Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Need Help With My Own Son Please
mrsp'slilpeeps 02:21 PM 03-05-2012
I know its off topic, but Im desperate!

My ds is 6 and I (we) have been having a problem with getting him to stay in his room when we put him to bed.

He comes out up to 15 times or more everynight and goes to his sister's room and they end up goofing around.

Some nights he doesnt fall asleep until 10 pm.

He has his cuddles, story, bathroom all that stuff before bed.

I am at my wits end with him. I have taken away fun stuff, but he doesnt care.

Help please.
Reply
SunshineMama 02:37 PM 03-05-2012
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
I know its of topic, but Im desperate!

My ds is 6 and I (we) have been having a problem with getting him to stay in his room when we put him to bed.

He comes out up to 15 times or more everynight and goes to his sister's room and they end up goofing around.

Some nights he doesnt fall asleep until 10 pm.

He has his cuddles, story, bathroom all that stuff before bed.

I am at my wits end with him. I have taken away fun stuff, but he doesnt care.

Help please.
It took me repainting my daughter's room pink (because apparently monsters are afraid of the color pink), and putting glow in the dark stars on her ceiling. She is an old 3.5, but it took her having some input in her actual room to get her to stay in her room.
Reply
Heidi 03:11 PM 03-05-2012
does he have a favorite toy or book? Or something small he would LIKE to have?

I would put a small light in his room, and make him a deal. he may have the toy/book in his bed as LONG AS HE STAYS PUT, and you will leave the door open a crack. The minute he gets out, he looses the toy and the door gets shut ( I would not be above putting a hook latch on the door temp, don't know if you're comfortable with that. I'd unlock it before I went to bed though, for safety and bathroom reasons). I am of the mind-frame that it's like the old lead-a-horse-to-water thing. You CAN make them stay in bed, but you can't make them sleep.

Oh, and if he has any fears (as in Monsters, perhaps), label a bottle of lysol "monster spray". Matter-of-factly spray it around a little, and then say "ok, that'll take care of those little beasts." My sons went through a monster faze (excuse?), and the monster spray worked like a charm. If you don't like the idea of Lysol (I wouldn't nowadays, either), you could some lavender oil and label that the same. Lavender is supposed to induce sleep...double whammy!
Reply
daycare 03:46 PM 03-05-2012
my middle child did this years ago. We bought a special angle that we kept in her room to help guard her and keep her safe. That didn't work out too well and it ended up that I had to sit by her bed just like I did when she went from crib to big girl bed. I did that for two nights, then I moved to the door, then the hallway and by the end of the week it was over. Don't allow your son the option to leave his room. There is no option, there is no choice.
Reply
mrsp'slilpeeps 03:50 PM 03-05-2012
He has a nightlight. He also has a lava lamp (up high) that gets turned on.

When he comes out, it's off.

The door is open a crack too!

No monster problems either. Tried the lavender too!

He says he just wants to play.

We were thinking about putting a locking door nob on my daughters door so she can lock it. but then we cant get in.

We have praised him for staying in his room. I have the kids get ready for bed an hour before, and then quiet time in your room till lights out.
No tv before bed or video games.

Should I get him a lamp for his night table maybe, so he can read in bed?

We are at a loss, as it is ruining our parent time KWIM?
Reply
mrsp'slilpeeps 03:52 PM 03-05-2012
I have sat outside his door, and everytime he opened it, I closed it, I said nothing to him.

That took an hour and a half. He always ask's me NOT to sit outside his door.
Reply
daycare 03:54 PM 03-05-2012
I had to do it for a week, actually a week and 3 days.

How about sitting right by his bed. Sit there with a good book and this way he can't get out.
Reply
daycare 03:54 PM 03-05-2012
my daughter wanted me in her room so for her the consequence was if you get up or open your eyes, mommy leaves the room....
Reply
mrsp'slilpeeps 03:57 PM 03-05-2012
Originally Posted by daycare:
I had to do it for a week, actually a week and 3 days.

How about sitting right by his bed. Sit there with a good book and this way he can't get out.
Tried that too! he kept talking to me.
Reply
mrsp'slilpeeps 03:58 PM 03-05-2012
My hubby says it's like he just doesnt care how mad we get, he just doesnt care.
Reply
Kaddidle Care 03:58 PM 03-05-2012
A kid's tape player and Books on tape saved me. (You know the ones that have a story book that you read along to? They are about 10 minute long stories. Jungle Book, 3 Little Pigs, Peter Pan, Alladin) My son was younger but he knew how to flip it over and play it again. Usually by the time he listened to it twice he was zzzz'd out.

