I wake up and find my toddler in my bed

You may find you put your toddler to bed fine, you check on them quietly before you go to bed and yet wake up in the morning to find your toddler in your bed. Sound familiar? The ‘accidental co-sleeper’ can become quite a challenge in some families.

Here are some tips that could help you resolve the issue.

1. Don’t feel defeated

When you’re little one ends up in your bed regularly, don’t sweat it too much. Sometimes, when they’ve crept in or been unsettled, it’s easier to have them in your bed for that night. If you feel you prefer them to sleep in their own bed, just persevere each night putting them back calmly and reassure them and you should find that over time they will begin to settle back more quickly in their own bed.

2. Make sure their safe

Co-sleeping can mean either sharing a room or sharing a bed. If you’re sharing a bed with your little one make sure you take proper safety precautions, like removing loose bedding and pillows, and abstaining from alcohol and smoking. 

3. Share a room but not a bed

If you enjoy the closeness but the safety risks naturally concern you, you could try allowing your child to sleep in your room for a while, but on a bed near your bed. A toddler can sleep on a small mattress or sleeping bag near your bed. 

4. Or you could share their room

As they get older (after six months) another way to help them get used to settling to sleep on their own while you’re there is to first start by being there when they get off to sleep. Not ideal sleeping conditions for you, but for short term can help your little one get used to their own room gradually.