Two year old wont sleep in his room...help?

Question

Ok so I have read all the other things that parents have said about this issue. My son I am convinced hates his room. I lay him down for a nap everyday at 1:00 and it takes him about 40 minutes of crying before he falls asleep. Night time is the worst, he has no set bed time. We tried it once for about 4 days and got nowhere. We gave him a bath, read him a couple books and the second we got up to leave he started screaming and crying. And this went on for hours, unless me or my husband went in with him to sleep. Now he falls asleep on the couch around 9:00pm and I move him to his bed. About and hour later he is screaming and in our room. I am at a loss and over frustrated!! Should I do nightlights, a baby gate at the door and let him cry all night? My issue is I am afraid that he is scarred of his room. I don't know what to do. I need my bed back and married life!!!

Answer 1

I had the exact same problem, my son is 2 and finally goes to sleep in his room without crying for an hour. First, i know this may not be great advice, but it works for us... Even though he doesn't take the bottle anymore, we give him a warm bottle of milk when he goes to bed everynight.  I also bought him this "homemedic" night light thing that plays music and has a rotating light picture show.. it's really awesome.  But those two things together work everytime.  OH, AND we put a child gate up at his door so he can't just get up and walk to our room after his bottle..

Answer 2

Sounds familiar, you're not alone. My son didn't even sleep in his own room until he was 2.

After you put him to bed say goodnight, I always prop a book up with interesting pictures for both my children. Anyway then sit on the floor in his room near the door and don't look at him, he may cry for you or he may not. If he gets out of bed just put him back and go back to sitting (don't speak) You can gradually move closer to the door each night and if it backfires the night you walk out go back to sitting just inside the room and try again the following night. If you don't like the idea of this you can try the let him cry method but I would not advise just leaving him, try going in every 5 minutes and re-settling him so he knows you are still there. I have used both these methods, the floor sitting one is less emotionally draining but very boring.

Anyway whatever you find that works, just think about this, when he is at school you'll be trying to keep him awake long enough to eat his dinner ;)

Answer 3

I had the same exact problem as you do. My son is actually the same age as yours. Night light will definitely work, T.V  will work. Try to explain to your son what ownership is all about. Convince him that this is HIS ROOM, it belongs to him. He just has a fear of being alone, because they are so used to sleeping with us since birth, its a habit that he has to break with time. Don't give up, sleep well soon..PEACE ZZZZZZZZZZ

Answer 4

It's not that he's scared of his room, it's probably that he doesn't want to go to sleep alone.  If he's scared of the dark, get him a nightlight.  Otherwise, you're going to have to let him cry.  It will get worse as he gets older.  I promise you.  You have to stop it now before it becomes uncontrollable.

A certain person that will remain nameless required their mother to lie down in the bed with them through middle school.  You don't want that mother to be you...

Answer 5

for his room, i would give him a nightlight and maybe put a fan on the low setting, so it covers up some of the noise.  and if his bed is off the ground, i would put a gate on it, until he's around 4, so he wont fall off.  i know that it'll be hard, but start a bedtime routine now.  if you don't, when it comes time for school in a few years, it'll be bad. do it where, one or both of you will bathe him, but then one reads a story and then you go to bed.  and here's what to do when he gets up.

1st time: say (in a normal voice, don't make it sound emotional)  "good night, i love you. but it's bedtime" don't get him a drink or anything, but don't hug, just put him back in his room.

2nd time: say "It's bedtime." nothing else, and just show him back to his room.

3rd time: don't say anything and put him back to his room. and keep on doing this until he falls asleep.

since he's young, i would try to have in bed by 8, since a child his age, will sleep about 13 hours a day.  i would do it where, one day you do this, and the next day it's your husband's turn. keep on switching until he fall asleep. i would also leave a TV out of his room, after a while, he'll get better sleep and it'll be easier for him to go to sleep. and if you want to keep in his room, i would get a doorknob cover to prevent him from getting out until he learns to stay in his room.  

it'll be hard, but if you stick to it, it'll show that you two are stronger than him.  show him that you guys are the boss and he's not in charge.