I wrote a blog a while back about how to stop your young
child from coming into your room in the middle of the night. I am following up because my child, now 5 ½
comes into our room once again. Sticker
charts and the bunny clock no longer work!
I have a new system.
I ran it by my pediatrician and she improved! We have created “sleep tickets.” I simply cut card stock into pieces – about 4
inches by 2 inches. I then wrote
something on each one that my son loves and would hate to be without. Currently, his sleep tickets have the
following written on them: Treats, TV, iPhone, Computer, Angry Birds (his
stuffed toys) and iPad. We count how
many times he comes into our room at night, and then the next morning, he has
to give us a sleep ticket for each time.
Sometimes we let him choose and sometimes we choose. We then post the ticket (or tickets) on the
refrigerator for the day. And then before
bed, (hopefully we remember), we put the tickets back on his nightstand.
And of course, we do have exceptions when it is OK to come
into our room. He is allowed to come in
if he hears thunder (because he is terrified) or if he needs help going to the
bathroom.
We have had these issues with my son for several years. My pediatrician said that it COULD be that he
wakes up from anxiety. And you might
ask, for a 5 year-old, what causes anxiety?
She actually asked my son what he thinks about when he wakes up in the
night. He started telling her silly and
small things like his excitement about playing on daddy’s phone! She said if the sleep tickets DON’T work,
then a couple of sessions with a psychologist might help. A doctor can give your child coping tools for
easing anxiety in the night.
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