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Help, DS hates his bed.

4 replies

FiveHoursSleep · 30/11/2011 10:23

DS has always been a pretty good sleeper but a few days ago he woke up about 4 am, and had obviously had a nightmare or something. I slept through it, DH got up and tried to settle him for an hour then brought him into our bed.
BIG mistake.
Now DS is a PITA to get to sleep at night, and wakes multiple times crying and saying he 'hates' his bed. He can't say why, he has a speech disorder, but when I ask him if he had a nightmare he says 'yes'. We've explained that nightmares aren't real and he has a nightlight beside his bed, it doesn't seem to help.
This morning at around 3am, I dragged his spare cotbed mattress to the other side of the room and put him on that. He was okay for about 15 mins then started crying again saying he 'hated his room'.
I am NOT changing rooms around again, I've only just recovered from the last room swap, and who's to say he won't 'hate' that too, but has anyone got any suggestions?
I was thinking that broken nights were behind us now, but it seems not.

OP posts:
carocaro · 30/11/2011 11:24

How old?

How about a bedroom make over, and get him involved in choosing stuff? A new duver set, paint the walls or one of them at least, hand up some nice pics with cheap Ikea frames and photocopies of pages form books - so not expensive, but fun and he gets to do it. New nighlight? B&Q have some fun cheap ones.

FiveHoursSleep · 30/11/2011 13:24

Sorry, age is important of course. He's 3, almost 4.

OP posts:
Rowgtfc72 · 30/11/2011 15:06

My nearly five year old dd started doing this Monday.Shes hysterical at bedtime and has started getting up at 6am(previously8-9).She had a nightmare and its all apparently because she hates her bed .Going to move furniture about Saturday to see if that helps. Interested to see if you find a solution ! Shes slept from 7 through to 7 since two weeks old so this has come as a bit of a shock to our system .

Sloobreeus · 30/11/2011 21:27

I would leave it as it is butfFrame some of his own drawings or paintings to go on the wall. It may be that he doesn't really hate his bed and his room, but perhaps he just wants to be in your bed. If you go in for wholesale changes, he will just think he can have new stuff whenever he makes a fuss. Tough love, I know it's not easy. Hang in there

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