How to Keep a 4 Years Old in Her Bed

if you don't teach the 4 yr old to sleep in her bed pretty soon you will have the 2 year old climbing up your bed.
i have never coslept with my kids in my bed. when they're sick i lie in their bedroom floor so i am right there, otherwise i don't bring them with me. mainly because my hubby snores to the point people in china are complaining :) so i know my kids wou;dn't have a good night's sleep. also i am afraid they'd fall off or what not.
what you do though at this point since she clearly thinks that's her sleeping place. well maybe one weekend, get up have breakfast with ehr and tell her this story that from today she will have to sleep in her princess room because she's a big girl now. tell her you need her help to decorate her princess room, maybe take her to some place for her to choose something, like framed art, or a nightlight she likes or what not. something small yet let her be in charge of choosing. for example tell her her princess room needs a nightlight so you need her to help you choose a nightlight. you get the point.
i did that when we first moved her and i was going to transition my girls from sleeping in separate bedrooms in cribs to sleeping in one bedroom in toddler beds. i let them choose the stuffed animals that from that day on will be sleeping with them. i also got a gate for outside their bedroom door, not because i was afraid they'd come to my bedroom but more because the stairs are right there. but anyway it worked for us. they have since forgotten the stuffed animals but the routine has been set.
so maybe give it a shot. it might work
good luck
vlora

well here is my 2 cents. i have a 4, almost 5 yr old. she gets a snack at night, with 15minutes(sometimes longer)of light in her room to play. after that the light goes off. she does have a flash light that she uses. i know she isnt going right to sleep, but it doesnt take long once the light is out. it doesnt matter to me where she sleeps. she has a bed, a loveseat, a sleeping bag in there. sometimes she likes to cuddle with my robe (its really soft). my thought is, she wont be sleeping on the floor when she is 15. as long as she is sleeping thats all i care about. this isnt fail proof. we still have the "i am thirsty, i have to go to the bathroom, etc," and occasionally she comes into our room in the wee hours of the morning. but thats what we do.
i will say this, as one person said, they are only this age once, there will be a time they wont want to sleep with you. so within moderation, enjoy the cuddles. its priceless and it will end one day.

Are you into bribery? I've just fallen into it and it's working beautifully!!! My 4 1/2 year old was coming into my bed in the middle of the night and I would wake up in the morning with him in my bed cuddled up with the 1 year old who has never slept in a crib. At about the same time I just recently moved my 2 1/2 year old to a big bed and was having a hard time getting her to stay in it when I put her to bed. We just made sleep charts for their bedroom doors. My son has a pirate on his and my daughter has a princess on hers. They have the opportunity to move their figures 2 spaces each morning - once for going to bed without a hassle and another space if they stay in their beds all night long. Once the pirate reaches the treasure chest on his chart and the princess reaches the castle on her, the "Sleep Fairy" will bring them each a prize. Something tiny - most likely a little art project from Michael's. It's working like a charm - they don't make a peep once I leave their rooms and they stay in the beds until I check them in the morning. This first round has 10 spaces and we'll lengthen the rounds each time until they just do the right thing!!

Good luck!!

S.,

I would start off by having her take all naps in her own room and then easing her into bed at night with a routine. A bath and a book usually will get them calm enough to fall asleep and then a baby gate at the door keeps them from wandering thru the night. It me take a few nights of some tears but I'm sure she will catch on quick. Also, rewarding her in the morning for sleeping in her own big girl bed will help reinforce her to continue the good work. Hope this helps.

S. from Springfield

S.,
My own thoughts on this may not necessarily be correct - but - they're only little once, so I would let them cuddle up in bed with me, therefore I have Rich(5) and Ben(2) snuddling (snuggle + cuddle = snuddle) with hubby & me. Sometimes he or I may go to another bed, but they'll grow out of it soon. After they fall asleep we usually put them in their beds, this works for us. My eldest is 21yrs,(I was married previousy) and he stopped wanting to get in bed with me about 6-7 yrs.
Just my thoughts
K. M.