Transition from Family Bed for 3 Year Old

We told my daughter her bed was special and she was very lucky to have such a wonderful bed. At first, I started laying in bed with her to go to sleep and would move to my bed after she was asleep. Later, I started sitting next to her and coaxing her to sleep and eventually she got to where she knew I was in the next bed and was okay with sleeping in her own bed. She still crawls in bed with me in the morning. The rule is she has to wait until it's light out though!

I had a similar situation when my son was little. I put my bed in the living room (like a studio apartment) and he got the bedroom. I believe it is very important for children to have their own space. You can get your daughter excited about having her own room, and choosing to decorate it the way she wants. Even with your bed in the living room, I think you will be so relieved to have your own space.

Here is a great article http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/ap/gentletranstiti... . Of course, you can sub your "bed time routine" for theirs. We are still co-sleeping and the move will be coming soon--good luck!

Hi S.,

You've probably already tried something like this, but when my daughter (also 3 1/2) has trouble sleeping in her own bed, I do something to make her bed seem "new" or "special." She hits a week-long spell every few months where she's convinced that she can't sleep in her own bed and she needs to come into mine. I've even just moved the bed to a different position in her room before and that satisfied her. If your bed seems comfier, maybe a comforter or new pillow that makes her bed seem comfy too? Perhaps she could sleep with a pillow or something from your bed. You could also make a compromise, she falls asleep in her bed but can come to yours in the morning? Having limited space makes it really hard to distinguish between her space and yours, I'm sure.

Good luck to you! It sounds like the biggest reason your daughter sleeps in your bed is that you two have a wonderfully close relationship and she feels safest with you, and that is something you should be proud of.

Hi S.,

I was in the same boat as you are so i know exactly how you feel. What i did was to sit with my daughter near her bed as she was trying to go to sleep she would wake up once in a while and try to get in bed with me so i would bring her back to her bed and get her back to sleep. it took a few weeks but she is now sleeping in her bed. Hope all goes well for you this may be something to try before you ge the 2 bedroom so that it is not so scary when the time comes to be in another room from you.

Good Luck

M.

I was a single mom when my daughter was 3-6 years old. We lived in a 2 bed, 2 bath apartment, with my friend as a roommate. My daughter and I shared the larger bedroom - with bunk beds! Kinda silly, but it worked for us. She knew I was close by, and she liked her little "hut" on the bottom bunk.

My daughter was transitioned at about 3 from family bed to her own bed. We actually put her bed next to ours for about 6 months. When she went to bed, she knew we would be right there. If she woke up in the middle of the night she knew we were right there. It seemed to reassure her, and she didn't try too hard to get back into our bed after the first week or two. Good luck