Child sleep: Put preschool bedtime problems to rest
The problem: Your child won't stay in his or her bed
The problem: Your child wakes up during the night
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The problem: Bedtime is chaos
The problem: Your child doesn't want to go to bed
The problem: Your child stays up too late
The problem: Your child won't fall asleep alone
The problem: Your child won't stay in bed
The problem: Your child has a bad dream
The problem: You're frustrated with your child's bedtime problems
The problem: Your child won't fall asleep alone
The scenario: Your child wants you to stay in the room until your child falls asleep.
The solution: Help your child feel secure. Start with a calming bedtime routine. Then offer a favorite stuffed animal, blanket or toy. Make sure the item doesn't have buttons, loose ribbons or other things that a child could choke on.
Turn on a night light or leave the bedroom door open if it will help your child feel secure. Then make sure your child is safe and well.
After you take those basic steps, you can try one of a few different ways to help your child get used to falling asleep alone. Choose a method that you can do each night. Any of these methods will only work if you can stick with it:
Leave the room. If your child calls out to you after you leave or during the night, you can try to let them figure out how to get to sleep.
If you keep returning to their bedside or if you climb into bed with them, that might be what your child remembers. And they may expect you to do the same thing the next night.
You can try to wean your child from your support. Each time you check on your child, wait longer before you go into the bedroom. Keep the visit to a minute or two. You can reassure your child and give a light pat, but no cuddling.
Use "bedtime fading." If this doesn't work, you could try a method that's almost the opposite. It's known as bedtime fading.
You start by putting your child to bed a bit later than usual, when your child is sleepy. If the child falls asleep at the later bedtime, put the child to bed earlier over the course of a few weeks. Have your child wake up at the usual time throughout this process.
If your child doesn't fall asleep quickly at the later bedtime, you could try taking your child out of the bedroom for 15 to 30 minutes before you put them back to bed. This might help your child link the bedroom with sleep.
- Sit farther away. For this technique, you sit near your child and give calm comfort until the child is asleep. Over the course of weeks to months, you move the chair you sit on father away from the bed, until it's out of the room.
Whichever method you choose, be aware that your child's frustration may get worse before it gets better. That's why it's important to be consistent and stick to the method every night.
