Hellobee Boards

My LO likes to join us in bed at 6 or 7 am. I just let him stay. If it was earlier I'd put him back in his bed. He's 2.

@mamimami: we went thru this earlier this year with my almost 6 yr old

I will say it didn't work for us and had to cut him cold turkey after being in our bed for 5 months but maybe it will work for you.

Use a stoplight clock or a small light on a timer - tell him when he wakes up if the light is on he can come in your bed if not he has to stay in bed.

Depending on what time your DS usually come in your room use that as a start time.
So for the 1st week have the light come on at say 1am.

Then the 2nd week or even a few days later move it to 2 am

slowly move the time up until he is staying in his bed all night.

Can you put a little mattress on the floor in your room so he can be near you but not in bed with you?

@mamimami: When I was little my parents would let us stay in a sleeping bag on the floor if we came to their room. I think we liked the novelty of it for about one night but it was uncomfortable enough that there wasn't much appeal on a regular basis.

I would think it would be important to have a consistent policy with your husband, so he doesn't learn to divide and conquer.

We get a lil visitor anywhere from 4-6 am and we let her stay. She's almost 4, and has been doing this since she was 2.5. We don't mind because she just snuggles up in a little corner of the bed and we like the cuddles. It's a good balance because we still get our alone time at night to unwind after we put her to bed, and we get the benefits of the cuddles when we wake in the mornings. We always tell her she has to sleep in her bed first, but she can always come to our bed later if she wants as long as she sleeps in her bed first.

I have no experience personally but my sister has this issue with her 4 year old, and they have been using a reward chart for the past couple of weeks which seems to have worked pretty well - when she has 5 nights in a row of staying in her room she gets a little reward, or she can keep accumulating her little rewards for a bigger one if she chooses. They have also done a little mattress on the floor of their room that she has to sleep on rather than allowing her to get into bed with them - the combination of those two things seem to have done the trick. It has definitely taken some time though.