HOW DO I GET MY 3.6 YEAR OLD OUT OF MY BED PLEEEEEASE

[law3]

My ds is 3.6 years old and i just cant get him to sleep in his own bed.

He has never spent the entire night in his own room.

So far i have tried, putting a safety gate on his room and he climbs over it, rewards and stickers, night lights, quick return method (which is fine as long as i have 4 hours to spare, while half asleep and bloody tired.)

At the moment i have resigned myself to i will get a good nights sleep once he gets his own flat!!!!!

[gingerninja]

sorry nothing to add but the flat thing made me

[Lyndag]

What Gingerninja said sorry that doesn't help does it?

Have you ever left him with parents or a friend? IF so how do they get on with him? And settling him for the night? (weirdness sometimes someone external can settle quicker iykwim?)

[MrsScavoEatsJelly]

After having my eye poked twice in one night DH and I set apon a campaing to get DS1 to sleep all night in his own bed. Every time he came inot hour room we put him backin in our bed. At first this was every half hour through the night. It took 6 weeeks, but eventually we got a full nights sleep.

Here is what I have learnt though; Ask (or tell) your child to sleep all night in their own bed. It might sound obvious, but a lot of people don't and it has been known to work.

[Niecie]

You are right MrsScavo, you do need to tell them to stay in their own beds. My DS2 has been going through a phase of not sleeping the whole night in his own bed. We have started to say to him that he should stay in his bed and not come into ours and I think it does sometimes work. He always claims he has had a bad dream although sometimes he is just using it as an excuse. I think on the nights that he might have got up out of habit rather than distress, telling him has made a difference but if he really has had a bad dream then it doesn't.

He is getting better all round though, thank goodness.

I take comfort from the fact that no self respecting 16 year old would dream of getting into bed with their parents so there is a time limit on this behaviour. Only another 13 years to go!

[spiker]

I told DS1 it wasn't nice to wake Mummy up unless he really needed something and it seems to have worked. Nothing like as persistent as your DS though law3 - that would drive me crazy.

[law3]

Lyndag - He has never stayed away from home, my family 'dont do babysitting'. A couple of times a friend has come here and he is normally still awake when we get home or asleep on the settee. He doesnt seem to need much sleep up at 7.30am and finally asleep at about 11pm with no naps inbetween.

Mrs - Tell me about it, he kicks quilt off, feet in your face. I even end up sleeping in his bed some nights. Tried returning and im afriad i tire before him. He is like Arnie, in the Terminator, doesnt sleep and no matter what i do he just keeps coming back!!!!

I also have a 13 and 11 year old and what with all the after school activities, hobbies, homework etc. Dinner, bathtime, bedtime etc, is not always the same. I have just written a timetable and im going to try sticking to it, how does everyone else manage this??????????????

[suss]

My mum put a chain on the door of my little brother - you know the ones you get to check who's at the front door. It was actually to stop him falling down the stairs (in days before stair gates). But she said she could hear him if he was in real trouble but he couldn't get out. It will probably entail some sleeplessness nights until DS learns that its all futile and might as well go to sleep. You could use earplugs though!

[law3]

suss - i dunno, i would feel really mean. Mind you saying that i wouldnt hear with the ear plugs though, would i!!!!!!

[suss]

Do you have a DP, if so you could take in turns with the earplugs! Don't feel too mean you have explained to him, he understands and its not like he is in pain or anything, and from what I have heard it is quite quick - the learning process. I know you have done silent return, which also works, but is quite time consuming, but it does work too if you are consisent