Seeking Some More Advice from Moms Who Understand

I have a three year old son, who also has the same problems with
sleeping in his own bed. What has worked for me is to put him in his bed and say good night (once) and give him a kiss. when he gets out, direct him back without any eye contact or affection (this is SUPER hard for me, but works). Eventually he will stay there. My son needs to pick out his favorite stuffed animal to sleep with. This brings him a tremendous amount of comfort.
As for the sippy cup. My son still drinks out of one. He can drink from a regular cup, but will spill it 95% of the time, so i never thought of it as a big deal. Either sippy cups or ones with lids and straws. Have you tried the ones with lids and straws? Maybe give him that instead of the sippy cup. If you want him to drink out of a regular cup, you are brave. Even with "Totally Toddler" on hand, I am not that brave. :)
Good luck! :)

A.,
About the not sleepin in his own bed. Your just going to have to push the issue. He will not be happy of course,but if your consistant with it he will sleep in his own bed. This was the advice I recieved and it does work if you do it consistantly. Put him in his bed, and sit on the floor in his room don't look at him or anything if he gets out put him back in, (This may take hours to get him to stay in Bed, he may cry and throw fits but just be consistant about placing him back in bed and telling him it's time to go to sleep). It's hard because this method takes alot of time but if your consistant he will stay in his bed and sleep. Just an idea L.

don't worry about the cup and about bed what i did with mine i'll put him for naps in his room and put a child's gate up on his door, at night i'll do the same he will come to his door and call out for me if he stated to cry i'll go put him back in his bed stay with him for a lil bit then go back to my room and 2 week later he was good in his own room

My husband and I were trying to get my son in his own bed, but have had no luck, he needs someone by him to fall asleep. He won't even nap alone, and now I am having the same problem with his sister. Our solution was basically to buy a king sized bed and hope it eventually settles.

GOOD LUCK

my mother in law got my son cups that have straws built into the side of them. he thinks it is so cool to drink out of them. i believe she got them at meijer or kmart. the straw is formed into the cup and that is all my son wants to drink out of now. i could not get him off the bottle until she bought those for us

Try laying down with him until he falls asleep. Then a couple nights later when he is almost asleep tell him you will be right back, (you have to go potty or something.) He may cry but tell him you will be right back. Stay gone 5-10 minutes then check back. I still do this with my son and he will be 4 in march. He knows it is bedtime and I will lay down with him and read him a couple of books. By the time I get done I tell him I will be back to check on him he is usually asleep. If he cries just remember it is temporary and it is hurting you more than it is him. Better to do it now than wait a year and he will be a lot more strong willed. As far as the sippy cup my son still uses one. What is the big deal? It is not a bottle. That is what they are for. Toddlers. Better for him to drink from a sippy cup than be cleaning up spills all the time Right? GOOD LUCK

Kids develop at their own rate as you know, I know my son just turned 2 and still uses a sippy cup. He is however starting to drink out of a cup and uses a straw with no trouble. Did you try using a sippy type cup with a straw and see if that helps? Or maybe putting something he really likes in a regular cup like juice or chocolate milk something to peak his interest Good luck because I am sure I'll need it too when we go off sippies for good. :)?

Have faith and patience A..

My step sons both were attached to their sippy cups when they came to live with me. After the settling in period I started DEtaching them.

I allowed them to drink from the sippys but they couldn't carry them around with them during the day. It was worst at bed time. They had always had them and rather than take that security away and spend nights without sleep we allowed the sippys to help them get to sleep...for a while.

During the day the sippys stayed in the kitchen. We had to put them on a wooden tv tray so they could reach them and they could come take a drink anytime they wanted. Eventually I started replacing them at various times of the day with small plastic glasses.

For a while they refused to drink from the glasses. We told them that only if they used the glasses would their sippys be on the table later.

Eventually the glasses were available 90% of the time and the sippys 10%. One day the sippys just didn't show up at all but by then they were comfortable with the glasses and didn't really care.

This process actually took a lot longer than it sounds like but gong slow was worth it. Friends who had the same issue complained of tantrums and acting out and sleepless nights after just saying "no more sippy cups" Doing it the way we did we didn't have anything like that.

