Help, My Child Won’t Stay in Bed! 3 Easy Solutions
It’s 2AM. You’re sound asleep…when suddenly you wake to the sound of little footsteps entering your room. Again. Any parent of young children knows this pattern. For some parents it’s a nightly ritual that deprives everyone of sleep. So what do you do?
Here are three approaches to minimize the interruption in sleep for the whole family… that do NOT include the child climbing into bed with you for the rest of the night. (If this works for you, then great! But many families find that co-sleeping with a 4-year old is disruptive to quality sleep).
1. Create a space for your child in your bedroom
If your child is afraid to sleep alone, try creating a “bed” on the floor of your room. Include him or her in the process -helping to select a location where they will feel safe. Place a soft blanket or spare crib mattress on the floor, along with a cozy cover and pillow. It’s helpful to set some ground rules, such as (1) They must go to sleep in their own rooms (this helps to prevent a habit), and (2) let your child know that he or she is welcome to sleep there, as long as they don’t wake you up. Eventually, the nightly wake ups will stop, and the floor-bed will be empty in the morning. Until then, everyone gets (mostly) uninterrupted sleep.
2. Use positive reinforcements for sleeping alone
Changing behaviors that have become a habit is hard for everyone – but especially for small children. Consider providing small rewards for staying in their bed all night. One great way to do this is with The Bedtime Bunny, the award-winning children’s book that introduces children to a magical bunny that leaves small surprises for children, if they stay in their beds at night (the Bedtime Bunny loses it’s magic if children are awake and see them!). Many parents find this to be approach to have a dramatic, lasting effect on their children’s behavior, while creating a magical family tradition that both parents and children love.
The Bedtime Bunny uses the power of magic and occasional rewards to help young children stay in bed. Available here.
3. Address your child’s fears
Talk about the problem with your child during the daytime. Explain that you would like him or her to stay in his or her own bed so that everyone sleeps better. Find our what concerns your child has with staying in their own bed… is she afraid of monsters? That you left the house? Once you understand what fears your child has, acknowledge his or her feelings. Say “I know if can be scary to be alone at night.” instead of “there’s no reason to be afraid”, which dismisses her feelings. Then come up with a strategy together to keep the monsters – or whatever it is – at bay. You could try mixing up some monster spray (water with lemon juice, say) or putting a monster-repelling charm on the doorknob.