Keeping Toddlers in Bed in the Middle of the Night

I did the same thing as you, set up a comfy place on the floor for my kids to sleep when they would come into our room at night. Eventually they outgrew it. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Forget what the "experts" say about taking them back to their own rooms. I tried that too and they would just come back in our room later, after I went back to bed. It was then that I decided I could either spend the whole night taking them back to their rooms repeatedly, or let them stay and we could all get a good night's sleep. Sometimes little ones just need the extra security of being near their parents.

Good Morning S.,

if they are coming into your bed then it could be because they want to be close to you. my suggestion would be to let them sleep with you the rest of the night. there will come a day that they are all grown up and they will not want to "snuggle" anymore with their parents. children grown up way too fast these days, embrace the want to be close to you as long as you can. i too slept with my mom and dad for years....i too and perfectly normal, i just wanted to be closer to them. my three y/o still sleeps in my bed, we usually start having our kids try to sleep on their own around 4. my two older ones (9 and 7) go to bed at night and ususlly sleep through the night, sometimes one or the other will get in my bed in the middle of the night, but i love to snuggle my babies and have embraced the fact that they are wanting to be with me. again, remember that they day will come that they will want to spend more times away with their friends then at home with their family....good luck on whatever you try.

well im not there yet but if i were this is what id prob. do..id print or take a pic. of their fav. toy or what ever they might like. make a 2 day calendar and on top of it stick the picture. and tell them before they go to bed "if you wake up and stay in your own bed ( or if they come to your bad you take them back and remind them of the reword) i'll give you a sticker when you get 2 stickers i'll buy your toy" now once you've got their trust next time make the calendar for a week then longer till they sleep by themselves and they forget about the rewords. Hope this help!

Your first mistake was letting them stay in your room. It would have been better had you taken them to their room and stayed with them until they fell asleep. You encouraged the bad behavior by letting them stay in your room. Buy a night light for their room if they haven't got one. Let them pick out a favorite stuffed toy to sleep with. Put a clock in there that makes a ticking sound. But what ever you do don't let them stay in your room even it that means you having to spend a few nights in theirs.

Hi there,

I think this is pretty normal and not a big deal. Our daughter is just over 2 years and still sleeps in our room, in a toddler bed flush to our bed and at the same height. When she's ready to transition I'm sure she will let us know! And if we're just plain done with the whole thing, I want her to be of age that she realizes she's safe in her room etc. I would imagine that would be at least another 2-3 years.

I feel your pain! My 2 1/2 year old does the same thing every night at 2am. If you find something that works, let me know. I have run out of ideas myself.

Have you thought about making them go back to there bed. Maybe put the pillows and blankets on the floor in there room and you go lay with them so that they go back to sleep in there own bed. Maybe if they learn there bed is where they belong, they will stay in it in the middle of the night. If you do not want them crying and waking up the other one or your husband in the middle of the night you could lay next to there bed on the floor. Good Luck, and do not worry whatever you do it has to be right for you.

you may not like my suggestion, but maybe you should just invest in a larger bed and enjoy it. I slept with my mother for several years and I have grown up to be a fairly normal woman. I allow my son to sleep in bed with husband and I because that's where he prefers to sleep. When your children are ready to sleep in their own beds they will. On the plus side letting your children sleep with you means you only have one bed to make in the morning!!