HELP! 2 nights ago I lay next to dS3 in his bed during the night as he was unwell, last night.....

[alwayslookingforanswers]

he screamed for a "huggy" at bedtime and I relented and lay next to him until he fell asleep. Both of these were because he was under the weather and I wasn't up to doing anything other than lying next to him.

He's always been a good sleeper, infact I've never had to sit/lie with any of the DS's to go to sleep.

I've just put him upstairs to sleep and he's screaming for a "huggy" again.

I really REALLY can't get him into the habit of needing someone to lie with him. There's too much going on to start getting into that routine and I know he's always been perfectly capable of going to sleep on his own.

What do I do???

(and apologies for the attention seeking title but it's kind of urgent as I've just been up to him once to give him a hug and left him but he's still screaming and I'm not sure how to solve it)

oh and he's 2.4 (realised I missed out crucial information)

Just keep going up and giving him hug, then telling him its bedtime?

I let my DD1 sleep with me one night now every night she trys the "mummys bed?" line..

Could you leave him and say you've just got to go and do X downstairs, and you'll be back in 5mns? When I try that with DS, he usually falls asleep before I get back.

Or tell him you're having a staying awake competition- he has to lie down and close his eyes, and if he is still awake when you come back (30mns later), he wins (possibly a bit complicated at 2.5).

Or ask him to hold the t-shirt you've been wearing all day, and tell him it smells of you.

oh and another crucial factor - he shares a room with DS2 who is supposed to go to bed in 5 minutes time on the top bunk.....I know if I send DS2 to bed DS3 will just climb up there and howl instead.

boyraiser - I'll try it - not sure it'll work - he's a clever little sod darling

OK, this might sound crazy but it worked for my youngest and also when I tried it on my neice when she came to stay:

give him his favourite cuddly toy to cuddle and tell him either "X needs to go to sleep so can you please cuddle him?" or else say "I have to go downstairs now and you have to go to sleep but look here is X and X will give you the cuddle you want."

I know it sounds unlikely, but it really did work for me.

I've just been up again as he was standing at the gate shouting "I want to get out".

Gave him a hug, tried the "you wait here" (screams), tried the staying awake thing (screams - too complex), I even tried the teddy thing (before I'd read it).

It's not working, he keeps trying to pull me down to lie next to him.

b*gger I knew I shouldn't have gone and laid with him the other night

Stand firm! take him to bed, lie down with him until he is calm, explain that he didn't need you to go to sleep before and he doesn't need you to go to sleep now. Do the teddy thing again and then calmly leave - be calm above all things otherwise your agitation will get him going again.

Good luck.

oh god - he's just appeared downstairs, - he's either removed the stairgate (one of those static barriers that doesn't open) or climbed over it .

He's now wanting "mooky" (milk) have got him some and will try again after he's had it.

Have sent DS2 to sleep in my bed otherwise he'll be shattered at school tomorrow.

Buy some florescent stars - tell him that every night he goes to bed properly he can have another star stuck to his ceiling - until he has "outer space" in his room...?

oh god I've just failed miserably - he finished his milk and curled up in the chair ready to fall asleep.

I picked him up and took him (screaming hysterically) upstairs and have just laid next to him for 15 minutes while he feel asleep.

boyraiser - stars on the ceiling wouldn't work very well

a) because he's in the bottom bunk

b) because DS2 wouldn't want them