To think my 6 year old won't be sharing my bed forever!

[mummymacbeth]

He will grow out of it soon, right?? Ds starts off in his own bed but sneaks in with us every night. Sometimes I put him back in his own bed, sometimes I don't bother cos he invariably comes back in.

Anyone else got this with a child this old? Our fault I know, but I keep thinking he will grow out of it eventually!

mine is 7. She still comes in sometimes. But less and less often. Pretty soon it will be a special treat for me to have snuggles in bed with her I think...

Yeah it doesn't bother me much cos I know I won't be able to get a cuddle off him at all when he is older so I am just enjoying it while I can!

No he may not grow out of it any time soon!! He might, but he might not. My ds was cosleeping until 6, absolutely no way did he want to stop so we put his bed on our room so we can have our bed to ourselves. He says he's sleeping in our room forever!!

Dear Mummy - you have the answer to your question in your OP. The reason he keeps coming in is that you only sometimes put him back. If you always put him back, then he will stop doing this - should work within a few nights as long as you put him back every time.

Alternatively, at six, it should be possible to negotiate/bribe him out of it, with e.g. a star for every night he stays in his own bed, and a fantastic treat once he's got ten starts, one he would give his eye teeth for.

My brother was still coming to my parents bed when he was 5, and we were all giving something up for lent that year, so he decided to give up coming into their bed. At the start of advent, he asked when lent was going to be finished......

Depends if it bothers you. My four yr old never comes in my bed in the night, so sometimes I sneak him in when my DH is away so I can get extra snuggles :-)

I purposely called my seven year old last night for a cuddle.
And that's with a 2.5 year old who comes in every night.
Of course he'll stop, it's not like he'll be crawling into bed with you forever

My youngest didn't like sleeping on her own in her own room til recently. She's 8. We didn't really mind her co-sleeping, she was mostly on the floor by our bed, and we'd co-slept with all 3 as babies. It wasn't a problem for us. She would make up all sorts of excuses not to sleep on her own til she was 7.

But now she is happy on her own. I sort of miss her!

Colleague of mine ended up sharing a room with her dd until she was 12!!!!!!!

Her dd just doesn't like being on her own

Oh, no, he will still be sleeping in your bed when he is 34!

Yep, all our own fault for the total lack of consistency! Have tried bribery and encouragement and charts, but not for long enough. Doesn't bother me most of the time, only when I get a rubbish sleep. Just wondered if I was alone in this, and what sort of age he may voluntarily give it up.

If he feels he needs to sleep with you, let him, unless it's really bothering you. Even my 9yo who insisted on sleeping in my bed every night for years, now doesn't bother anymore.

Well I have a 3 month old plus 4, 7 and 9 year olds who want to be in my bed. Only the 7 year old can manage a full night alone. I try and console myself with the fact they won't ge with me at 18!

If it doesn't bother you let it carry on, just move into his bed and leave him with your dh

dh & i sleep in separate beds due to his snoring. despite dd having her own bedroom she still comes in with me often enough. tbh i love it, i know she is about to enter the next phase as is growing up so fast, i'll be lucky to get a cuddle soon so am enjoying it while i can, just to hold her hand and watch her sleep. sometimes we have such a laugh, like naughty school kids ie the cat will jump on the bed and sit on her or spill the bedside water all over dd trying to drink it :) great stuff. natural progression and they will want their own space all the time

It was at about teh age of 7 that my two started coming through less frequently. I miss it now they don't come at all :(

Yay glad there are people out there in the same situation. Random, if I do try to escape to his bed he gravitates back to me, no escape!

I think he is a bit scared of the dark, I was too when I was young (still am sometimes !).

Tess I hope you have a big bed

Until I was 18, I lived in a flat with "paper" walls. I could easily hear the neighbours conversations at night and I know for certain that their boy, who was 2 years older than me, came to mum's bed every night. Even when he had been out with friends, he would come back and get into his mum's bed and tell her all about his evening. I was 16 or so at the time and found that really freaking.

When my DS was born, I was adamant he wouldn't end up like that neighbour, so I was strict about who slept where.

In retrospect I suppose my neighbour was just very weird and most children won't do this past puberty.

Interesting thread. My DS, very much my baby, creeps into my bed every night. I don't notice until my DD a year older comes in too. She does not settle as quickly and puts disney channel (not in service and sparkly music) on which wakes me. I them make her go back to bed and carry sleeping DS back to his bed, but I miss his cuddles and our special time in the morning!!

Several times a week we have ds1 age 8 or ds2 age 4 in our bed. We take them back if we are squashed or hot. We leave them if we are not bothered, dometimes we have both in bed when we wake up in the morning! I'm in the camp that says they will stop when ready and won't do it when they are teenagers

Sorry, meant to say, DS is 6 in September!!

Aw I think you're all lovely Mums, I'm a right grump, can't even bear sharing a room with them as babies - all that snorting and snuffling kept me awake

my ds is 6 at xmas he will not get in his own bed

6 is a bit young to be on your own all night - if small children have beds of their own and start the night there, that's enough, surely? they won't need mum and dad one day... and then you'll miss them!

My DD (5) snuggles up with us most early mornings around 5ish, but sometimes much earlier. I absolutely love it! She won't won't snuggles forever I'm sure, so I'm making the most of it. Really glad she is dry at night, we had a few surprises when she was younger!!