Re: Re: Question about sleeping

[Guest guest]

> >

> > Do any of your children have issues with sleeping alone?  My son is

> 10 and still sleeping in bed with us.  He will not go to bed by

> himself.  Most of the time he falls asleep on the couch and we always

> put him in his bed but he always ends up in our bed.  We could put

>

My almost 8 yo has this big time. I know it sounds cruel, but we've

point blank told him he MUST go to sleep in his room. No ifs, ands, or

buts. Our rule is that as long as someone is awake in the house and

the lights are on, he must be in his own bed. If he wakes up in the

middle of the night and it's dark, he can come into our bed (or the

couch). Most of the time he at least falls asleep in his room. About

half the time he stays the whole night.

Of course, once forced to find a solution, he's set up a tent in his

room, and will only sleep in it. I know it's obsessive, but, to tell

the truth, I just don't care. At this point, I'm just glad he's not in

my bed.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

We have the same problem with both girls. My oldest (11) usually ends up

on our floor. Our youngest, 8, is always in our bed. What has helped us is

the following:

1. medication: (8) does much better with sleeping in her own bed

when she is on anti anxiety meds. She will at least START in her own bed!

2. When we are consistent....(which varies greatly depending on what is

going on in our life!) my youngest has a calendar on her wall. Any night

she sleeps in her room the whole night, she gets a gold star. Any night she

starts in her own room and actually sleeps in her bed before coming into our

bed, she gets a silver star. Any night she TRIES to go to sleep in her own

bed, and gives it an honest try, she gets a red star. It takes 2 silver

stars to make a gold star, and 5 red stars to make a gold star. She gets a

reward when she has 10 gold stars. As she was sleeping consistently in her

bed, the bar was raised. BUT.......my fil went into the hospital for a few

days at the beginning of Dec. (needed a pacemaker....Pop lives with us,

too), our schedule got all wonkered, and she is now in our bed again most

nights.

One of our unchangeable issues is that the girls share a bedroom. I don't

have a choice. We have problems with the oldest with horrible insomnia, and

the two tend to play off of each other. That is a whole nuther ball of wax.

I think that the tent is actually a cool idea! It probably gives your son a

feeling of control......and hey! Whatever works! We tried mosquito

netting, as my dd's thought it would help.....but our ceilings are VERY low,

and they didn't hang the right way....but my oldest drapes it over her bed

frame and sleeps under it, and has been in her bed more often than on our

floor.

My only other thought on this subject is, this too shall pass. My dh and I

often joke that will get married, and bring her dh, and children home

to sleep with us! HA! Honestly, they will grow out of it, or so I'm told.

So I try and remind myself that it is a special time in my life to have the

privilege to cuddle with my dc.....and I especially try and remind myself of

that during those 3am kidney kicks!!!

Anyway, that's my nickel's worth, at least!

Blessings,

Tammy

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