by Candice Ryan

Created on: October 24, 2009

As soon as you bring your adorable little bundle of joy home do not put him in bed with you. There are many reasons for why this is dangerous both physically and mentally. Physically, many infants have been smothered from co-sleeping. Second of all when you are ready to have your bed to yourself, your child won't be. As soon as they get in the habit of sleeping in bed with mom and/or dad they will not like separate sleeping. However there are some ways to help this transition if you are now ready to have your bed to yourself, or if you are simply switching the child from a crib to a bed. Here are some steps to give your child the independence they need by sleeping in their own bed, all night.

Take them with you to buy their new bed. Refer to it only positively. "Which big boy bed do you like?" Have them help set up their new bed. If they already have a bed and simply don't want to sleep in it for whatever reason, take them to buy some new big kid bedding. Keeping things positive definitely helps. That won't be all you'll need to do unless you're dealing with some kind of absolute angel.

Have a bed time routine. The sooner you have one the better but it's never too late to start. Decide on a time that suits your child's needs. If their bedtime will be 8:00 pm, start the routine at 7:00 pm. It might start with a night time snack and drink, a soothing warm bath, then some cozy pajamas and a nice quiet story. By the time you get all that done, I guarantee it's been at least an hour. The great thing about kids is they don't know what time it is unless they can already tell time of course. So if an hour isn't enough time to get those things done at first start the routine a bit earlier and eventually it will take up less and less time.

Stick to the plan. If the plan is to read them a story in their bed at 7:45 pm, then stick with it every single night no matter what. Kids thrive off consistency and if you change it up on them they will never get on a bed time schedule or stay in their beds. If you want them to sleep in their own bed then don't give into them. They will beg and scream and come up with every excuse in the book but if you give in you'll have to start all over again. Give them a sticker chart for every night that they stay in their bed without trying to escape. It could take weeks but as long as you stick with the plan, it will work out.

Every time they get out, put them back. The first time they get out of their bed put them back, tuck them and their stuffy or baby in and say goodnight. The second time put them back firmly and say goodnight. The third time and every other time just put them back without saying a thing. It is difficult but very worth it in the long run. Just remember if you give in you'll have to start all over.

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