Bed-sharing Can Be a Hard Habit to Break - Parenting Tips

Bed-sharing Can Be a Hard Habit to Break

From the time three-year-old Sarah was a newborn, she slept comfortably at her mom and dad's side. When her younger sister Ellie was born, mom and dad were ready to move Sarah to her own bed. Sarah was excited about having her own "big-girl" bed. However, each night when bedtime came, she would cry and scream if her mom didn't lay down with her. Eventually, this nightly ritual began to wear on the patience of Sarah's mom and dad. Changes had to be made. It took nearly six months of battling with Sarah each night before she would finally go to sleep on her own. If

only her mom and dad had insisted Sarah sleep alone from the beginning, they may have prevented months of bedtime-routine stress.

To many parents, sharing a bed with their child is comforting and nurturing. However, over time, many, like Sarah's mom and dad, discover it can cause problems for the child as well as parents.

Once a child gets into the habit of sleeping in his parents' bed, the habit can be very difficult to break. To prevent bed-sharing, follow these tips as early as infancy:

Never rock an infant to sleep. Always place the child in her crib while she is drowsy, but not asleep. This will teach the child to put herself to sleep on her own.
When an infant awakens in the night, make feeding brief and boring.
By three or four months of age, an infant should be moved to his own crib in his own room.
Once an infant turns six months old, encourage him to adopt a soft toy or special blanket as a security object during sleeping time.
After age two, do not allow the child to leave his bedroom at night except to go to the bathroom.

If bed-sharing is already a part of your child's sleeping routine, consider these helpful tips for breaking the habit:

Explain to your child that she has her bed and you have your bed. Tell her she is too old to sleep in your bed and she must start sleeping in her own bed beginning tonight.
Enforce a strict bedtime routine. For example, eat dinner, take a bath, eat a bedtime snack, brush teeth, read a story, and go to bed.
When your child leaves his room, take him back to his bed right away. If he continues, tell him you will close the door until he has returned to his bed.
If your child comes to your bed in the middle of the night, tell her she must get back into her own bed. If she refuses, take her back to her bed, but do not speak to her.
If you awaken and find your child in your bed, take him back to his own bed. If he resists, close the door until he gets back into bed.

Of course, breaking the bed-sharing habit will be emotional for you and your child. Tears will be shed by your child and possibly by yourself as well. However, keep in mind that if you do not give in, eventually your child will learn to go to sleep on her own and you will finally get the much-deserved sleep your mind and body need.