Hellobee Boards

We haven't stopped yet, and mine is going to be 5 in June. We actually never needed to soothe her much, but when she was 3, she started asking for one of us to stay with her, and it lasted a full year, and then we had a break last summer/early fall where she seemed to want to be on her own, and then around Christmas she started asking again, so we just do it. I'm not worried about it.

We do with our 3 year old! She doesn't nap anymore so it only takes 10-15 min MAX for her to fall asleep so it's easy peasy. It used to be tough between 2-3 when she naps and doesn't want to sleep till later.

On the other hand, I still nurse my 15 mo old to sleep...

My son will be 6 in a couple weeks and I still lay with him every night! We've gone through phases where he hasn't needed it, but lately his imagination is in overdrive and he really wants me with him. I get it. I was afraid of the dark for a long time (thanks to an Aunt who let me watch Child's Play when I was 5...). I don't want him to ever have that fear or think I won't be there for him. He falls asleep within 5 minutes. I know he won't do it forever so I'm enjoying it while I can.

Also, when DH travels he sleeps in my bed. He knows it is a special treat and when DH is home he has to stay in his bed.

My almost 15 month old on the other hand... he cannot settle unless he is in his crib. No co-sleeping for him! We'll see how it goes when he gets older.

Our girls share a room and have twin beds, so it's increasingly hard for one of us to really *lay with* them, but 90% of the time, one of us will sit on the foot of DD2s bed and read our phones till they fall asleep. They like it, and we like it, and luckily they both fall asleep pretty quick, so it's just part of the whole bedtime routine.

Also, the parent that ISN'T doing that has to clean up dinner, lol. So both parents are"working", haha. We trade off nights, but I almost prefer to be the one waiting till they fall asleep.

@Ajsmommy: Awww I totally do this too...but worse probably. Once our now 27 month old stopped nursing to sleep I just lay with him until he (or let's be real here, both of us) falls asleep. We are also committing the other evil of having him co-sleep with us in our bed...to the point he has never slept in his crib. He moved right out of his mini crib beside our bed, into our bed around a year and since we are sleeping well, we just can't bear to kick him out.

We only have one kid and I like to go to bed early at his 9pm bedtime 99% of the time and my DH is 100% on board so for right now it's working.

@Ajsmommy: I still can't watch that movie or I have nightmares for weeks! My DH didn't believe me until I woke up crying after seeing some kind of commercial or preview of the movie.

@Ajsmommy: Yep, it started when my son was 2, and sometimes, at age 7, he still asks that I lay down next to him to help calm him.

I am thinking of getting a weighted blanket for this purpose, not that I lay on top of him, but that I think he needs a feeling of someone near him to relax. His sense of physical touch is very strong.

@Ajsmommy: Oh that's happened to. Then I'm wide awake till like after midnight I usually tell DH to wake me up so I can stay on a normal sleep schedule!

DS1 is 5 1/2 and I do! We read a book and then I wait for him to fall asleep. Though I usually fall asleep before he does! It doesn’t bother me at all. But all my kids have slept with me. Lately he wakes up at some point and then come finds me in my room and climbs in with us.

I don’t worry about it at all! This time passes by so fast. One day he’ll decide he doesn’t need me the same way. I’m enjoying all of it for as long as I can!

@Anagram: Hahah yes to this. Whoever is not doing bed time is washing the dishes/doing other chores so no one's getting a break here!

@yogifish: We co-sleep with BOTH kids! It's what work for us and we love it!

@Ajsmommy: A way of weaning that I read somewhere and I keep in in mind if we ever need to; is to make an excuse that you need to go out to do something and to wait for us, and gradually increase that time being gone but obviously go back if they're up waiting. I remember reading the more often than not they'll eventually fall asleep waiting for you haha.

Oh man this was totally me until super recently! DD is 5 and DS is 3, DS goes to bed with a hug and a kiss and is totally awake and DD would require one of us to lay with her for like 30-45 minutes. That person would ALWAYS fall asleep in her bed and then wake up at like 10pm. Since I've been pregnant with #3 I've told her I can't lay with her anymore because its (truthfully) super uncomfortable to get in and out of her bed from laying down. So now I just rub her back for a few and leave while she is awake. It is SO FREEING to be done with bedtime and not have fallen asleep myself haha. We also had issues where DS would walk in needing to use the potty or something and be like "hey why are you laying with her?!"

Honestly I say do whatever works for your family! I don’t think that would work for me, but that doesn’t me it’s wrong for you! It sounds like you DH has big feelings about it, so I’d want to talk through that and get to a place where it works for him too, or I’d reconsider, unless it usually doesn’t impact him. I’d also worry about my ability to support that/ manage it with two but I also strongly believe in crossing bridges when you come to them so 🤷‍♀️.

Yep - every night. He is 4. I work from home a lot at nights and my computer is in my bedroom. But the nights I do t have to work, I just bring him in my bed. Feom about 1.5- 3 he was a great sleeper. Now he needs us. We did sticker charts, night lights, treats in the morning - all the things. But they dont replace us. We are in a sweet spot. He can fall asleep alone, and some noghts we ask him to, but he never makes is more then2 days before asking for a cuddle. So sometimes if we have lots to do we say we cant, and he is okay because he trusts us and k ows that he will get it again, when we have the time.

In our house it’s both of us. We divide and conquer and most nights DH snuggles with our 6.5 year old. It might be 5 minutes or he might fall asleep and come out an hour later. There are also nights he doesn’t. I take the 3.3 year old. She still likes to be rocked. We rock and sing and she goes to bed. We don’t make it the goal to stay with them til they are asleep.

DH lays on DD's floor until she falls asleep every night. When he's out of town and I have to do bedtime, I don't have the patience for it so I use the "I have to get water" excuse to leave and only come back if she starts freaking out. Most of the time I'm not actually in there when she falls asleep.

I'd love to cuddle her to sleep/co-sleep, but I don't think she would actually go down, and I don't want to have to do it every night.

I used to with older DD (now 5) before she started sharing a room with DD2 (almost 2). Even then, I would lay with her for a bit, but I wouldn't always stay until she was asleep (usually only if I fell asleep first Now, if I try to lay down with DD1, DD2 will freak out. She doesn't freak out if I put her in her crib and leave. Kind of sucks for DD1, but she wants to share a room with DD2, so it's the price we pay.

I support snuggles. All day.

I still lay with Lorelei until she falls asleep. She's six next week. I stopped with Ellie when she was five. She's also way less into being all up in other people's space, so she was ready. I don't like sleeping all by myself, so I feel sympathetic. I think it's like most stuff-- find what works for you and your family. But probably if it works for you and your kid, your significant other might not be on board. I just try to communicate regularly so we can compromise if either of us have strong feelings. So far he sees that it didn't hurt our oldest's independence, and he doesn't really care too much (though I suspect he'd have Lorelei falling asleep on her own already if it was just them).