How to encourage older children to fall asleep independently?

[No.5]

DS is now 6 but until last year he wouldn't sleep unless someone was sitting with him & only on the couch. Now we've moved DD into his room so he will sleep in there and I feed DD to sleep on the lounge while he is in bed going to sleep himself. He is bribed to stay in his room all night though because he kept coming into our bed every night which got frustrating. Once in a while I don't mind, but every night when we've only just got our bed back is annoying.

DS does watch DVDs to go to sleep though as when I was working, that's the only way DH could get him to sleep (he was fed to sleep until almost 3)!

[~clover~]

DS is now 6 but until last year he wouldn't sleep unless someone was sitting with him & only on the couch. Now we've moved DD into his room so he will sleep in there and I feed DD to sleep on the lounge while he is in bed going to sleep himself. He is bribed to stay in his room all night though because he kept coming into our bed every night which got frustrating. Once in a while I don't mind, but every night when we've only just got our bed back is annoying.

DS does watch DVDs to go to sleep though as when I was working, that's the only way DH could get him to sleep (he was fed to sleep until almost 3)!

Glad i'm not the only one with an older, older one who won't sleep alone I should be trying to teach DD3 to go to sleep herself... but the almost 6 year old needs to learn as well I plan to move DD3 back into his room to see if that helps. But he's refusing to sleep on the top bunk as well, so that means pulling 2 sets of bunks apart! The bunks in DD2&3's room split into singles. The ones in DS's room don't. He was ok to go alone if he took the dog, left the light on & shut the door (to keep the dog in)... but now that's not good enough :/

Been wanting to do it for a while, but its such a big job! Neither of them slept til 11pm last night, because I was trying to get school orders done online (& personally just didn't want to go sit between them both again).

Maybe a rewards system will work? *sigh*

[No.5]

Glad i'm not the only one with an older, older one who won't sleep alone I should be trying to teach DD3 to go to sleep herself... but the almost 6 year old needs to learn as well I plan to move DD3 back into his room to see if that helps. But he's refusing to sleep on the top bunk as well, so that means pulling 2 sets of bunks apart! The bunks in DD2&3's room split into singles. The ones in DS's room don't. He was ok to go alone if he took the dog, left the light on & shut the door (to keep the dog in)... but now that's not good enough :/

Been wanting to do it for a while, but its such a big job! Neither of them slept til 11pm last night, because I was trying to get school orders done online (& personally just didn't want to go sit between them both again).

Maybe a rewards system will work? *sigh*

DS often is drifting off around 10pm. He goes to bed at 6:30-7 which is ridiculous! He has been better the past week since he's been in his own room and is usually asleep by 8:30-9 but still later than I'd like!

We use bribery A LOT with DS. Thinking of doing a sticker chart up though to try and cut the bribery down..

[feeb]

DS1 is 5 and DS2 is 4 and I have to sit with them EVERYNIGHT until they fall asleep, they carry on get up, need a drink, need the toilet etc etc and stall with what ever they can think of. Lots of yelling many nights to get back into bed etc. Some nights I will put lullabies on my phone from youtube. It gets really really annoying as they goo to bed at 1930 but some nights I don't get out of there till 2230.

We have tried rewards charts
Bribary
Separate room
Separate bed times
later bed times/earlier bed times

[HotI]

well we have had some good days and some bad days, but I think we are moving in right direction. surprisingly, DS is doing much better than DD. if I can leave DD in the lounge, DS will happily kiss her and DH and wave goodbye and then walk down to the bedroom. we read 2 to 3 books and on a good night he will fall asleep in under half an hour.

if dd comes down, or the planets are out of alignment then it takes way longer, or I give up after more than an hour.

dd is bit trickier,(I'm not tired or sleepy), but somedays is less combative at bedtime. still working on best method for when I am solo

[wysiwyg]

We had a good night on Monday - first night have not had to sit with DS - he didn't go to sleep for ages but no later than usual and only had to retrieve him from annoying DD on top bunk once. Would have been good to keep trying just leaving him in there, but Tuesday he had no day nap so fell asleep while I was feeding him, and then last night and tonight is just too hot so they are both sleeping in the lounge room. Hope on Sat night when cooler again can try him on his own again - not sure if was bribery helped because he seems to have forgotten he was promised anything :-)

[squeezles]

We sat in the room but didn't pat/sing/rock/hold until they eventually went to sleep (started off taking 2 hours to get her to lie down and sleep) and then we progressed to slowly moving away from the cot to out the room (I had a towel on the floor and moved it a few inches each day after she got used to lying down and sleeping). it took a month, but eventually we could put her down and walk out and she would be asleep in minutes