Teaching Kids to Sleep

I know that sleeping arrangements with kids is something that is very controversial. From the time you have a baby all you hear is back is best. Some people co-sleep, some people use a bassinet and others use a crib. In reality there is no wrong way to let your kid sleep. For us our little guy slept in a bassinet until I had to go back to work (so for about 10 weeks). Then we moved him into his own room and his own crib. That for us worked great. He got good at putting himself to sleep and getting back to sleep when he would wake up in the middle of the night. I was getting full nights worth of sleep and things were great.

Then we transitioned him into a big boy bed. We decided to just put him in a twin size and we just put the mattress on the floor. You can check out by post about his train bedding here. With his big boy bed he has been having problems putting himself to sleep and staying in his own bed all night long. Half the time I am waking up with him laying next to me in my bed. I am not the type of parent that wants to co-sleep with my kids at all so this is starting to become a problem.

When he was younger and couldn’t talk really I would go in an check on him in the middle of the night, see that he was ok and then I just had to let him cry it out for about 10 minutes or so and he learned how to put himself back to sleep within a couple of days. I have a feeling that the longer I let him keep doing what he is doing, the harder it is going to be for him to learn how to stay in his bed at night. I am hoping that this is going to be something we can do and he will learn how quickly. I know that both me and him will benefit from him sleeping all night in his own bed.

So I am hoping to start doing this in the next couple of days and will hopefully be able to update you all as to how well it works. I know that some of you really want to have your bed back to yourself but it is hard to do because once they can talk they are able to say just the right things that make you want to just let them lay with you and snuggle. I am also the one that keeps thinking he is only this little once so whats the harm? In reality I am learning that I need that little bit of space away from him even though I am just sleeping. Staying at home with him all day is great but some space for each of us is good too and our job as parents is to help prepare them for being on their own. Even though he is only two, the longer we wait to teach the simple skill of sleeping in his own bed the harder it is going to be.

Here is to all the moms out there that need their little bit of space yet love those little ones so much that it breaks your heart when you have to teach them the useful things in life.