DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Parenting help...

I have a quick question for you Dawgs with kids... I currently have a two year old who has gotten accustomed to sleeping with mommy and daddy. (OOPS, OUR FAULT) Anyway, what is the best way to break him of this? He wakes up crying every night and knocks on our door, and it absolutely crushes me.

What have you found to be the best way to break your children of this habit?

Don't have kids but I would walk him back to his room and at first stay with him until he falls asleep. May have to read him a story or sit at the edge of his bed. Next night he does it do the same thing except stay a little farther from him once you put him in bed. Next night do the same thing but stand further back. Eventually you'll be at the door... and then you'll be just walking him back and then he won't do it anymore.

Be tough. You're not helping him by letting him sleep with you every night.

My main problem is that he is not a great talker yet, so I cant really verbally communicate to him that he needs to stay in his own bed... AH The joys of parenting!!!

You broke the first rule of parenting...Never,Never let that kid sleep overnight with Mom and Dad. Bad decisions have ugly consequences.

Now the more enlightened in our group will suggest that tough love is needed and it may take many long nights of crying and gnashing of teeth.
Bull Crap....give the child one night of separation anxiety preferrably on the weekend...when you can take a nap the next day.

Thennn....and all you Dr. Spock fiollowers don't read this next part..................

.......the next night dose the kid up with Benedryl liquid enough to knock them out until morning. The kid wakes up realizes he slept all night by himself...helps his self esteem...and you need to reward his "big kid" behavior.

.......It really works if you don't severely overdo the Benedryl....get the Walmart generic it is only 40% of the name brand.

does he have a nightlight? If he doens't... just get one. Maybe he can't communicate that well with you yet but I'm sure he understands what you are telling him. I would take him back to his room tuck him in say goodnight kiss him and tell him that you love him. Do that a few times... he'll take a hint

And don't forget a nice stuffed animal.One they picked out. They like having a buddy when they go to bed.

nordawg

Reward him for sleeping in his own bed. If you give him an incentive he will eventually break the habit.

gotta just put him to bed....he'll get over it...

another thing i would do is put a radio in his room, and put it on real quiet....takes away the sense of being alone imo....

another thing...when you put him to bed...and he starts crying....look at the clock.....

we used to think our daughter was screaming her head off for hours.....when it was really like 6 minutes....

Thanks - it's my job (I work in a pediatric hospital)

Beat them unconscious and throw them in their own bed and padlock the door behind you.

/jk

Everytime he comes in just take him back...it will take a couple of weeks but it should work. Both of our kids did this (my son currently)....It was funny, with my daughter who is now 10, I popped right up out of bed and put her back into her own room. With my son, who just turned 5, it seems like I dont have the energy to do it any more, but I do....He tries to come in now only a couple times a week, and it should be stopping shortly because he knows he goes right back into his bed.

Duct tape works for everything

I know, us kids can be a pain in the ass.

After I got divorced and moved in with my parents, my daughter and I shared a bedroom and I would let her in bed with me when she got up in the middle of the night. After I moved in with my current hubby I moved her out of her crib and my bed and into a toddler bed (she was just barely 2 at the time) I just put up a baby gate across my daughter's door so she couldn't get out and that helped alot. But then again, her bedroom was right at the top of the stairs and we didn't want her to wander out and fall down the stairs. That would be my suggestion. Get a baby gate so he can't get out of his room. I know that it may sound mean, but it doesn't have to be. I used to put the gate up, take kid in and put her to bed, read a book, tuck her in and kiss her goodnight and climb back over the gate. This let her know that even tho that gate was there and she couldn't get out, Mommy could get in and out to get to her. It was unavoidable that she would get out of her bed and make her way to the gate and cry, but after 5-10 minutes we'd go back upstairs and put her back in bed. Eventually she learned that she was not getting out of her room and in bed with me and she gave up. There were alot of other good ideas in this thread that you can try. None of us know your son or how he will react. You need to figure out what is going to work best for him (and you) and go for it. Just make sure you are patient but firm with him. There will be times where he may slide back into your bed once in a while...a huge scarey thunderstorm, nightmare...but that's to be expected once in a while. My daughter is now 11 and she still crawls in bed with me once in a great while if she has a bad nightmare.