Dangle a carrot - let him EARN TV or Video game time - whatever it is that turns him on. He's gotten into a bad habit - always best to nip those bad ones in the bud. It will take some work to reverse it.

You can do it!
Reply
spud912 08:33 PM 03-05-2012
My daughter did it too and the only thing that worked in the end was closing and locking her door from the outside. It took a very short 3 days and she no longer does it (hence gets to keep the door open). She knows I mean it now when I say to stay in bed or the door gets closed.
Reply
cheeseheadmama 08:50 PM 03-05-2012
What about a rewards chart? He gets to choose something as a goal (small toy, video game, alone time with a parent, etc but make it something he REALLY wants) as a reward and then you put a sticker on his chart for every night that he STAYS in his room. After X number of successes he earns the reward. More motivation than punishment.

Good luck! My 7 year-old went through a phase of "go ahead and punish me, I don't care" and we found that the carrot was better than the stick as long as we were consistent with it. Unfortunately, it is my first instinct to punish for bad behavior rather than reward good behavior so it took a while to figure it out. He still gets time outs and loses privileges, but those are more for minor infractions. The big things, like your bed time issues, need to be turned around the other way. Hope that helps!
Reply
lpperry 06:41 AM 03-06-2012
I babysat a kid about that age who did that. I gave him 3 tickets. He was allowed to use his tickets 3 times to come out of his room for something. After that, he was supposed to stay in his bed. It worked. I don't know why it worked. He very well could have come out again and again, but once he used up his tickets, he didn't.
Reply
MrsB 08:03 AM 03-06-2012
When my DD did this at age 3 I had tried everything too. It wasn't about monsters, just she didnt want to miss anything fun and exciting, I guess. Now I am going to get booed for this but it worked. It totally happened by accident, but she opened the door to come out and promptly shut the door and got back in her bed. I was like what the heck! Went to check and the closet door had got left open. She was deathly afraid of the vaccuum and the closet that the vaccuum was in was directly across from her bedroom door. The next night I purposely left the closet door open and from that night on I never had an issue again. By the way I dont recommend scaring them as an appropriate way to keep them in their bed.

With my son, we had to put a lock on the outside. He would cry at the door. At 15 minute intervals I would put him back in his bed. Not say anything but, that it is night night time. Time to close our eyes and go to sleep. The first night was 30 minutes of screaming, but got less and less every night. The first week or so he would fall asleep at the door and I would cover him with a light blanket but left him on the floor. Most mornings he would get up in the middle of the night and go to his bed. Then after about 2 weeks he would just stay in his bed, no fuss or nothing. I would unlock the door after I went to bed so he could still escape if their was a fire in the middle of the night.

Good luck!
Reply
Country Kids 08:12 AM 03-06-2012
I have a friend that the whole family went to bed at the same time each night. The parents just relaxed in bed doing what ever and the kids learned quickly they weren't missing out on a thing. There where no lights on except in the parents room so the kids would look out and see a dark house which meant sleep time. I thought it was a genius idea and every one in the house was getting adequate sleep because of early bedtimes!
Reply
Ariana 10:14 AM 03-06-2012
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
Tried that too! he kept talking to me.
Don't talk back! He can't talk to someone who isn't talking back. You might have to sit there for an hour, maybe even 2 but he'll get bored enough to fall asleep. I do this with my daughter except I lie in bed with her not talking. She eventually falls to sleep.
Reply
Blackcat31 12:24 PM 03-06-2012
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
My hubby says it's like he just doesnt care how mad we get, he just doesnt care.
Oh my how this brings memories! I had one who really didn't care either. He did the same thing at bedtime, finally we were so exhausted that we caved and made a deal with the devil.....we told DS he didn't have to go to bed but he HAD to stay in his room. If he came out or opened the door (even one teeny tiny bit), the lights went off and he had to get in bed.

Oddly, giving him permission to stay awake made staying up not so much fun and we usually found him fast asleep on his rug next to the bed within 30 minutes of normal bed time.

Seems like the getting up and causing a ruckus was purely for his entertainment, once we stopped being entertained, he stopped putting on a show.
Reply
meganlavonnesmommy 05:55 PM 03-06-2012
Have you tried asking a Dr about Melatonin supplements? They are completely natural, not a medication, and really help with sleep patterns.
I havent used them, but know several friends who swear they help with their kids and getting them to sleep.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...elatonin_N.htm
Reply
Tags:siblings, won't sleep
Reply Up