I’ve Got To Get My Son To Sleep In His Own Bed – Part 2

David Guest
October 25, 2012

David Guest

Lives in: Los Angeles, CA
From: St. Louis, MO
Occupation: Life of Dad Co-Founder
Twitter: @davidmguest
Facebook: davidmatthewguest

View profile »

I’m dealing with the fear that my son, Jack, has of sleeping alone in his room at night.  I received some excellent advice from the members of Life of Dad from my first post on the situation, and I decided to take it all to heart.  Ryan Hamilton recommended that I set up Jack’s room like he and I are having a pirate camp-out so that sleeping in his room would be fun, rather than scary.  So, I took my pillow and blanket from the eight-inch strip of sunken mattress that I’ve been sleeping in since Jack’s birth and set up camp next to his toddler bed.  I told Jack that no matter how dark the room was and how scared he became, I’d be right there, sleeping on the floor next to him, like a mangy pirate friend who was there to protect him.

Numerous times on that first night, Jack bolted straight up in his bed, terrified and ready to run to the safety of our room, but each time I put a reassuring hand on his chest and helped him ease back to sleep.  Over the next few nights, Jack became more accustomed to his bed, and by the fourth night, he didn’t stir a single time.  I, on the other hand, stirred repeatedly, and miserably, on the hard floor of his room.  Pirates didn’t sleep too well, I guess.  That’s why they must have guzzled down so much rum before turning in—because sleeping on a hard floor is a drag.  And there I was, trying to do it without a headful of liquor to help me.  Well, okay.  One night, I had an Amstel Light with dinner, but it didn’t do all that much.

But as Caroline Springer, advised, I had to be persistent.  That meant no giving up.  So on night number five, I lugged the cushions from the couch down to Jack’s room and made them into my very own, highly uncomfortable pirate mattress.  It was better than sleeping on the floor, but I still was sleeping horribly.  I was hobbling around each morning like Igor fresh from a fender bender, rubbing the knots in my shoulders and back and wondering to myself how long I’d have to do this until my son could sleep alone in his room.  Then my wife asked me why I didn’t use the inflatable air mattress in the attic.

I think I stared at her with no expression for twelve to fourteen seconds.  What air mattress?  She said someone gave us one five years ago for our wedding, and sure enough, I found it in the attic, trapped under piles of forgotten junk.  I imagine it was given to us by one of our single friends who pictured Ellie and I using it on romantic camping trips along the coast of Greece.  Or maybe it was given to us by a married couple with kids, who knew that one day I’d use it to sleep next to my son’s toddler bed.  Hard to say.

Regardless, the air mattress was incredibly comfortable.  It was queen-size big, and for the first time since my offspring joined the universe, I was able to stretch on a mattress as much as I liked and make the snow angels I’d dreamed of for so long.  I felt the twists in my body unfurl, and on that next glorious night, I had a perfect stretch of rest.  And Jack did well, too.  He startled himself awake a few times, but when he saw me sleeping happily beside him, he knew that nothing could happen to him.  We had reached a new peace—but I feared that peace could become its own trap.  As Life of Dad member, Curtis Frost, advised, this new dynamic can be hard to break if the child gets too used to having the parent in the room with them.

So, how do I now get my son to sleep in his own bed without me in the room?

Do you have any thoughts on this?  I’d love to have any advice below.

I’ll update this blog to let you know what happens.

[Back to Ramblings]