Where do they sleep?

[mydsgirl]

This probably sounds terrible to some of you, but Emma who just turned 7 still sleeps in bed with me. (I am a single parent.) Any way, at this point, when Emma is awake she gets into everything. I have to watch her constantly for fear that she may hurt herself on something dangerous or go outside without me. She wakes up once or twice during the night to go potty and have a drink. When she is in bed with me, she lets me know that she is up. I know at this point it will be a battle to get her into her own bed, which is now in my room. But I figure it is a starting point. I was just wondering if any of your kids slept with you and when you quit worrying that they would get out of the house or get into something they shouldn't.

[Googsmom aka Jennifer]

In all honestly Brook sleeps w/ me and has sence day one.... oh wait, 5-6 days when she finally got to come home. We have our own room hubby has his. She is momma's girl and will only go to sleep w/ me. At this point i'm not scared she will get up and get into mischeif. I'm so paranoid she will stop breathing{don't know why, just am} She can sleep w/ momma forever if she wants to. When Mary is here, she still climbs in bed w/ momma too. {Yep, she's 14}

[lespring]

Angela has always slept in her own room, even when she was on a feeding pump at night. About 3 years ago (when we moved to our current home) she started waking up when my husband got up for work (3:30 a.m.) would visit with him, then come climb into bed with me. However....then she started wetting the bed again so THAT stopped! A couple of months ago she decided she wants to sleep with her door closed so she doesn't get up with him anymore.

I'm glad she didn't sleep with me. I was a single parent for awhile as well, and...well...having her sleep would've been a little awkward when I was dating. I never had anyone spend the night, but there were times when I'd have a visitor after she went to bed.

[danikins]

Dani sleeps with me. I think it is more "my attachment thing". However, if I ever do get involved agained--it will be a difficult habit to break. I let her fall asleep in my bed then, move her to bed. A few hours later, I hear the putter of little feet climbing into bed with me--followed by a deep, contented sigh. How can I resist. I thought I would change it once we moved. No go. I used to read and rock Dani until she fell asleep and put her in her bed when she was two. After her dad left when she was three--our ritual changed. We read and then have cuddle time before going to sleep. I have no concerns she will get up and get into anything. Thankfully she has stayed dry through the night for 3 years. I just can't get her potty trained.

I am not feeling so guilty anymore.

Happy 4th.
Kim

[steffaroni]

OMG you all are saints...NOT ME my bed is SHMINE!!!!( that's how an irritating kid I usta babysit said MINE) My husband usta travel all the time and my friends I needed the sanctity of SHMY bed. lol...I would go lie with her till she fell asleep and still will on occasion.But my kids are 1 years apart and needed MY bed. So very selfish am I.Even if Olivia is sick I will only lay in her bed as after 2-3 days of her in SHMINE she thinx its an everyday thing and wants to sleep with me n mine. It can be done for anyone who is frustrated. Literally it can we broke Liv of that habit. It took time. When she was sick I let her sleep in our bed while Jeff was away. Then she wouldn't stop. SO.. it literally took me a month of bringing her back to her bed a couple times a night but now I have my bed with my peace of mind, No feet in my face no stealing all the covers. lol It can be done just know it takes a lotta perseverance. (((HUGS))) Steff.

[Chris]

My older daughter slept with me until she was nine. I finally got serious and made her sleep in her own bed when I got remarried. It was actually a pretty easy transition. When Sarah was born I was determined that she would sleep in her own bed, in her own room and she has! ;D

Chris

[dpurvis]

My husband works shift work and when he is on night shift, Ashleigh sleeps with me! She never minds going back to her own bed when he's finished with night shift!! Ashleigh will be 14 this month - but that's okay - we both enjoy those nights!!

[Emilysmom]

Count me in as another mom who let her kids sleep with her. Our oldest was always very independent and had no desire to sleep with us. But Justin, at about age 3 started asking to sleep with us and it was just no big deal to us. For many years, DH worked the night shift and I was alone in bed at night....so I almost felt better with kids in the bed! Emily continued to sleep in my bed for a bit longer than her brothers, but it really wasn't that hard to get her into her own bed when we actually "tried". It was about the same time as when she got a TV for her bedroom, and she would just fall asleep with the TV on and I'd go in later and turn it off. After a while, she got into her own routine (without any help from us) where she watches a bit of TV, reads a bit, turns off the light, closes her door, and falls sound asleep. The only time she ever sleeps with me is if we are traveling. In that case, I usually sleep with her while DH sleeps with one of our sons and the other son sleeps on a rollaway bed, etc.

The positive thing I noticed when Emily started sleeping in her own room, and going to sleep on her own was that she would go to sleep as soon as she started to feel tired..........no waiting up for Mom to go to bed! She will sometimes go to sleep now at 8:45!

