anyone who take offense.... LOL