Whether you made a conscious decision to have a family bed or you ended up with your toddler in the bed by default, there comes a time when most parents are ready to reclaim their bedroom for themselves. Trying to get your toddler out of your bed can be a challenge, but with persistence and patience, you can succeed in getting your toddler to sleep in his own bed.
Step 1
Prepare your toddler by talking to her about where people sleep. Say, "Once babies grow up, they sleep in their own beds, and Mom and Dad sleep together in their bed." Choose books that show children going to sleep in their own bed, or point out in your child's favorite cartoons when children go to sleep in their own room.
Step 2
Let your child help you make his room a special place by choosing sheets, blankets and pillows together. As you make up your child's bed, talk about what it will be like for him to sleep there--say, "You'll be able to sleep with Thomas every night."
Step 3
Take your child on a shopping trip for a pair of special "big kid" pajamas. Let your child know that these are special pajamas she can wear to sleep in her new bed.
Step 4
Stick with your regular bedtime routine. If you usually have a bath, a story and a cuddle, keep doing that, but relocate to your child's bed at some point during the evening routine.
Step 5
Read your child "The Sleep Fairy," a book by Janie Peterson, about a fairy who slips gifts under the pillows of sleeping children. Stock up on stickers, activity pads and other treats, and pop one under your child's pillow when she makes it through the night in her own bed.
Step 6
Be firm but kind if your child wakes up and wants to get in your bed. Sit with him for a while, rub his back or sing his special good night song again, but don't let him join you in your bed. If he just can't sleep and you don't want to leave him alone, break out the sleeping bags and crash on his floor for the night rather than bringing him to your bed.
Tips and Warnings
- If your child is going through other changes--becoming a big brother or sister, starting preschool or potty training, for example--consider waiting a little while before trying a new bedtime routine. Young children can only handle so many changes at once, and adjusting to a new situation will probably be easier for your toddler--and for you--if you time it right.
