5 Hacks to Get Your Kid to Stay in Bed and Go to Sleep

Heeeey there, mama! If you haven't yet read Part 1 of this series, I suggest you start here.

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs around, never more so than at night. If you’re like most parents, short-term sleep solutions that once worked have become long-term bad habits that don’t work at all. Bedtime (and overnights) can quickly escalate to shouting matches or heart-wrenching emotional manipulations. “But I love you! Sooooo much! I just want you to lay in bed with me ALL. NIGHT. LONG!”

The struggle is real.

The first step? Admitting that you have a problem. If you’ve been following this series, you know that I strongly encourage you to define specific sleep rules for your child, which you introduce to them in advance. Once you’ve laid out the rules, it’s time to commit to them wholeheartedly. There’s no backing down now. If you say you won’t go back in the room, DON’T GO BACK IN. If you say that your child cannot sleep in your bed, return them to theirs. You’re playing to win. There will likely be tears (real or otherwise) but once they realize that you’re not budging, they’ll accept the new rules as the new normal.

Easier said than done, right!? Here are a few hacks I’ve collected over the years that can help you follow through on your sleep rules.