Help me with my 6 year old daughter!!!!?

Question

She doesnt like to sleep in her room by herself. Her sister doesnt want her sleeping in her room anymore. I definately dont want her sleeping in my bed with me and my husband. I dont want her crying herself to sleep every night either. Right now she is sitting by my side begging me to sleep in somebodys room because she is scared. What can I do? She has a nightlight and her closet light is on. She also has the option to watch tv until she falls asleep.

Answer 1

This is just a suggestion, because I don't know if it will work, but I did it with my daughter when she was 4ish and it worked.  Let your daughter go to bed in your bed. She can stay there to fall asleep, as long as the tv and lights are out and it isn't your bed time yet.  My daughter used to go in at 8.  Explain to her that she can lay in there to fall asleep, but that she can not sleep with you.  Then when you go to bed, make her get up and go to her own bed (she will be so drowsy that she will just do it).  Eventually she will get tired of getting woken up and just start going into her own bed.  The key though is to NEVER let her be in the bed with you and your husband.  SHe can only use your bed if you aren't in it.  Basically it will just teach her to put herself to sleep in a non threatening bed with no lights and tv.  If this is her only option either she will fall asleep and be easily moved, or she will accept the night light in her own room.  

Answer 2

I had this same issue w/my 9 year old daughter when I moved in with my fiance.

at my home, before we moved she shared a room with her two sisters (ages 6 and 7).

at her dad's house she shares her room with her 7 year old sister.

at our house now, she has her own room while her sister's share.

for a while, she would cry when going to bed claiming she was scared and wanted one of her sister's to sleep with her. my fiance once tried to allow her to lie on our floor which i abruptly put a stop to explaining to him that if we started doing that, he'd be tripping over her on his way to the bathroom for the next 7 years!! he saw my point and never suggested it again.

my daughter has a 55 gallon fishtank in her room with lights in it to serve as a nightlight plus an additional nightlight plugged into her wall. we compromised and agreed to leave her door open so she could also see the bathroom nightlight which is across the hallway from her room.

I assured her that she was safe in her room and in our house b/c me and my fiance were both there plus the neighbor's master bedroom is right next to her room. I then made it clear that she was too big to be crying about sleeping alone. it took a few times but she now goes to bed with no issues as long as her door stays open and she has all of her lights.

make sure your daughter's room has adequate nightlights (i'd start weaning her off the closet light though) and allow her door to stay open. the comfort of hearing you up in another room or hearing the tv on should help but DON'T allow her tv to stay on (you have no clue what she is watching in there and it could be increasing her fears plus it's a bad habit).

i know it's hard but stick to it and she will eventually give up on trying to get her way

good luck!!

Answer 3

Let her have full bedroom light on and calm story tape or radio station potter around in your bedroom for half an hour - hopefully she will drift off....

Answer 4

I have the same issue with my 8 yr old daughter. I told her if she slept in her own room for 2 weeks without crying I would buy her a bike. She did and got the bike, but now its the same old thing. I am doing something differant now. If she sleeps in her own bed for 6 nights then the 7th night she can sleep with me and daddy. When this night has passed its harder to get her back in bed. Bribes dont work they make it worse.  

Answer 5

Holy Cow.... do you live at my house?????? This sounds exactly like my sweet, precious, non sleeping in her room 6 year old daughter that I love so dearly!!  Although she has gotten ALOT better, she has started making it all the way through the night maybe 3 times a week, the other days she can fall asleep in her bed but in the middle of the night she comes to our room. At first she would not even set foot in her room if it was dark, we tried it all...nightlights, monster spray, the Bible under the pillow, EVERYTHING. Now we have bought a regular size lamp, and we put the smallest watt lightbulb in it (it is still kinda bright) I thought for sure it would not work, but it DOES. She can fall asleep with the lamp on and of course the TV but she is doing it and getting better every week.  Try a brighter type of light eventhough it seems like too much to sleep she has no problems and NO MORE TEARS!!!

Answer 6

Sleep in her room with her for a night or two. Tell her it's fine.

Ensure her that your reall close and you will check on her in the night.

Also if she wants you that you can her hear.

find out what shes scared of. tell her how what ever shes afraid of wont happen.

tell her to try it alone for one night. the next day praise her like crazzyy. the next night tell her how she was fine the first night & nothings different

hope this helps

Answer 7

ok this is what you do lay down the law . but if she relly is scared try to make a sleeping bag on the floor and then when she gets a littel older make her sleep in her own room.

Answer 8

When I was young I had that same problem. My parents just kinda forced me to sleep alone and at some point I got used to it. Instead of having her go into some one ele's room maybe go into her room and stay with her until she falls asleep and then leave. In the morning tell her that you left but praise her for doing this. Then maybe try to make a deal that you will go in every other night and slow that down so you don't have to do that.

Answer 9

It depends what feels right, if you don't believe her fear is genuine and you just don't want her at night then you need to be strict with her. but if you feel she is genuinly scared then you could do what we do- my husbadn lies down with my 6 year old at night until she goes to sleep, then he sneaks off!

Once in a while she comes through in the night and usually my husband goes back to her bed with her- because often my 3 year old son is already in bed with me lol!!!!

Maybe give her what she wants for a while, then try again. But decide if she is scared- because if this is a genuine fear it is cruel to ignore it ebcause it is inconvenient. On the other hand if it is just for attention you havr the right to not have to messa bout at nights with her!. good luck!

Answer 10

well there you go.

watching american media can be frightening. guns, ghosts, racism, violence, rape.

take out the TV.

i agree she needs to sleep alone.

its wise. its estimated 20% of american daughters have had some sort of sexual experience with her dad.

Answer 11

I agree with Nat. There is a chance that your daughter is afraid of the dark, however it could also be a cry for attention. By letting her sleep in someone'Else'sm, you are enabling her behavior. You should be firm about her sleeping in her own room by herself, but you need to be careful not to tratraumatizer with a fear of the dark. Keep lights on, create a bedtime routine, keep her relaxed. Eventually she will grow out of this and a new problem will arise.

good luck!