Most kids love to sleep with their parents and it is quite common that kids that are already in school revert to Mom’s and Dad’s bed every now and then. If you are used to the co-sleeping it probably doesn’t bother you much but if you never really co-slept it can be annoying. People speak about little babies crying when they have to sleep alone but what about crying toddlers? How can you make a co-sleeping toddler sleep in his own bed? Here are some ideas and advice for how to do it.
Move to His Bed
Start sleeping together in your toddler’s bed. At bedtime you go with your toddler as if you are also going to sleep and then you slip out. Later at night your toddler might wake up and demand to come to your bed. At this point you can come back to his or let him join you. To be effective you should get yourself out of bed and soothe him back to sleep in his.
Mental Preparation
Before your toddler goes to sleep you can explain that you will sleep in your bed and that he is welcome to come over when it is morning again, light outside and so on. He might tell you that he doesn’t like this idea but you will simply explain to him that this is the new order and that you need to rest. By preparing your toddler for sleeping in his own bed till the morning it will make the transition easier for him.
Learn to Wait
Many times your toddler will wake up during the early evening and it could be that he needs to do nr 1. If this is the case you go with him and then soothe him back to sleep in his bed. If he wakes up momentarily and make noise you shouldn’t run to his bed immediately. You can simply call him from the other room and announce that you are there and that all is OK. You’ll be amazed to see that this often does the trick.
Making a co-sleeping toddler move to his bed demands patience and lots of kindness. You can’t expect a change in a few days it might take several months. If your toddler suddenly returns to your bed frequently he probably needs some extra closeness at night. Give it to him and stick to the pattern described above. If he feels safe the transition will be faster and easier.