Toddler bedtime helpš©
I have a 3 year old daughter who has slept with me in my bed since she was about 2 weeks old. As much as I adored getting snuggled by her (& kicked in the spleen) every night for a little over 2 years, itās honestly one of my parenting regrets because she doesnāt feel safe sleeping alone...
I moved her into her own room in her own bed about 4-5 months ago & I was surprised that for the first month it actually went pretty smooth. But I think now that sheās caught on that this is a permanent thing sheās fighting it.
We have a bed time routine. 7:30pm she goes into her room for āquiet timeā; she can play, read, whatever in her room just as long as sheās quiet (not silent, just not her usual volume which is like 10 lol). Then at 8:15 itās time to get into bed. She chooses a stuffed animal to take to bed, I read her a bedtime story, she gets tucked in, hugs & kisses & then itās lights out.
It may also just be that age too, but lately sheās coke up with every excuse in the book to not go to sleep in her bed. Sheās even resorted to sleeping on the floor (though itās in her room!). I will put her in bed once sheās asleep when that happens but...
anyway, her biggest thing is sheāll BEG me to snuggle her. Usually I say ājust for a little whileā & weāll snuggle for about 5-10 minutes & then I leave. But sheāll get up about 5-6 times after that to come find me & beg me to snuggle her. Sheāll cry, stomp, plead, beg, demand... I just tell her no, that weāll snuggle in the morning, remind her that sheās a big brave girl & that big brave girls can go to sleep in their own beds without snuggling their mommies. I show her the stuffed animal she picked out & offer that as an alternative.
But I feel SO bad for saying no to her. I donāt ever want to deny her affection, but Iām trying to break the habit as well. I make up for it during the day & give her lots of snuggles, hugs, & affection but I donāt want her to think I donāt love her...
Any advice/tips/tricks on how to break this habit & help her feel more comfortable sleeping independently??
Let's Glow!
Achieve your health goals from period to parenting.