Anyone else got a kid who WON'T co-sleep?

[nickytwotimes]

DS is going through a not-sleeping-well phase atm and it would be much easier if he would come in with us/me, but he freaks out and asks for his own bed when I bring him through. This menas I am lft wandering back and forth half the bloody night in the freezing cold.

Is he odd? He's 2.5, btw and has been like this since he was a baby.

We have one of these babies.
What about sleeping in a blow-up bed next to his bed?

Yep, tried sleeping in the same room. I just get.
"no, Mummy, you sleep in your room!"

My 23mo DD has always been the same, right from being a newborn. She was poorly a couple of weeks ago, and when I attempted to lift her out of her cot, she wailed "not want mummy's bed, stay in DD's bed". So I ended up sat on the floor poking my hands through the cot bars until she was ready to drift off again .

Agree with feelinglucky though - can you bed down with some cushions and a spare duvet?

Have you tried white noise? DS would always go to sleep more quickly when the washing machine was running (he's just across the hall from the kitchen). It would probably take a little while for him to get used to it but it would mask sounds that would disturb him if it was quiet.

whoops - cross posted there. looks like you're going to need some really warm slippers and dressing gown.

Haven't tried white noise.
it is a pita that he won't snuggle in. I have a warm dressing gown, lol.

Sorry no helpful advice really, but your DS is not alone, my DD has always preferred her own bed and bedroom, and would definitely not settle in our bed if she woke in the middle of the night.

Does your DS nap during the day at all? If so, maybe try dropping the nap? My DD went through a not sleeping at night phase at around the time she was ready to drop her daytime nap, and was fine once she did (though you then have to go through late afternoon crankiness, which is a joy as well!).

He doesn't nap, no.

He was a fantaastic sleeper until a few months ago. He still settles well, but wakes a couple of times in the night looking for me.

I am hoping it is just a phase...

DS doesn't sleep in with us, even if he's exhausted. I put it down to being religious about making him sleep alone when he was a baby. On the odd occasion he wakes in the night, like if he is poorly, we cuddle up under a big fleecy blanket on a rocking chair in his room. This is usually enough to relax him enough so when he goes back in his bed, he falls asleep again. I usually only have to do max 15 mins in with him. He is 2.
If he's looking for you, then maybe a little gentle "retraining" might help. When he wakes, go in the and just say It's night time/sleep time/whatever and tuck him back up and leave again. Hopefully after a couple of days he will get the message that you are not there for attntion giving and will stop waking. If you feed it by cuddling, chatting etc then he may start doing it more and more.

Yes, we were also fastidious about putting him down awake from a young age too. Tbh, I kind of wish we had been a bit more relaxed aobut it, but I was desperate not to end up like my friend with her never-sleeping-unless-on-Mummy child. Happy medium would be best, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

He doesn't get any chats and as soon as one of us goes in, he says 'night night' and lies down, so I don't think he is getting much from thte experience - he genuinely seems to WANT to be asleep, but something is bugging him. Answeres on a postcard...

Must say, the past 2 nights he has slept through.