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It's an unmistakable sound that wakes you up every time: the pitter patter of your toddler's feet coming into your room at night. Although many parents are excited by the prospect of moving a toddler out of a crib and into a bed, this is the downside: Your child can easily come into your bed in the night.

Some experts, like Meredith Small, a professor of cultural anthropology at Cornell University and author of "Our Babies, Our Selves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent," point out that co-sleeping is an evolutionary adaptation and that it is natural for babies and young children to want to sleep in bed with parents. Others, like sleep expert Dr. Richard Ferber, encourage parents to teach children to sleep on their own, arguing that "primitive" sleep...

It's an unmistakable sound that wakes you up every time: the pitter patter of your toddler's feet coming into your room at night. Although many parents are excited by the prospect of moving a toddler out of a crib and into a bed, this is the downside: Your child can easily come into your bed in the night.

Some experts, like Meredith Small, a professor of cultural anthropology at Cornell University and author of "Our Babies, Our Selves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent," point out that co-sleeping is an evolutionary adaptation and that it is natural for babies and young children to want to sleep in bed with parents. Others, like sleep expert Dr. Richard Ferber, encourage parents to teach children to sleep on their own, arguing that "primitive" sleep arrangements are irrelevant in modern times.

Once you decide where you fall between the two, you can make a rule that works for your family.

• If you do not want him sleeping with you, bring him back to his room every time he gets up. If you do this consistently in a no-fuss way so he is not getting extra attention, he'll quickly stop coming into your bed.
• If you do not want him waking you up at night but do not mind him in the room, make a little bed close to yours and tell him simply that he may sleep with you only if he does not wake you up. If he wakes you up, bring him back to his room.

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Jul 4, 2008 at 7:04:45 PM

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shellcollier
August 07, 2008

CAN NOT SLEEP ALONE

I HAVE A 8YR OLD DAUGHTER WHO HAS A PROBLEM SLEEPING BY HERSELF. I FEEL MOST OF THAT IS MY FAULT BECAUSE WHEN SHE WAS A BABY SHE HAD BREATHING PROBLEMS AND I WAS AFRAID I WOULD NOT HEAR HER AT NIGHT. SO MY HUSBAND AND I DECIDED TO HAVE...  read more

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caccavale-family-5
June 30, 2008

I NEED HELP...

I HAVE 3 WONDERFUL BOYS...8,2,1. MY 8 YEARS OLD USE TO SLEEP WITH ME AND MY HUSBAND ON OCCASIONS UNTIL OUR NEXT CHILD CAME. THAN HE STARTED BEING A BIG BOY AND SLEEPING IN HIS OWN BED. MY 2 YEAR OLD WAS HEAVEN SENT. HE WOULD GO TO BED...  read more

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Brandi0507
June 04, 2008

Baby rules the night

By the time my first daughter was teething, I was pregnant again. Between my exhaustion and her being so fretful at night I ended up putting her in the bed with my husband and me. (I know, bad idea.) I now have a two year old who wants...  read more

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