After 5 years, Mom and Dad need sleep- how??

[Doussou]

DD is 5 and DS is 3, and both have co-slept since birth. We own a small business, and DH works 7days/wk, crazy hours. Needless to say, we're exhausted and need sleep. Now that the kids are bigger, the pokes and squishes have made it impossible to sleep well. About 2 months ago, the kids got bunk beds. They start out there, but by midnight are in bed w/ us. Once they wake up, DD comes in on her own, but DS cries until I go get him. We are almost as exhausted now as when we had newborns. Any ideas to help them stay in their own beds (until around 5 a.m.ish) greatly appreciated!

[JuliMummy]

Something that worked really well for us was to get a 'kidsleep' clock. You set the time on it when you want them to stay in bed and it lights up a picture of a sleeping sheep. In the morning, at the set time, it changes to a walking awake sheep. We got this for our son when he was just over 2 I think, because he would get up too early in the morning and want to come into our bed for hugs when he was clearly still sleepy and really needed to sleep a bit more. He took to it really well. He's 3 and a quarter now and will not get up in the morning unless the sheep is up.

I don't know if this would work for you. It's possible that your oldest is too old for something like this to work, but then again she's probably old enough to read the numbers on a normal alarm clock and you could make a rule that she's not allowed to come into your bed until there is a 6 or a 7 at the front.

The other thing that worked really well for us was to have a sticker chart. My son loved stickers. Come to think of it, that was really what did it. From the first night there was a sticker reward onwards he has stayed in his bed all night (except for things like toilet or if he's not well). Obviously, you'll have to work out what would be the most appropriate reward for your kids.

Good luck!

[Doussou]

Thanks, JuliMummy, those are both great ideas. I forgot I had seem something like that light before, so I'll have to go find it again and check it out. We've never done a sticker chart, or any type of reward system, but maybe this is a time it could be helpful. I'll run both ideas by DH, so thanks again!

[JuliMummy]

No problem. All the best to you and good luck!

[Juvysen]

Maybe sneak off and sleep in their bed to get some sleep?  Alternatively, just lie in their bed with them until they fall back asleep and then go back to your room.  That's what we ended up doing with our kids, but I'm not sure how easy it'd be to creep off of a top bunk (or on, for that matter).  Another thing we'd do with DS1 is say "ok, you can come cuddle in our bed for a few minutes but then you need to go back to your big-boy bed"... and then we'd ask every minute or two if he was ready to go back.  Usually about 5 minutes later he'd go back to his bed.

[HappyMommy2]

Originally Posted by JuliMummy 

Something that worked really well for us was to get a 'kidsleep' clock. You set the time on it when you want them to stay in bed and it lights up a picture of a sleeping sheep. In the morning, at the set time, it changes to a walking awake sheep.

Brilliant idea!  I had not heard of these.  They are insanely expensive though... anybody found a low cost version???

[Doussou]

Thanks, everyone. DH and I talked, and I think we'll try a combination of everything above! We're going to get this clock (http://www.amazon.com/American-Innovative-Teach-Talking-Nightlight/dp/B003D7KV0Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289738209&sr=8-1), make a reward chart, and most likely end up bringing them back to bed and staying until they fall asleep again. We'll start the "green light" on the clock fairly early and slowly move it forward to hopefully get to 5 o'clock someday!

HappyMommy2, I searched all over, and found one other clock, that was $27ish, on Amazon. It didn't have an actual clock to see, though, it just turned color when you set it. They are ridiculously expensive, but we're just biting the bullet this time!

[JuliMummy]

Yes, they are expensive, and there's really not that much to them. But for us it was definitely worth it!

The one you've found looks good. I hope it works for you.