keeping child in bed

[reebecca]

my son is 3 1/2 yrs old. He will go to bed on his own but he will wake up in the middle of the night and come get in his mommy and daddys bed. We keep taking him back and then he will come back 2hrs later. We do this every night and my husband is not getting enough sleep cause he keeps getting up to take him back. How do we get him to stay in his bed? What could be the reason for him getting up? He does not cry at all when its bedtime or when he comes in to our bed. He will only cry if i take him back to his bed. He wants mommy.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Eventually his sleep cycle will become more established and, when he experiences the partial waking episodes that every person experiences, he will not wake fully as he is doing now. When young children wake up at night they are often scared, and this results in their seeking out their parents. You are doing the correct thing by taking him back to his own bed. You can read about sleep stages on the following (and many others) we site:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/sleep.htm

Also, you can see a much more detailed description in Richard Ferber's book: Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems