My 4 1/2 Yr. Old Won't Sleep alone~HELP

we don't have the health problems, but we have coslept on and off for most of her life. Although, now that she is big, she starts the night in her room (I sometimes lay with her til she is asleep) and if she wakes at night and is afraid, she can come to our room and sleep on the floor (I have a pillow and blankets ready for her). She only does it now if she's had a nightmare or is sick. She doesn't ask to come into our bed anymore and is sleeping more and more in her room. I think it helps her to know that she can come to our room if needed.

Also, she has a music player she can turn on if she wakes at night, and has a nightlight. That seems to help too.

My daughter always ends up in bed with us. It is a tight fit.

Have you thought of moving his bed next to yours? As time moves on, you slowly start moving the bed away from your bed. That worked for us.

Hi L.,

Although it doesn't sound as bad as your son's condition, my daughter suffered from asthma as a toddler and then croup for the next three years. There were many nights we didn't want to leave her alone for fear she would need a breathing treatment. She was also a baby who never seemed to go to sleep on her own.

We also wanted her to sleep in her room so here's what we did: allowed her to choose decorations and arrange her room so she has some ownership, put in three night lights, plugged in a CD player so she can listen to music of her choosing before going to sleep and a lot of good, old-fashioned cajoling.

At 5 1/2 she rarely argues about going to bed, particularly since we read a chapter in a book every night in bed, which helps her relax. Some nights she will come out teary and we will relent. But more often than not she will go to bed without too much work.

I think it had a lot to do with her age/maturity too.

I feel your pain. :)

Best of luck!!!!

M.

We have a sleeping bag set up most days in our bedroom on the floor right next to my side. My son goes to sleep in his own bed, but if he gets scared (which is most nights) he can come in and be near us. But this way we don't have to be kicked all night! It's not the most comfortable spot in the world, although I do but a comforter down under the bag, so it's not really a treat for him. I'm hoping that he'll grow out of even this sooner or later, but in the meantime he doesn't have to be alone and I am awakened less.

I got pregnant my last semester in college, and it just so happened to be the semester I took child psychology. Needless to say, I payed extra close attention in class! I read an study about co-sleeping and independence that I thought was very interesting. A group of kindegardeners was studied and the co-sleeping group was determined more independent. The interesting part was that it was the ones that were STILL in bed with their parents, not the ones who had stopped co-sleeping that were more independent than their peers. You might be able to find the study on the internet to evaluate it to see if you think it was set up well. I can't remember the operational definition of independent.
Does he sleep in your bed or on the floor? You could move him onto a mat on the floor and then eventually move him to the other room, welcoming him onto the mat on the floor if he gets scared in the middle of the night.
It definitely won't go on forever. How long has it been since you've wanted to be in bed with your parents? ;)