Getting My Daughter into Her Own Bed…

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My Daughter Slept With ME Until She was Two

I know that having your child sleep with you is something that the professionals discourage. But what if you’ve tried everything they suggest and you still have one of those babies that will NOT sleep unless you are holding them? If you want to be able to function and stay somewhat sane holding them in your bed may be your only option.

My second child was very difficult to put down to sleep. She would wake up and start screaming as soon as I set her down. In order for me even attempt to put her down, she would have to be asleep. I would have to turn vibrate on the bouncy seat and slowly lower her into it. I would keep my chest against her’s for a minute or two and slowly rise up. (Holding my breath, hoping she wouldn’t wake up and start screaming.) This worked for a little while but then she got too big for the bouncy seat. People told

let her cry and she would eventually go to sleep. Well, after 3 hours of all out screaming I decided that wasn’t goime to just

ng to work for us. If I wanted to get any amount of sleep, the only option I had was to have her sleep with me, on me. She slept soundly and only woke up to be fed and then quickly went back to sleep. This allowed me to get the much needed rest I needed to be able to function for not only her but her two year older brother. She ended up sleeping with us until she was 2 years old.

To get her into her own bed I had to take steps. First I started out by laying with her in her own bed and staying there until she fell asleep. The next step was sitting by the side of her bed until she fell asleep. From there I sat at the end of her bed, eventually making my way to standing at the doorway, until she fell asleep. It did take a quite a while but the end

result was a huge success. Eventually I was able to give her a few minutes of cuddle time and kisses, and she could go to sleep without me in sight. Through each of these steps she would still wake up during the night and come to sleep with me. When she was just about five she started sleeping through the night in her own bed without waking. I praised her each time she was a “big girl” and slept in her bed all night long. Some people may think that all sounds absolutely crazy. For me it just came down to “You have to do, what you have to do, to get some sleep.” For those of you how are going through a similar issue, just remember your child won’t always want to be that close to you. It really is just a short period of time, even though it may not feel like it in the moment.

Thanks so much for this Guest Post Submitted by Lisa M.