Seeking Advice on Changing Daughters Sleep Habits

If you have to have your Husband sleep in on the floor in her room a couple of nights. Put a night light in her room. Leave music playing. Buy her a special bed time toy that she can only have if she stays in her bed. After a couple of nights your husband should be able to get up and go to bed when she falls asleep. When I did babysitting when I was a 13 I had a baby that I watched that wouldn't sleep in his crib. I went and used my babysitting money and bought a night light and radio and put it in his room. Then when it was time to put him down for bed I would put a blanket and pillow on the floor and lay by his crib. After a few times of doing this he started sleeping in his crib on his own and I got a raise in pay from his parents for working miracles........

Hi K.,

I agree with the other ladies who have suggested mattresses on the floor, and I agree with you there's no need to leave her alone to cry it out.

We have a 28-month-old and our second is due in A.. We have set up a king bed with a toddler bed sidecarred on one side, and an Arm's Reach co-sleeper sidecarred on the other side for the new arrival.

If we didn't have room for this, we'd be doing wall-to-wall mattresses so that everyone could have their own space but the little ones could still get the security they need.

Hi K.,
Obviously her reaction to fear /pain or maybe both is to seek the closeness if you & your Husband. There is not much I can suggest unless you can find out what is triggering it & help her over that.
I know that you are going to reject this at first but my only other thought is to make the new baby a family affair and just tough out the crowded bedroom. If you expell her it may make things worse & may set up a bad relationship w/ the baby.

S.

You have to get this under control now! What I did, was allow my daughter to choose 1 30 minute movie to watch (in bed) before falling alseep. The TV in her room has a sleep timer, I showed her that the timer was on for 30 minutes & when it turned off she was to go to sleep. Most of the time she fell asleep before the movie was over. I will say, she has not sleep in our bed more than 5 times in her whole life & she is now 9 years old. I know some people disagree with a child having a TV in their room but I believe if the parents take control of the remote controls & allow things in moderation, everyone will be much happier. It may take a few days and some changes but everyone will be much happier in their own beds! Good Luck!

My oldest daughter went through a phase like this. I invested in an air mattress and put it on the floor next to her crib. I would put her in the crib and lay on the air mattress next to her. Sometimes I would fall a sleep and nap with her or my husband would come in and wake me before he went to bed. If you can get her comfortable falling a sleep in her own bed, maybe it won't be so startling if she wakes there. Good Luck.

I have to say I agree with Maggie. My daughter has had 13 surgeries, three of them being open hearts. She ALWAYS seems to "need" to sleep with us after returning from the hospital. For a while I thought that I needed to get her back in her own bed; I mean that is what all the Nanny shows tell us to do. But she would have nightmares and then my husband gave me the best peice of advice - Our kids have special situations; luckily most kids do not go through major operations early in life, like our kids have. As parents it is our job to make them feel secure and if that means during the night, then so be it. I know it's tough for you being pregnant and all, but I think there is more to your daughter wanting to slep with you than just a habit that needs to be broken.
Good luck!

My boy had surgery for cleft lip, so I know a bit of what you are going through. I recommend honoring your child's need to be near her parents during her trying ordeal. Try getting another mattress in her room and letting her sleep with daddy. Pregnant mommy's deserve to sleep by themselves :)

Hi! I'll be reading your responses along with you! I've written before as my 16 month old has never slept in a crib. I'm VERY pregnant too, and the only way the family seems to get any sleep is for me to sleep in the guest room with her. On top of it, and I am still nursing her to sleep! I have no idea what I'll do when this new baby is born...I've tried all the advice...but my daughter does the same thing...when she cries she throws up and has started choking a couple of times. :( I'm doing things differently with this last baby. My husband very much opposes the idea of co-sleeping...though it seems like the most natural thing in the world to me. The next thing I'm going to try is putting her mattress on the floor, of course using the baby monitor, and just getting used to going into her room to help her back to sleep for as long as it takes to transition her. Let us know what you do. Good luck!