Have Kids Sleep In Their Own Beds
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Trying to get as much sleep early on in your child’s life is something that many parents strive for. You’re exhausted from not getting enough sleep at night as you’re up every couple of hours with a baby. You’ll do most anything you can to add a few minutes of sleep to your nightly routine.
While having your child sleep in a bassinet in your room is quite common for a new baby, you shouldn't stick to this sleeping situation for too long. While it may seem like the ideal scenario, the longer it goes on, the harder it will become later to get your child to sleep in their own room and bed.
Assuming you have a healthy baby, having them sleep in their own room as soon as two weeks old is not an issue as long as you have a way to hear them crying (baby monitor, or right next to your room). While it may be scary with your first child to let them sleep in a different room, don’t delay too long.
Everyday, parents everywhere wonder how they can transition their toddler from sleeping in their bed with them to their own room. A toddler doesn’t usually just randomly start sleeping in your bed with you. The problem is generally because parents started the baby sleeping in their room, and after several failed attempts at moving the baby to the baby’s room, they’ve simply resigned themselves to letting the child sleep with them. Don’t let this happen to you.
The older your child is, the harder it will be to transition them to sleeping in their own room. While you may end up sacrificing a few hours of sleep early on in your child’s life as you make the transition, it will likely be far less hours than you’ll lose later trying to fight with your toddler sleeping in your bed.
Some parents let the problem get worse, to the degree that the child may be school aged, and still sleeping in their parent’s bed. If you think that it’s hard to move a baby to their own bed, just wait until your child has slept with you for 4 to 5 years to move them into their own bed.
With a young baby, the biggest thing they have to learn on their own is how to self-comfort themselves. When they sleep with you, they also have to do this, but you’re also close by and they can see you directly. If you move them into their own bedroom early, they’ll be able to learn to do this much easier on their own.
For toddlers, the issue is a bit different. They may have to learn to self-comfort, but they’re also of an age where they can get up and out of bed, so leaving them in their room or bed isn’t going to be as easy - letting them cry it out isn’t really an option. Convincing a spooked toddler to stay in bed is much harder than letting a baby cry to calm themselves. While it’s possible, it’s much harder.
Don’t wait to move your child to their own bed. As soon as your pediatrician says it’s fine, do it. While it may seem inconvenient, it will help you in the long run to get your child to sleep on their own.
