My 3 1/2 yr old daughter has always slept in her own bed up until recently and now i cant get her to sleep in her own bed without fighting with her every night. we've painted and redone her bedroom and now i am at a loss. anyone have any suggestions? Thanks alot!!!
I painted her room over 2 months ago and i didnt let her sleep in there for over a week. ilove the idea of a Nest for her.i might give that a shot. and maybe her bedtime routine needs alittle tweaking. i will work on that ASAP. Thanks everyone!
We had the same problem. She would crawl in bed with us at night and not want to go back to her room. A sticker chart worked great for us. After every 7-10 stickers I gave her a little "prize" and at the end she got a Disney movie that she wanted. We even put the movie out where she could see it for incentive. We haven't had a problem since. Good luck!!!
I am a little confused S. ~ did you first paint and redecorate her room and now she won't sleep in it? Or did she stop sleeping in it so you redecorated her room to try to get her to want to again? Either way, at this point her room smells like paint and she probably doesn't like the smell. Truly, I wouldn't LET her sleep in it until you have gotten the paint fumes out, as they are toxic and carcinogenic.
Getting rid of the paint toxins is easy:
Cut in half 3 large yellow onions. Set each on a plate around the room and leave out for three days. At the end of three days both the onion smell and the paint fumes will be gone. Throw away the onions (do not compost and do not touch with your hands) as they will have absorbed all of the toxins from the paint.
Getting her to sleep in her room again is easy too:
Get out a lengthy chapter book ~ Little Bear, Winnie the Pooh, Francis ~ and climb into her bed with her and read out loud softly and slowly. Most three year old's won't last through an entire chapter, but they will lie still and listen because these stories are so interesting.
If at the end of the chapter she is still awake, sing her a lullaby or two with the lights out - still cuddling in bed with her. She'll fall asleep. Then you can slip out and go on with your evening.
Most children will sleep soundly once they are in a deep sleep regardless of where they are. Once you get this routine down, your daughter will equate her room with stories, songs and a loving bedtime cuddle session with mom or dad. Who wouldn't want that?
Good luck ~ A.
At 4 my son started the same thing where he all of a sudden didn't want to sleep in his bed and wanted to be with us. We talked about it with our Pediatrician (besides reading some info about it) and were reassured that this is normal for their age. This is the age where they start having more of an imagination and can have night fears etc. We were advised by many professional and reputable sources to NOT allow the family bed. It won't help her adjust and she'll have a hard time later if you try to get her OUT of your bed. We let our son climb into our bed in the morning when the sun comes up - not when he is ready to go down to bed. We invented "the nest," which is a soft bed we made on the floor of our bedroom NEXT to our bed so he can be close if he is scared. We also started the sticker chart with him and that has worked off and on. He is going to bed much better in his bed now, not always without a lot of fussing, but he's doing it. He does often wake up in the middle of the night, but he just comes into our room and gets on his nest and then sleeps the rest of the night. Gradually the idea with the nest is to start moving it further away from our bed - but since he isn't having to start in it anymore we may leave it where it is.
Let her sleep with you...A family bed is a wonderful thing and she will feel loved and confident. It doesn't have to last forever....Just let her get back in the grove and she will be fine. Then lay with her when it is time to go back to her bed. Occassionally ask her if she wants to have her own space in her bed tonight...She will finally tell you that you can go to your bed with Daddy and she will sleep in her own...Please be patient...She will grow up way to fast as is...Let her be your little girl and need you...
A.
Where does she sleep or want to sleep? When went through this phase with both of our boys and they wanted to sleep with us in our bed. We ended up setting the timer for 10 or 15 minutes and they got to lay with us for that time only. We explained that when the timer went off, it was time for them to sleep in their bed. We explained it very clearly so they knew beforehand and understood. It really worked- they got their way and we got ours. We use the timer method for a lot of things and it works out great. That way, the timer is the "bad guy" and not us. But you need to stick to your guns or it's out the window.
Good luck!
S., its ok for little ones to be the adults, they get scared and its ok for you to be their protector, i know its hard for them to always sleep in your bed, or room, so i compromised with my kids, i kept a small crib mattress and kept it under my bed all made up, if they at any time needed to sleep in my room, for comfort sake or whatever the reason, i could lean over and pull the little bed out and they could sleep there, it does not put as much of a crimp in a married life style, it also tells the child, you are there, and dont worry that nicely painted room will get plenty of use , she is still little, and she will be in there soon enough, enjoy the times you have while she is small, D. s
