Experiencing sleeping issues with our DS is now 4 years old.
I have always (probably wrongly) always sat with him until he falls asleep, and he likes to hold my hand. Once he is asleep, which doesn’t take long, its pretty easy to sneak out of the room and leave him be for a good few hours.
If I try to leave the room before he nods off, he gets upset and wants my hand, so I am kind of stuck with my hand as his comforter. My worry is how to break this now its all he has known since being is his own room for a couple of years now.
He generally wakes again before midnight, but its an easy 5-10 minute sit with him holding his hand and he nods off again so I can sneak out.
Problem is lately he is waking up numerous times after midnight and wants my hand, but sleeps so lightly in the early hours that any movement to try and leave upsets him and he cries and just keeps getting out of his bed and follows me, which is leaving me feeling a bit overwhelmed and exhausted as I myself am getting no sleep just sitting next to him holding his hand for hours on end.
A few times I’ve caved in and let him come in our room in to our bed but I know this is not good to continue.
I’m guessing my first thing to do is try and break his need for my hand as a comforter, and then move on to trying to get him to fall asleep without me (disappearing chair etc maybe??)
Question is, how do we do this?!? ☹ Any advice, experience and suggestion will honestly be greatly appreciated.