Rewards for Sleeping -- New Bed

Some of you may have read my last post about transitioning DD (3 in May) to her new "big girl" twin bed without her pacifier simultaneously. It's been a week without pacifiers and she's stopped asking for it (parenting win!) but bedtime is still rough due to her new found avoidance strategies. She'll eventually fall asleep after trying every trick in the book to get out of sleep (I'm thirsty, I'm not tired, I need to say goodnight to the dog, my legs are scratchy I need cream on them, I need a story, etc.) but then ends up waking up around 3AM and coming into our room.

Is it bad if we use rewards/bribery to train her to stay in her bed? Like tell her what she needs to do (stay in your own bed unless you have to use the bathroom until the morning when the sun comes out) and then you'll get some M&M's in the morning. It worked like a charm for potty training. Has anyone done this? Did it work? Looking for suggestions. Thanks!

Rewards for Sleeping -- New Bed

Yes, I would totally do that! When dd1 was 3 she went through some phases of waking at night. I did sticker charts and if she got something like 7 stickers in a row she got a big prize we had decided on (her first choice was to be a grown up with a baby in her belly but she settled for a woody doll lol). If she woke up she had to start over from zero. I figured that way she would really form a habit of not waking and it worked great.

Re: Rewards for Sleeping -- New Bed

I'm a big fan of do what you have to do and i'm not sure how to help with getting her to fall asleep in her bed but for the middle of the night getting up, i would suggest this

clock

I do not use it to teach them time (at least not yet) but what I use it for is having it turn green (light up) when they are allowed out of bed in the morning (so like 7:30am on school days at 8am on weekends). My kids follow it and it is the best thing ever for us.

Message edited 2/9/2018 10:45:18 AM.

Re: Rewards for Sleeping -- New Bed

If it really bothers you, then yes, I think rewards are totally fine.

DS used to come into our bed every night. It bothered me, but I also knew he would outgrow it, and he did. Now DD comes in. She usually stays for an hour until one of us brings her back to her bed.

They're only small once, so I don't mind a few extra cuddles at night!

Rewards for Sleeping -- New Bed

I like the sticker chart idea (we used that for potty training). I liked that she had to work towards the goal of going to the store to pick out a new toy instead of instant gratification (like giving the m&m’s every morning).

I also gave my DD a little alarm clock. We told her she had to stay in her room till it reached 7:00am. She would wake up before that and read book, sing/talk to her babies, but she stayed in till 7. It helped her learn about time too.

Re: Rewards for Sleeping -- New Bed

I definitely think there’s nothing wrong with rewarding her! It will probably be trial and error though to to see if she can delay gratification (stickers towards a bigger prize) or if she needs something immediate (m&ms in the morning). Delaying gratification comes with maturity.