Questions

Child Sneaking out of Room for Snacks

Posted on 2/17/2024

When using the Doctor Method and sending your kids to bed early, what do you do when your kid is then so well rested, wakes up before everyone else, and rummages through the kitchen? My 5-year-old...

Help for HIgh Self-esteem Seizures

Posted on 1/24/2024

Six-year-old daughter has been kicked out of the garden twice for nighttime issues: screaming, throwing things, manipulating us to try to sleep with her or give her x,y,z. She was “kicked out” at...

The Doctor Comes to Call

Posted on 1/24/2024

I have twin three-year-old girls (& a 6yo girl). For many reasons I have co-slept with the twins (husband’s 48-hour shift work, breastfeeding, etc.). I have slowly worked up to the point where we...

7 YO BEDTIME SOAP OPERA

Posted on 1/5/2024

Working on independent sleep 7.5 yo daughter. Follows bedtime routine and falls asleep in own bed. Is waking between Midnight & 5 am constantly. 2 years ago, I gave in and have been sleeping with...

Scary movie crisis.

Posted on 11/28/2023

My 7 year old son is afraid of a scary movie (Five Nights at Freddie's). Until 11/17, he had only seen the movie poster at a theater and some kids discuss it at school, which scared him enough as...

Character over emotions for 5yo

Posted on 10/16/2023

Our 5 year old shows signs of anxiety, and especially separation anxiety. It started when he was two, we moved 5 homes in 6 months (transitioning from the mission field) Bedtimes can be...

TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AND MOM GO NUTS AT BEDTIME

Posted on 6/15/2023

I have a 3 year old boy and 6 year old girl. We just recently moved into a new home and they now share a room. We’ve been at the new house for approx 4 weeks now and bedtime is insane. I take them...

When To Begin Nighttime Potty Training

Posted on 4/3/2023

What age or when should we implement night training for potty training?

8 YO Finds His Way to Parents Bed During the Night

Posted on 3/27/2023

My 8-year-old son is having trouble sleeping in his own room. His imagination is taking over when he tries to settle down for the night. We have a bedtime routine at the same time every evening....

ONE YEAR OLD SCREAMS THROUGH THE NIGHT

Posted on 3/18/2023

A one year old screams through the night and doesn’t sleep. What do I do?

Cuddle Time

Posted on 3/10/2023

My son is 2 years and 1 month. For several months, he had been sleeping on his own throughout the night in his own bed without any issue. We place him in his bed, kiss him good night, walk out,...

Why Is My Toddler Suddenly Screaming During the Night?

Posted on 2/28/2023

Our 20-month-old shares a room with his 3-year-old brother. The past few nights he has woken up screaming at the top of his lungs for us. He stays in bed but screams and screams. We will go in...

5 yo disrupts bedtime for sibling

Posted on 12/9/2022

My two oldest share a room, unfortunately that is our only option at this time, my son is 6 and my daughter is 5. Every single night our son lays down quietly, stays in bed and does his best to go...

2 year old Bedtime Woes

Posted on 11/15/2022

When my 2.1 years old daughter was smaller, I trained her to sleep by herself. However, these few months, if she's not too sleepy when I leave alone in the room her after evening milk, she...

GRANDPARENT TRAVAILS REDUX

Posted on 8/23/2022

John, Hi, my sons are grown now, enjoyed your columns, WE have 1 grandson . His Dad, my son, was spoiled so it seems to be continuing unfortunately. Question: now that Roman is 3, doesn't...

Toddler Bedtime Routine

Posted on 7/21/2022

I need help with our sleeping situation. My two year old currently sleeps in a crib for his nap, which is very easy since I just put him down and he falls asleep on his own. For bedtime he sleeps...

Nighttime Woes Wearing Mom Down

Posted on 7/18/2022

How can I best use tickets or charts for my daughter (just turned 7) when she's having the majority of her behavior issues at bedtime? She's pretty good throughout the day though there are...

Middle of the Night Potty Solution

Posted on 7/16/2022

My 3.5 year old has been potty trained since before he was 2. I read and generally used the Rosemond book. However, I didn’t do the night/nap training as my pediatrician said it was just...

Time to Change Course with 3-Year-Old

Posted on 7/12/2022

My 3 year old son has been defiant more lately. He will run away when I tell him to do something he doesn't want to. He did this around bed time recently and I said ok you're going straight to...

3 YO SCREAMING OVER RANDOM STUFF AT BEDTIME

Posted on 7/6/2022

We have a 3.5 year old and each night, we have a routine that we go through with her - bath, put on pajamas, brush teeth, choose two books and read them, sing a couple of songs, and pray before...

When to Transition 3-Year-Old to 'Big Bed'?

Posted on 7/5/2022

My son just turned three. He slept two nights in his twin bed in the room with his older brother. On the third night he wanted to go back to his room and sleep in his baby bed because he could not...

