Sleeping Habits - Ward, AR

Whichever method you choose, go gradual. He's likely to be jealous of his siblings who get to sleep with the family still... "If the little kids get to stay in the big bedroom, I'll be a little kid." Try to keep bedtime happy b/c it would be very easy for him to be resentful.

i believe having them all sleep in their own beds would be my goal. eventually, you'll have to do this all over again, when you're telling your now 3 yr old to get into a bed and that she's too old and your baby is sleeping with you. i'd just slowly transition them all if you can. i never let mine sleep with me so it was never an issue, so maybe if you work on your first two, you won't have to ever worry about it with the baby. good luck.

You need to put all the chldren in their own beds. not just for their sake, but for you and your husband. You also don't want your son to feel bad that you treat the sisters dfferent.

Hi M.. I realize that the precious angel sleeping close by are so sweet and innocent when they are cuddled up next to you. But these babies need their own space and you need your own space. Trust me, I know. i have a 6 year old and a 4 month old. I prided myself with having my children sleep in their own beds from the beginning. my mother in law who lives in Canada--when she would come for visits, she would want to go get Evan out of the bed and put him in bed with her. I was the mean one and told her absolutely not--i said that if he was awake in the am, then they could go cuddle for a while. Those behaviors are hard to break. i realize with the occasional bad dream or early morning visit, it is hard to say no to them. think about it, when do you get time to yourself? you NEED that time for your health. I would try to get them all back in their beds--Does Elly have a room where you could put her Crib in her own room? It is probably time to transition everyone. It would probably mean a few nights ( or possibly longer) of going back and forth---i have done this too with mine----but it will be well worth it in the end. It is easier to have them in the bed with you for convenience purposes, but they all need their own space. You dont want to have to fight them off when they are 7 and 10 still sleeping in your bed. Just think of the wonderful sleep you will get if you didnt have two little ones kicking you in the side or slapping you in the face with their arm,etc... It would be well worth the transition. Trust me!!!

I am wondering why your kids sleep with you in your bed? They should really be sleeping in their own beds, in their own rooms. I think you are doing them more harm than good by letting them sleep in your bed -- many times, it gives them fears of being alone. Does your husband mind a 3 and 5 year-old sleeping in his bed? Mine would...

You might consider transitioning your 3-year-old out of your bed also, and letting the 5-year-old and 3-year-old share a room with their beds close together. That way no one has to sleep alone, and you get your bed back.

I've tried getting my daughter that is 4 (will be 5 in April) to sleep in her own bed, so far if she goes to sleep in my bed, I can put her in her bed and she will stay. As for making your son understand that he is a big boy now, try treats for sleeping in his bed. Something that is just for him. Maybe start a "bed chart" that you put a star on every time he sleeps in his bed with no fussing. Once you reach a certain point, he gets a special treat. Let me know how that works for you.

I have gone through and am currently going through a similar situation. I always let my oldest son sleep with me. He never slept in a crib. He is autistic so I did it out of guilt. When I had my second son, I made him sleep in a crib. He eventually got old enough that he started wanting to sleep in my bed as well. And so I felt like I had to let him, cause it was only fair. Now I have a 3 month old little girl, and I refuse to let her sleep in the bed. I made my oldest son start sleeping in his own bed and my younger son as well. It was hard in the beginning, but oh my goodness so worth it. Your son can't understand that he is too old to sleep with you, and nothing you tell him is going to convince him that your daughter deserves it and he doesn't. He will always see it as unfair. So you have to decide what your going to do. Keep everyone in the bed with you, have your son feeling bad sleeping in his own room, or take the hardest step and make all of the children sleep in their own beds. Children need to learn to be independent and bedtime is one of the best times to teach them this. Of course, its not easy! I know! I followed Super Nanny's routine and that worked for me. Of course not everything works the same for everyone. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you!!!

M.,
I'm sorry that your having problems with Ty not sleeping in his own room. I had the same problems with my son. We lived in appartments and for his first 3 years he always slept in our bed or in his bed which was also in his room. When we moved to our first house he finally had his own room, but he didn't want to sleep away from us. What I did was handwrote weeks on paper and hung it in his room. On each night if he did good, (slept in his room with no complaints, getting up or playing with toys) he got a star. If he complained or got up or anything that was not acceptable he got an X. At the end of the week, if he had all stars he got to sleep in our bed as a treat. The worked so well that I didn't even have to finish the first paper. So about 3-4 weeks. It became such a habit to just sleep in his room. It's been over 2 years and he only sleeps in our room on special occasions, like his birthday. I hope this helps.

I'd go into it but I'm late making dinner and the pot burned on the stove! Basically, you can transition him out gently and effectively in little steps. First let him sleep near your bed on his own mattress or sleeping bag. Then closer to the door. Etc.

You can get way more detail and a variety of tips in the Dr. Sears Discipline Book or his Nighttime Parenting book.

L.