How do I keep my toddler from crying in the middle of the night? He wakes up the house so I put him in my bed.

Answer 1

Watch Nanny 911. They will tell you that you will have to let him cry for a couple of nights and he will eventually stop. I do sugest getting a small night light because I remember waking up in the middle of the night when I was about 4 years old and lying on the floor looking at the light because I was scared (my mom had to lock me in). I must have got over it though.

Answer 2

As a mother of 4, I can tell you straight up, THAT'S THE WORSE THING YOU CAN DO. The first time you took your child into your bed, he had you and he knows it. It will become a nightly routine for him and you have to stop it now. Toddlers are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. You and your wife will have to tell him that he can't sleep in your bed, he's "big" boy and has to sleep in his own bed. Leave the door open for him just a crack so he won't feel confined. Give him a night light and his favorite stuffed toy. He may cry for a few more nights and even go into your room. You have to be firm, don't yell, just guide him back to his own bed and tell each time, he must sleep in his own bed because it's gets to crowded in yours and you can't sleep. Or think of something he can understand, but you really need to stop letting him your bed because if you don't, it will be a long time going on. You will regret the day, or night you started doing that. One thing I did, was put a snow globe in my child's room that glowed, It played "it's a small world" and it had adorable little figures in it and he loved it. He finally learned how to wind it up himself and it became a great source of relaxation for him. Good luck

Answer 3

Well for starters I hope you have a bed for your toddler, second ,get the toddler back in it's own bed and out of yours. That aint helping it's only hurting later on. Trust me on that one. Tell everyone else in your house to get ear plugs. Get up with your toddler every night if you have to change the diaper if needed and get a bottle if the toddler is still on the bottle and rub it's chest or back how ever it lays till it goes back to sleep. The toddler will eventually start sleeping all night just takes alittle time and you wont have the problem later on of breaking it from getting in your bed every night too.

Answer 4

Those first three answers were ever so helpful, weren't they?

You're probably not going to like what I have to say, but I mean it nicely, not nastily.

You are right now teaching your toddler to cry in the middle of the night. He's going, "Hey, I wake up alone, I cry, and I get in bed with Mommy! Good deal! Waaaaaaaaaaa!" To teach him to not do it, you're going to have some rough nights ahead of you. Get your partner's help on this, send other kids to Grandma's or Aunti whoever, if you can.

There is of course the option of keeping going with the way you've been doing it. Eventually he'll sleep on his own, he won't be doing this when he's twenty. My mom kept telling me that when I had a similar problem - helpful huh?

There's the option of leaving him there to scream. Not fun for anyone involved.

But in between there is a whole spectrum of options.

I'd suggest deciding NOT to take him to bed with you any more. Period. (Okay, I don't stick with that one. Saturday mornings are lounge in Mommy's bed mornings). At least for now. Go to him when he cries, soothe him back to sleep any way you can short of taking him out of his room. "No, sweetheart, it's nightnight time. Stay in bed, it's nightnight time." Gradually, ease up on your interventions. If you were picking him up and rocking him back to sleep, then cuddle him while he's lying in bed for a moment. Soothingly rub his back a bit. Take longer to go to him.

The more radical the change, the faster the result will be. The more gradual, the less traumatic for him.

Best of luck! You will get through this.

Answer 5

First things first Stop putting him in your bed immediately. If you don't, like everyone else said if you don't he'll be with you for far too long. Believe me I know my son turned 4 in Nov. and he just now started sleeping in his own bed. We finally had to lock our bedroom door to keep him out at night. He sleeps all night in his bed and wakes up at 7:30 for his cereal. As far as the rest of the house goes try a later bed time or even a sugar free snack before bed sometimes they wake up hungry. Good luck

Answer 6

You need to give it some time. Talk to everyone else in the house, and explain that you are getting him to sleep through the night on his own. It will take less than one week if you do it now. If you continue to allow him into your bed each night this will carry on for years.
You will have to gently put him back in his own bed, telling him it is bedtime, and he must stay in bed and go to sleep.
Second time out, tell him "Goodnight" only, and put him back to bed. Every time after that, do NOT say a word! Just put him back to bed. Over a few days he will get the point and stop.

