Young children tend to enjoy being close to their parents. While co-sleeping may be enjoyable for you and your child, you do also want to consider getting them to sleep independently. To do so, you might need to make bedtime appealing, as well as prepare them for spending the night on their own. This may be daunting for a young child, so might take time for a good routine to be established. Yet, in doing so, you can help your child to gain a bit more independence, and allow you and your partner a bit more time together.
Bed Frame
A bed that is too big for your child, or even not appealing, may deter them from wanting to spend the night in it. Roomtogrow.co.uk toddler beds come in a variety of designs and colours, meaning you can spend time with your child picking one that they will love, so long as it is within your budget. By focusing on something they will enjoy, your child may have a bit more motivation to use it, rather than wanting to stay in their parent’s bed instead. While you want your child to use their own bedroom, a lower toddler bed will still allow them to get out of bed safely, should they need the toilet or want to seek you out for comfort throughout the night.
Night Light
There are several advantages and disadvantages to using night lights. While they may inhibit the ability to sleep, especially if overly bright, or in your child’s direct line of sight, they may ultimately assist with getting your child to sleep on their own. A source of light within the room can help your child to feel a bit more secure, especially if they have a fear of the dark. In addition to this, they can also help your child to safely manoeuvre around their room, such as when going to the bathroom. You can often find night lights in a variety of styles and colours, so you can pick one that your child will love, such as those featuring popular characters, and make sure that the level of light that it provides is less likely to impede on their ability to get a good night’s rest.
Positive Reinforcement
As with many aspects of bringing up a child, you may find that positive reinforcement helps your child to want to sleep in their own room. Giving them praise for staying in their room overnight, or even implementing a reward chart system, will help them to associate sleeping in their own bedroom with something good. Over time, you might be able to phase out rewarding them for this behaviour, as it will simply become part of their daily life.
This doesn’t mean that your child can never sleep in your room again. It may be better to get them into a good routine of sleeping independently. This may take time but, through persevering, you can get them into a good sleeping routine.
Stewart Thurlow
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