My 2 Year Old's Bed Time Habits

The very best advice I have gotten on sleep habits is the "Baby Wise" book series. There are 3 or 4 books starting with newborns up to 9 or 10 years of age. They have been truly life saving for me.

T.:

Unfortunatly, the best advice would have been given before she started sleeping in your bed :-). She has now manipulated the situation and gets exactly what she wants (and leaves you tired and your poor husband on the couch). Starting tonight tell her that she has a choice: You will either read her two stories in "HER big girl bed", or no stories. Which one would she like? If she say's "mommy's bed", tell her that is no longer a choice. After you read the stories, give her lots of love and praise and say goodnight. You have to be consistent with limits and she will eventually get it.
A.

I'm going through the same thing with my 22 month old son. We have had only one bedroom until our present house...but adjustments are hard on little ones. We are starting with one step at a time: we at first sat with him in his new bed till he fell asleep, now we are leaving him alone for ten minutes or so at a time with a promise that we will be back soon to "check" on him. The knowledge that we will be in again soon alleviates his fears and keeps him on his bed. Yes, he cries and calls for us and it is hard not to coddle him or let him sleep with us just for peace and quiet(although the trade of poor sleep and daddy on the couch is NOT worth it) He is doing much better now though, the first night he cried everytime we left the room and finally fell asleep exhausted after 2 hours. Now we whines for a minute or two. We check back on him every twenty minuts or so instead of ten and he is usually asleep by the time we "check" on him the second time. Keep working at it and be strong: without stability and routine, bedtime will continue to be a game...or a puzzle.
Hang in there!

If she has her own room then start putting her in there and tell her gentlely that mommy and daddy's bed is for nightmares and nightmares only. That daddy is feeling left out and needs mommy's attention. Also explain to her how it makes you feel when your husband goes and sleeps on the couch. Stand firm and don't allow her to go back to sleep in your bed. Start reading her stories and thingns like that in her bedroom and in her bed. If you need anymore advice don't hesitate to e-mail me at ____@____.com.

" Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Weissbluth. Just do it, it works.

I don't have a lot of advice, just empathy. My daughter is four and still comes to our bed. She has been having breathing treatments most of her life and she falls asleep during them and I put her in her bed. Usually by 3 or 4 am she's coming to my bed.

I'm with you girl. Tired!! But I think we need to be tough and keep taking them back to their own bed. When I'm able to do that she actually does better at staying in her own bed. I also lay in her bed and tell her stories until she gets sleepy.

Good luck and God Bless!

When we switched our oldest from a crib into a toddler bed, the only way we kept him in his room was putting up a gate in his doorway. When I started taking it down, he started ending up in bed with me, and dh rode the couch. So back up went the gate. He would stay up and play in his darkened room, and fall asleep on the floor, but then he started putting himself to bed. Yes, he would stand at the gate and cry, but I had to be strong and just let him cry. I would turn off all the lights in the house, and go into my bathroom and read until he was quiet.
It will take awhile for your dd to get used to it, but be firm and stick with it, and you'll get your bed back! Good luck!!

J.

When I had sleep troubles with my kids I always referred to books for ideas. I was successful using methods from The Baby Whisperer (maybe the Toddler Whisperer might have ideas for your child's age) and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. I am sure that the Super Nanny book has great ideas too - as seen in her show. It is basically bad habits that have to be broken, and that can be difficult. Hopefully a few nights of following a new method will work for you and make you feel a LOT less tired. S. P

I'm not sure what if any advice I can give since I've never had this trouble. My children went from a crib to their own "big kid" bed just fine. If, on the off chance, one asked to sleep w/ us, I simply said "no, you need to be a big girl and sleep in your own bed." I didn't have any fit throwing, they simple turned back around and went to their bed. Personally, I believe that it is an attention getter and the parent needs to step up and help the child realize that while they are still loved just as much as ever, it's time to be a big kid and go to sleep on their own. Kids will continue to do this if allowed. If explained and enforced, the transition should be an easy one. You're not being mean by implementing small steps toward independence. To me it just sounds like you need to put your foot down, and that doesn't make you a "bad parent".

Just remember to be consistant... that's the only way to break the habit, just like a bottle, pacifier, etc. if they are allowed one day to have it, the next day not to and the next "oh, okay... just for today" it only confuses them.

T.,
I have been through a similar situation with my first child and She loved feeling my long hair, it was like her blanky to her so I would have to lay there with her intil she fell asleep. Sometimes it was hard to get away because my hair was stuck under her! I dreaded putting her to bed, I started getting angry inside and felt like it was such a rediculous thing to have to do every night but at the same time I felt stuck because I wanted her to go to bed without a fight. It wasn't until a year ago that I found a trick that worked for us. We tried it on my other daughter and we just do out routine and tell her goodnight and don't see her until the morning. I learned it from watching Supernanny. As with any new thing you change in your childs life the first day or week is always the hardest but one you get past that it is always worth the pain and trouble and you feel more in control.
This is what you do:
You do your normal bedtime routine (i.e. brush teeth, read story, hugs kisses) tell her goodnight then you turn off the light and sit by your childs bed on the floor with your head down. Never give eye contact to your child because they can use that as leverage of getting their way. If she gets out, put her back in bed without looking at her. The first night is so hard! It may take a few hours of her crying and screaming and putting her back in bed. Once she is asleep you can leave. Then next night you repeat the process only you sit a little closer to the door. continue for maybe 3-4 nights until you don't sit in there with her anymore. I hope this works for you. Good luck!
C.

Nanny 911 and SuperNanny have some books out that cover many topics parents of little ones run into. Check out their websites and books, and I'm sure you'll have it in no time at all.

Good luck to you!

Anngie