Answer 7

What time does he go to bed at? Do you put him to sleep too early? Try putting him to bed late. Whatever you do don't put him in your bed that's the worst thing ever. He'll be sleeping with you until he's 12 if you do that. Make sure he has lots of toys with him that way if he wakes up he won't be bored and he won't cry. Is it dark? maybe he's afriad that it's too dark. Get him a night light.

Answer 8

You gotta be firm with him. If you let him come into your bed every night he is gonna be doing it till he is 5 or 6 or even older. Try rewarding him when he does something good. Make a routine when it is bed time and keep to it. Make sure he knows who is boss.

Answer 9

As a mom who loves having her kid in her bed I can say its NOT the worst thing you can do. My son moved into his bed without any qualms and I have 2 friend who both had kids in their beds with no complaint.

However from the sound of it you don't want him in your bed so we will start with something I found amazing all these "its evil to have your kid in your bed" people didn't even mention..WHY is he crying in the middle of the night. First I would check if he is having night terrors. This is common in kids that age (most common in children 2-6 years of age) and it is a medical condition. It is classified by loud uncontrolable screaming and crying when the child is asleep still, but usually apears awake to the parent (or sometimes borderline asleep)
www.nightterrors.org
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/sleep/a/night_terrors.htm

"Children who have night terrors are usually described as 'bolting upright' with their eyes wide open, with a look of fear and panic, and letting out a 'blood curdling scream'. "

If it is not that he could have a lot of other issues, is he afraid of nmonsters, having nightmares, just afraid of the dark?? I mean if he was sleepign alone in his bed before you would think something disturbed him. Did someone take on a new job or is there a new studen in his preschool?? Even little things can cause big issues for kids.

If you can't find anything wrong (it can be hard to determine whats bothering a toddler as they aren't good at explaining things) I would start with a nightlight in the room and a special toy for him to take with into bed. Not a normal stufffy but something like a little train or car or an action figure, whatever he likes, sometimes stuffed animals jsut don't interest or comfort little ones.

Because you've started letting him in your bed I would make the move tohis bed instead of yours. WHen he screams join him in his bed (or sit down on a chair next to it) He wills till have the comfort but he will be getting comfortable in his bed again. A back rub and a story that you make up will do great to help him fall back asleep. (not a book story with pictures that will keep him up, jsut one you tell him and he should have his eyes closed while listening to) Try that and then gradually you will want to start walking him back to his bed and cutting back on the ritual (cut out the back rub, make the stories brief) and moving the thigns to his original bed time. (like instead of the story at 12:00 when he was crying move it to 8:00 when he should stay in bed)

When you have gotten the ritual down to a short then convert the ritual to jsut walking him to bed with a hug and a kiss and tuck him in and explain to him that ou are sleepy and need to sleep, but you will have something special for him when he wakes up in the morning if he can sleep in his bed at night (a yummy treat, a special craft, a small present or make a chart and when the charts full then he can get a gift)

Gradually you need to take the next step and get up but don't walk him to his room to lay him down, just stand up and ask him to return to bed. From there when you lie him down the first time, earlier in the day explain to him that if he stays in bed all ngiht (except to pee if you are night time potty training) Then he will get his prize the next day, but not if he waes up and cries at night. If he does wake up then don't get out of bed jsut ask him to return to bed the same way you did when you would stand up, remind him he has to stay in bed for his treat.
Do these steps gradually over a month or 2 and he shoudl be sleeping with out more tears then have already been shed.

Answer 10

putting him in your bed is a mistake. My son started doing that too and I just go in and reassure him that everything is ok and tell him to go back to sleep and that I love him and he closes his little eyes and goes to sleep. now it only happens every now and then.. not very often