Sleeping in their own bed....

If you are not currently sharing your bed with anyone else then why not see the joy in your son spending that quiet time to be close to you?

I was a single mom for 13 years. My daugher always had her own room and own bed but it didn't get used much the 1st four years. I always worked full time and by the time dinner and bath were done it was her bedtime. It was a joy to crawl into bed and read books and look at patterns in the ceiling and later to talk about "stuff" and hum songs together. It really was the only time I had with her during the week and I don't regret it. If it was occasionally inconvenient I would simply go through our normal routine and after she fell asleep I would carry her to her own bed.

Eventually SHE made the choice to spend more and more nights in her own bed. I was lucky, I guess, that her being in my bed was not a hassle for me and that eventually moving her out wasn't either. I also know that it did not harm either one of us. I can't imagine having missed those incredible together times.

My daughter is now 15. She is a very strong, independent young lady. We clash alot over normal parent/teenager things because we are both very opinionated. Sleeping with me obviously didn't cause any insecurities or attachment issues and I honestly think that we are able to work through our differences because of the bond we forged in those first years. As long as it doesn't interfere with your life at this time I believe it can only enhance it.

Hi A., I don't have any advice but I just wanted to let you know that I have the same problem. I am also a single mom of a 2 year old boy and he won't sleep in his own bed either. I think that if you are a working mom who is gone alot they just like the security to be able to wake up at night and know that you are there. Supernanny (I forget which channel it's on) covers this in several episodes but I haven't tried her techniques yet. It takes some work even on TV. Good luck.

I am sorry about your son not sleeping in his own bed. I ended up sleeping with our daughter until she was 5 years old!!! I actually have to admit that I miss her very much sometimes, there is nothing like cuddling with your kids, it's a perfect fit. But last year my husband got laid off (he worked 3rd shift) and we needed to rearrange our sleeping habits. It was so hard to adjust, Jason and I sleeping in the same bed and McKayla in her own. It took a while and it was hard work but every time she got out we walked her back to bed. Then the excuses came...drinks, hugs, potty. *Sigh* We did a penny thing- we gave her 3 pennies and those were her tokens to get out of bed for the night and when they were gone, that was it and if she had anything left over it was hers to keep. She loves money so she was more adept to stay in bed so she could have pennies. Just keep it up and he should stay in his own bed, it might take a while though, don't get discouraged! I wish you all the best!! Good Luck!! Jennifer

Getting him to sleep in his own bed may be hard. I just kept getting up and putting my son back into his bed. I would do this on a weekend, when you do not have to get up early for work. After the 2 nd time of him getting up, do not say anything to him and just lay him in his bed cover him up and walk out. It may take a while, and a lot of crying, on your and your sons part. But its easier to do it now, rather than later. My son just turned 2 and I give him ice cold cups of water in the bath, this help him to learn how to drink from a regular cup. Also show him that you and him are the sam ewhen he drinks out a big boy cup. Also buying him a few special cups that he picks out may help. Good Luck.

well with the sippy cup issue, as mean as it sounds you need to get ridof them out of the house. make a game of it with your son. go and get him big kid cups, then haev him put all his sippy cups in a bag and explain that the cup fairy will take his cups for other little boys and girls that need them. in return the fairy leaves him new big boy cups- kinda like the tooth fairy system. as for sleeping in his own bed, be prepared for a few long nights, put him in his bed and explain that he needs to sleep in his own bed now. if he gets out place him back in his own bed it will take about a week and a few long nights but in the long run he will be brokewn of it.

My little boy is now 5 and still goes to bed with a cup. It is only water but still. It is not hurting him, I think it is more a comfort thing. I asked his pediatrician and he says as long as it is not milk or juice and it is fine with me it is not going to hurt him. As for the sleeping...does he take naps in his room? Maybe you could try doing more in his bedroom if you are not already and lay him in his bed for naps. He will cry, and you should let him cry for a little bit. But if he does not stop then you should take him out and just keep trying to lay in down in his crib....It will take time and alot of crying but eventually he WILL sleep in his bed. Hang in there and it will work out!