Alas! I’ve got 6 kids, youngest is currently 3. We’ve used many strategies, but this guide would have helped a lot. My experience is that every kid is different, and you need to be flexible instead of assuming that what worked last time will work this time.
I would add that locking kids in their room has been critical for us with the most agressively wakey kids. This is done when they sleep in a closet-ish room next to ours so that we hear everything, and with a sleep friendly floor covering in front of the door.
Can we please be clear that sleep training and locking kids in their rooms should only be done as a last resort. And if you do lock your children in their bedrooms then at least leave a potty in their rooms.
I have some bad childhood memories of bedtime battles and spending hours on end lying in bed pretending to be asleep and having to face the terror of waking up from a nightmare alone because I didn’t want to get told off for being awake in the night.
Flagging that “sleep training” and “locking kids in rooms” are pretty different things. I don’t think “last resort” applies to the former, if done well and compassionately
Alas! I’ve got 6 kids, youngest is currently 3. We’ve used many strategies, but this guide would have helped a lot. My experience is that every kid is different, and you need to be flexible instead of assuming that what worked last time will work this time. I would add that locking kids in their room has been critical for us with the most agressively wakey kids. This is done when they sleep in a closet-ish room next to ours so that we hear everything, and with a sleep friendly floor covering in front of the door.
Can we please be clear that sleep training and locking kids in their rooms should only be done as a last resort. And if you do lock your children in their bedrooms then at least leave a potty in their rooms.
I have some bad childhood memories of bedtime battles and spending hours on end lying in bed pretending to be asleep and having to face the terror of waking up from a nightmare alone because I didn’t want to get told off for being awake in the night.
This is something that I’ve only needed to do with kids under 2, still in diapers. For older kids we talk.
Flagging that “sleep training” and “locking kids in rooms” are pretty different things. I don’t think “last resort” applies to the former, if done well and compassionately