how to get child to sleep?

Question

my two year old son will only go to sleep on the sofa. How do i get him to sleep in his bed.

Answer 1

The best way is routine, do the same thing at the same time every night, i.e bath, story then sleep. He has got into a routine of sleeping on the sofa and it will be hard to break, the best is if he gets up silently put him back to bed, don't shout at him otherwise he'll associate his bed with punishment.

As I said it may take a while it won't happen quickly but when he does go to sleep in his own bed, praise him to the hills then it will be easier to settle him the next night.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Some of my Grand kids pulled the same stunt on their parents. I told my daughter to rock him to sleep with a real rock.

That is a joke, of course, but what I meant was to be firm and not allow the unacceptable behavior. It will take some effort on your part and it won't be easy but if you put him in his bed and keep doing it until it wears him out, he will go to sleep. It may take a few days to arrive at that point but it beats years of the undesirable alternative. You just have to be strong for a longer period of time than he is. Just hang in there, when he finally weakens it will all be history.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I tell parents that have a similar problem - 2yr. old children are trying their new wings of independence, most of them want to big kids.

So try telling him that only babies sleep on the couch and big kids sleep in beds and try putting him to bed at the same time each night and stay with him until he falls alsleep so he will know that you are there . He probably sleeping on the couch because he still wants and need to know where you are .

Answer 4

The child is playing you. As long as he is on the couch he has your full attention.
You calm him down, make sure he hasn't had too much stimulation or caffeine or sugar prior to bed. Read a bit then it is up to him to learn to put himself to sleep.
It is his job to put himself to sleep, not the parents.
Tell them they don't have to sleep but can stay in bed and look at books.
Too many parents get caught up in the whole battle of getting the child to sleep and it is often just the child's way of getting negative attention. .
Have nice quiet time before bed, put them in bed and then leave them alone.

Answer 5

I use to let my daughter fall alseep downstairs then carry her up when she was asleep, and breaking the habit was hard but I put a stairgate on her bedroom door and then had a routine of giving her a bath at 6.30pm then getting her ready for bed making her pick a book she wanted me to read, she said she was afraid of the dark so I used a night light as well I finished reading then sat for ten mins stroking her head and each day spent a little less. It took two weeks to stop the crying and the tantrums, but just remember your doing it for them.

Answer 6

I pick my battles. When my little one goes to sleep on the sofa, I pick her up and put her in her bed. I've learned to cut out a lot of stress in my family; it's a lot easier that way. Good luck. 2D

Answer 7

Tell him a bedtime story about magic, fantasy, fairies and wizards. Need to use a bit of imagination but copying some famous lines from Harry Potter, Peter Pan or Chronicles of Narnia won't hurt anybody. You can narrate at a slow pace as boys tend to get excited over climax or non-dialogue moments. Like a lullaby, he will doze off in no time at all.

Answer 8

a nice massage and a bath really tires them out for a good sleep

Answer 9

take him into his room and read books on his bed, and when you are done tell him he can play or read but he has to stay in his room. Good luck to you.