3 year old won't sleep in her bed!?

Question

I have an almost 3 year old. She is very much a mama's girl! My husband started working nights and about a month after she started waking up in the night. At first it was easy to get her to go back to her bed, but then it started to be a fight 3 or 4 times a night. I got so tired after a couple weeks that I wouldn't even realize that she crawled in with me. Now it has become habit for her to just come in my room (when dad is home at night on the weekends she only gets up once and then goes back to bed for the rest of the night). I have laid down a sleeping bag on the floor so at least I can get a good night sleep, but I want to get her to sleep in her bed all night. I realize it's probably a separation anxiety, but please help!!

Answer 1

I had the same problem with my 4year old son.  I tried everything- the only one that worked was to put his mattress on my bedroom floor so he was at least still next to me.

I did this for about 2months then transferred his mattress back to his bed and he now sleeps there all through the night.

Madness! but it worked!

Answer 2

I agree with the first poster. Don't let her in your bed when Dad's not there. Put a gate at your door so she sees it and either turns herself around and goes back to bed, or whines so you wake and go in and bring her back to her room. She doesn't get the opportunity to come in with you. Period. Clearly she knows you're the sucker of the family and is using it to her advantage. You want to get her to the point where she's not waking at all. Put her in her room with the door closed after her consistent bedtime routine, end of discussion. If you think she may be wandering elsewhere in the house, then you need to put a gate at her door for her own safety. If there's a gate up, she'll stop waking because she'll learn that she can't climb in with you and get bored with it.  

Answer 3

What do you think makes it different when Daddy

is home ? She knows Daddy not going to put up

with it so She goes back to bed. You have to be

firm just as Daddy would be, to make it work