Advice History

What can I do to help my child sleep through the night?

Props can help. Try giving your child a teddy bear, doll, blankie or something that will comfort them through the night. In the book, "The Pocket Parent" by Gail Reichlin and Caroline Winkler, they suggest some "sanity savers" such as sitting down with the family to discuss bedtimes rules and to be consistent with bedtime schedules and routine. They also feel it is important to realize when a child is tired and use that time to get them to sleep. Following their natural body rhythm will help give them the best sleep and hopefully will prevent nightwaking. However, if they do wake up, try to put them back to sleep in their own bed everytime.

Are there problems that come from allowing your child to sleep in your bed after he wakes up?

The only problem we have is the possibility of a foot/fist in a kidney or on the face. Our daughter only stays for a little while then we carry her back to her bed.

What can I do to get our daughter to stop yelling for us in the middle of the night. She won't get out of bed on her  own and come to us. We have told her it's ok to come to our room and get us, but she continues to scream from hers. She is 2 1/2.