Call me lazy or unstructured or whatever.........but with almost everything, I tended to wait till it was obvious that the children were really "ready" to do a certain thing, rather than to "teach" them to do it. Like potty training.........very smooth and tear-free, but later than many kids.

Maybe I'm wrong, but this seems like a problem only if it is an issue for the parents. Like if it created a problem for the parents, or if one parent was opposed to it, it would be a different story.

Susan

[CC]

"I was just wondering if any of your kids slept with you and when you quit worrying that they would get out of the house or get into something they shouldn't"

Chris does not sleep with us and has not since he was 4 or 5 and that was only when he crawled in and neither I nor Colin woke up when he crawled in.

As for the worrying bout he if he would get out of the house, Hmmm have to be honest, Chris is 15 and knock wood has not attempted to leave in a long time now BUT OMG from the times he has in the past YIKES I still worry bout it. Knowing me I will worry as long as I breath KWIM

CC ~

[Kristin]

Clarice sleeps in her own bed and always has. There are a few exceptions to this. Occaisionally she will sleep part of the night when my hubby is out of town. I don't mind the company, but when dad is home, she sleeps in her own bed. Clarice used to snuggle me in the morning, but in the last year cartoons have been more interesting. She still snuggles grandma and grandpa when they visit and sleep at our house, otherwise she's in her own bed. I sleep lightly and she used to wake me up for water at night. Now I keep a cup with a permanent straw next to her bed at night. I never worried about her leaving the house, but then again she doesn't leave the house during the day without permission.

[Deannalee]

I always nursed my kids....so they all slept with me until they got a bit older. Justin has always slept in my room and still does. He is on tube feeds at night....so I feel much better with him in there with me. He likes to get tangled up in the tubing...or flood the bed with his milk....or throw the bag on the floor. He is a pistol. He is 5 1/2 now and we just got him a sleep safer bed that is next to my bed. It keeps him from falling out of bed and ripping his tube out.

Deanna

[jelanismom]

Hi there...maybe we need to start a singlemom club here at Uno

Jelani sleeps in my bed even though he has his own bed right next to mine. I started letting him sleep with me because he wanted to, I slept in his bed once, just thinking that maybe it was uncomfortable, but it's fine, he just prefers to be next to mommy.
I don't feel it's a big deal, alot of Peds will make it a big deal.
Like Steff said, it can be done with alot of perserverance. But the question is do you want her to sleep in her own bed? As for me, I actually prefer him with me, and I know the day will come soon that it will change, my baby is growing up so fast!
Wow, I didn't know so many kiddos sleep with their mommas!

Oh I had to come back and mention that he does wake up and get out of bed alot, he does this about 2-3 times a week. he goes to his favorite music toy and I find him asleep on the floor. I guess I wake up naturally in the middle of the night and just know he's not in bed. I make sure a gate is put between the livingroom and the bedroom so he desn't wander around.
Something Susan mentioned is good...

The positive thing I noticed when Emily started sleeping in her own room, and going to sleep on her own was that she would go to sleep as soon as she started to feel tired..........no waiting up for Mom to go to bed!

Jelani waits for me to get in bed before he goes to sleep. That's a huge drawback when it's a school night and I don't want to sleep that early myself, lol. So I pretend I'm going to sleep and then sneak away when he's out. That doesn't always work though, I end up falling asleep myself!

[steffaroni]

I agree its all what YOU want. My take on this is that it is what the parent wants. So if ya want em in let em in if not as in my case just know I want SHMY bed to SHMYSELF...lol

[Deborah]

I am with you Steff.
Jennifer slept in a crib until she was almost 4, then we moved her to her big bed. I did put a baby gate up at night for about a year and a half. Then I removed it. She is 8 now and if she wakes up in the middle of the night she comes into my room and I get up and put her back to bed. There are nights when she does sleep in my bed, more so now than before. She rolled around a lot when she was little and it kept me awake. She is more settled now. My dh works shift also, so there are times when Jennifer and I will let the older brothers have the den TV and she will settle in to watch her videos in my room while I read. She will eventually fall asleep and I leave her there. In fact..she is there now, after falling asleep watching a Dora video last night. I do not mind her in my bed occasionally, but not every night.

[damarasmom]

Damara starts her nights in our bed with one of us. We will lay down with her until she falls asleep...then, I will carry her into her room/bed and she stays there all night long. We tried to whole put her in her bed and if she gets up just bring her back....Yeah right!!! That was such a pain in the butt for me, I swear she gets up over and over again for 2 hours!!! I gave up on this...her will is much stronger than mine!