How to Get a Child to Sleep in Their Own Bed

Many children start out their lives sleeping with mom and dad. Attempting to get the child to sleep in their own bed is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. The following steps will tell you how to begin breaking your child from sleeping with you, while at the same time, getting you used to sleeping without your child.

Things You'll Need

• Child
• Child's bed (day bed, crib, single bed)
• Time

Instructions

1. Know that sleeping with your child can cause problems in a marriage, cause the child to go through separation anxiety, and cause both you and the child to not sleep well during the night. To end this nightmare, it takes some time and effort on both sides of the bed.

2. Prepare your child's room in advance. Make sure it is a pleasant environment for the child to not only sleep in, but to play in as well. Place the child's favorite toys in the room, lots of fun pictures and a beautiful bed, whether it is a crib, day bed or single bed.

3. Play in the bedroom a couple of hours before bedtime to help prepare the child for the transition. Take the child into the bedroom and play with him for a short period in the beginning, and extend the time nightly. In the beginning, the child can still leave that room and sleep with you. However, after a week of playing in the room, begin putting the child to bed in his own room.

4. Sit in the room with the child, or even lie in the bed with him until he is asleep to help in the transition. Sit a chair close to the bed where the child can reach out and touch you. Gradually move the chair out of reach, and move yourself out of the room. This process may take a couple of weeks, but they didn't get used to sleeping with you in one night! It is like losing weight: you spent years putting it on, but it will take time to take it off.

5. Expect the child to wake up in the middle of the night. When this happens, simply place the child back in their own bed, and begin your vigil again. After a week or so of this process, the child will be ready to sleep in their own bed and sleep through the night. When the child sleeps through the night in their own bed, reward them with a special breakfast, or maybe a special treat during the day. Make sure you tell the child what the reward is for.

Tips & Warnings

• Lying in the bed with the child is not recommended, but if it is necessary to get the child to fall asleep, it is alright. Do not let the child take a nap during the day so they will be sleepy when it is time for bed. Do not let the child play video games or extremely active games within 1 hour of bedtime.

• Crying is going to be a problem if the child has slept with you for a long period of time. This is normal, and you can always walk in and reassure the child that you are still there and are not going to leave him.