SLEEP PROBLEMS

[MAY1INC]

MY 2 1/2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER SLEEPS IN OUR BED AND REFUSES TO SLEEP IN HER OWN BED, BOTH ME AND MY HUSBAND HAVE TO WAKE UP EARLY AND GO TO SLEEP BUT IT'S HARD WHEN WE HARDLY GET ANY SLEEP WITH HER IN OUR BED TOSSING AND TURNING ALL NIGHT, WE NEED HELP

[ColonelMarksman]

Calm down. It's statically proven that people see all caps and respond with the idea that you're yelling the whole time, in frustration, because you're trying to put emphasis on everything.


First of all, 2 and half is EXTREMELY young to be suddenly shifted from being moved from sleeping with you guys and then by herself. These are problems parents typically run into at the ages of 4-9. Read through what some of these other parents are dealing with first and try to get an idea. There's a father saying that his 12-year-old is scared of the dark and has trouble sleeping in her own room.

What were you like at 2? Do you remember? When you only lived for 2 years, sleeping by yourself is a big deal. When you're 5, going to school for the first time was a big deal. When you're 20, getting married is a big deal. When you're 80, death is a big deal. Children's perspectives on things aren't mature and never will be; it's very narrow, and It's part of growing up and learning. I got my first room at the age of 6 1/2, and yeah, I was excited about my own room (separate from my sister) but truth be told, it took me a few months to get used to it, especially without a night-light. I had problems sleeping by myself in absolute darkness all the way up until... well... today. Everything about your little tot is growing, including perspective on the world, such as size, and eyesight and envisioning things, such as dark objects. We hear a jagged noise against the window, we're annoyed, look, and see long, jagged things there. Great, a tree is rubbing against the window.

To a child, the same noise is a creeping monster that's trying to get in and eat them; it's scary. When they look at the window, they see claws, even if they know there is a tree right there. Their first responsive nature and idea in their head is still a monster. We adults have enough experience in this world to know through and through that monsters don't exist, and they don't do that to our windows, and because they don't exist, any noises are never going to be something out to get us. Kids don't have that luxury and never will. They will always imagine something greater because quite frankly, in their experience (all of 2-9 years of it), they simply don't know.


Now, you say that your biggest problem is tossing and turning. If you can, get something for her to sleep in in the bedroom. This will allow her to get the feel of what it's like to be in her own bed and to be able to have all the room she wants, but she's still aware that you're right there. Gradually move her away from the bedroom and encourage her to be in her own room by herself in the middle of the day. She's secure in your company and that's understandable. Another room is a big, unexplored region of earth to her, and yeah, it's a big deal.