Does one of your children wander into your bed each night? Are you struggling to get a good night’s sleep because your bed is too full? Don’t worry, we are here to help.
Many children go through stages of waking up each night and climbing into their parents bed. And, while once or twice isn’t really a problem, when it’s happening every night it can leave you feeling exhausted and seriously sleep-deprived.
To help you get your little ones to stay put in their own beds, we have put together a handy guide below:
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Talk to your child
Sit your child down and explain to them that they need to sleep in their own bed. Explain to them that you expect them to go to sleep in their own bed and if they wake up in the night, roll over and go back to sleep.
Explain that your bedroom is for you and your partner, it where you sleep. Just like your child’s room is where they sleep.
Don’t use the middle of the night to discuss what you expect. Set out the rules well in advance.
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Ask your child what they are scared of
For children who are used to sleeping in their parents bed, the transition to sleeping in their own bed can be hard.
Most children go into their parents room at night because they are scared of something or other, and it is important to talk about this with them. What is it that scares them? Are they afraid of monsters? Or, do bad dreams haunt them? Whatever it is, sit down and discuss it with them.
To make your child feel more comfortable in their own bed, get them a night light or a torch to have by their bed.
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Make your bedroom an adult zone
Make your bedroom an adult only zone. By teaching your children that your bedroom is only for you, they may feel less inclined to come in and disturb you. Explain to them that you need your sleep too.
If your main worry is getting enough sleep and not your children coming into your room, then it might be a good idea to look into getting a larger bed. It’s surprising how much extra room king size beds and king size mattresses offer.
To encourage your child to stay in their own bed, set up a rewards chart for them. For each night, they stay in their own bed all night, give them a gold star. Have a reward in place for when they reach the ten-star mark – something like a new DVD, or a new board game would work well.
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Be firm
If your child comes into your room at night, make sure to be firm with them. Get up and take them back to bed, get the comfortable and wait for them to settle down. Once they are falling asleep, you can then go back to bed. No matter how many times your child gets out of their bed and gets into your bed, repeat the process and put them back in their own bed.