Name: Jenn
Miami, FL
Number of kids: 1
Ages of kids: 3
Problem: My 3 yr. old has formed a habit of coming upstairs to sleep with us every night at around 2 a.m. My husband and I are asleep and don't really mind if she doesn't wake us up. Sometimes we aren't so lucky though. I've tried sticker charts, rewards, praise, etc. to try to get her to sleep in her bed all night. My husband works a lot of hours so she doesn't always get to see him. I believe she comes up to make sure he is home and to be near him. I don't know if this is something that is positive for her to be doing.
Solution submitted by Tim from Atlanta, GA:Is it a problem?? It is only a problem if you think it is. Some people (my family included) enjoy sleeping with their little one. My wife works all day and has the same problem as your husband. Perhaps the big difference is that she has always encouraged the baby to sleep with us because it helps her feel closer to her. Ponder this: most mammal species (especially primates) sleep with their young. It seems a little absurd sometimes that we, often at the expense of hours and hours of our child screaming awake at night, kick our little ones out of the nest so young. I wouldn't worry about it, but that is coming from a parent prejudiced toward the family bed.Read "Creative Parenting" by William Sears, MD, he has some good pointers about bedtime.
Solution: None submitted yet.