2.8 year old DS using throwing up as a way of not having to sleep in his room!

[ThisCharmingMum]

We put our DS (2yrs8mths) up in his room at around 8pm every night. He usually falls asleep during his bedtime story.

If he wakes, he usually comes downstairs, but gets taken back upstairs by myself or DH, regardless of any tearful tantrums and pleading.

The other day, he was crying so much, he made himself sick. I gave him a bath, changed him and brought him downstairs while DH scrubbed the vomit out of the carpet (nice!)

Since then, DS has made himself sick twice more during crying sessions when taken back up to bed. I have realised he is doing it on purpose and don't know how to handle this.

DH put him to bed this evening. Sure enough once DS decided to come downstairs and when I took him back up, he began coughing as a precursor to throwing up. I gave in and brought him down.

I have heard of children using vomiting as a method of control before but am not sure what's the best way to encourage them out of it. Any words of wisdom?

Is he making himself sick, or getting himself so upset that he's sick but vomiting was not his intention, iyswim?

If he is setting out to vomit in order to get downstairs.....Well at the moment he is getting what he wants, so there is no reason for him to change.

It really does come down to you - how firm are you able to be, hard as it is?

So when he vomits, keep him in his room while it is being cleaned, settle him back down there, don't allow him to come out.

Obv, you can't just ignore it, with it being vomiting you need to make sure he's ok, but you can do all that without taking him out of the room.

Once he learns that making himself sick does not get him what he wants, he will stop.

Thanks hecate.

I'm not sure if you was doing it on purpose or not. He would just get into such a state and then vomit.

I never thought of cleaning everything up but keeping him in the room doh

Unbelievably, he's not done it since. He does try coming downstairs sometimes, but DH just takes him right up again.

Thank you for your wise words.

Just wondered how he was getting on?