Some children prefer to sleep on their parents' bed because they feel safer and more secured there. Unfortunately, this behavior can make it difficult for parents to get some privacy and quality sleep.
PARENTING posted a guide on how to get kids to sleep on their own beds. Hopefully, these tips can help parents reclaim their bed and have a good night sleep.
The first tip is to talk openly with the kids about the new bedtime expectations. Communicating with kids about the reasons why they need to sleep on their own bed without making them feel like they are not loved is very important.
Being consistent is also very important to the process. "No 'Well, just for five minutes' or 'Maybe tonight because she had a long day.' That means midnight visitors get walked back to their rooms, tucked in, kissed and left behind. No extra snuggles, no drinks of water, as many times as it takes," the article advised. Parents should keep this up until the kids have no more problems sleeping on their own beds.
If the kids cry and complain about the new set-up, parents can calm their kids down by sleeping on the kids' room instead of the kids sleeping on the parents' room. Sitting on a nearby chair until the kid falls to sleep is also a good way to help the kid become more used to sleeping on her own bed.
Giving prizes and treats as rewards to kids for being able to sleep on their own beds can also help. For most kids, words of praises and encouragements or cheerfully talking about their improvements are enough.
With the proper training, kids will be independent enough and will have no more difficulties sleeping on their own beds in no time. Developing independence, learning self-soothing when anxious or upset and gaining more self-confidence are some of the reasons why it is better for kids to sleep on their own beds, according to Modern Mom.
