Getting kids to stay in their own bed

Learn about: Getting kids to stay in their own bed from Alan Greene, MD,...
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Getting kids to stay in their own bed

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So when parents want to teach their child to stay in their bedroom at night, here's a great solution. Works really well for kids mostly between about 3 and 9 years old who wake up at night and you just don't know what to do. Here's what you can do. You give them a free pass, a little laminated card that has on there one free trip on there for them. You put their name on it, decorate it with them, and explain that when they wake up at night, if they want, they can use that pass for one free trip into your room for a hug, a glass of water, and then back to bed. But if they come more than that, it's not going to work. So what kids do, the first couple of nights, they try it out. They come in, very quickly, the first time they wake up, they'll come running in. They'll come in again later on to see if it's really only once, and what you do then is you walk them back into their room, without eye contact and without a word. No interaction. Just walk them back in. And they'll get it pretty quickly. Within 2 -3 nights, the most amazing thing happens. The kids wake up and they figure out I don't really want to use it right now, I might need it more later. So they go to bed with it sitting on the nightstand. In the morning, you find them clutching it in their hand, but they never used it because they just fell back asleep on their own. It gives them the security they need to be able to fall asleep on their own.

Learn about: Getting kids to stay in their own bed from Alan Greene, MD,...

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Alan Greene, MD

Founder, DrGreene.com

Dr. Alan Greene founded his website, DrGreene.com, in 1995, cited by the AMA as "the pioneer physician web site." In 2010 he founded the WhiteOut Now movement to change how babies are fed from their very first bite of solid food, and in 2012 he founded TICC TOCC – Transitioning Immediate Cord Clamping To Optimal Cord Clamping. He is an author of several books including Feeding Baby Green and appears frequently in the media including such venues as the The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, the Dr. Oz Show, and is a regular columnist for Parenting magazine. He is a practicing pediatrician and the father of four.

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