9 year old's Frequent Night Time Urinating Best Evaluated by Pediatrician

Posted on 6/26/2022

My 9-year-old frequently gets out of bed to go to the toilet at night. I don’t mind but our house is laid out that he has to leave his bedroom, come down the stairs, past our living room, dining...

Three-Year-Old's Sleep Patterns Changing

Posted on 6/22/2022

I believe my 3.5 year old is not getting enough sleep. He has toys in his room that he plays with during quiet time. He almost never naps anymore, but enjoys quiet time. Only recently has he...

Bedtime woes

Posted on 6/16/2022

My almost 3 year old has transitioned into a big girl bed. The first couple of nights went so well it felt too good to be true, however, after a good couple of nights, my daughter has cried...

Bedtime Monsters

Posted on 5/15/2022

My 9 year old won’t go to bed at night, constantly crying about monsters etc which has never been an issue before. It seems to be one thing after the other. If he could sleep in my bed he would...

No Response is a Response: Let Them Be Silly

Posted on 4/21/2022

How do we teach our children to stop the constant silly talk/noises? One child is diagnosed with ADHD, autism, etc. I've set up a rule that the first 30 minutes after wakeup and the last 30...

Middle of the Night Snacks Prolonging Mealtime Battles

Posted on 3/20/2022

In September I asked for advice on my picky 2-year-old. For 6 months, I have consistently tried the methods recommended. I didn't fuss over meals, just gave him small amounts of whatever I made,...

Don't Make a Mountain out of a Molehill

Posted on 3/18/2022

Ten year old son plays with his penis at bedtime. I go to his room at night time and finds him asleep with his hand in his pants. I've told him how wrong this is. Hoe can I get him to stop? He...

Should We Let Newborn "Cry It Out"?

Posted on 2/21/2022

We are new parents of a three-week old girl. As we've been reading the "New Parent Power!," we've been focusing on "Part 2," which gives guidance for the stages. For infants, it seems that John...

Bedtime Blues

Posted on 2/1/2022

Hello there. Since he was very little, my little one had been going to be bed between 7:30 to 8 pm, preceded by him willingly going to the bathtub when told, playing/being washed in the tub, being...

Conquering 3-Year-Old's Ups and Downs (otherwise known as 'Bedtime Avoidance')

Posted on 1/30/2022

Any good ideas how to limit the I need a drink, I need to potty, I need....bedtime avoidance for 3 year olds?

Silly Bedtime Brothers

Posted on 1/18/2022

Our older two boys, 5 and 7, go crazy at bedtime. They are silly, which is fine, but in being silly they make messes and are often disrespectful. After going to bed, we can hear them laughing and...

3 year old night-time blues

Posted on 1/10/2022

Our two oldest children are boys and share a room. They are ages 3 and 6. In general, our nighttime routine is pretty streamlined and they are in bed around 7:30. They go to bed easily but in the...

Consistency is Key to Re-establishing Nighttime Sleep Routine

Posted on 1/8/2022

I sleep trained my second when he was 11 months old, then we went on vacation and fell back into the bad habit of letting him sleep in our bed. He is now 14 months old, I’m pregnant and due in...

18 month old Wetting Bed and Doesn’t Care

Posted on 1/7/2022

My 18-month-old could care less about his wet sheets in the morning or after naptime, and I am getting very tired of doing laundry twice a day (I am 8 months pregnant). Do you think putting a...

Transition from Nap Time to Quiet Time

Posted on 11/2/2021

Hi, our daughter is 2yrs, 10mo old. What age is appropriate for naps to go away? Our daughter fights naps nearly every day. The problem is that if she doesn’t get a nap is she gets extremely...

Sleep Regression

Posted on 10/29/2021

My son (2.5 years old) had been going through what I assume is a sleep regression for approximately 6 months. The pediatrician basically said I’ll just have to hang tight through it. I, his...

2 Yr old's Bedtime Tantrums

Posted on 10/26/2021

Hello my almost 2 year old has been throwing intense tantrums at bed time. I still sleep with her but even lying next to her in bed she tries to get up and yells and wakes up her brother in the...

Ask Them No Questions, and They Will Tell You No Lies

Posted on 9/28/2021

Hi! My seven year old was trained to fall asleep (8pm) on his own and he knows he’s to stay in bed until 7am. He has been waking up in the night around 2am and often stays up for the rest of the...

The Doctor Can Help!

Posted on 9/1/2021

Our middle child, a 5 year old boy, has intense emotions. We have (re)started the ticket system with him and his older brother, and he consistently loses tickets after school in the car. We have...

Bedtime and night waking potty breaks

Posted on 8/22/2021

28 month old daughter bedtime routine and waking at night. Our 3rd child, who is 28 months recently started climbing (and falling) out of her crib, so we moved her to a toddler bed a little...

Granny is Tired of 7 Year Olds Nightly Walks

Posted on 8/21/2021

My granddaughter lives with me, along with her two children The 7 year old boy is a tough case. His mother and I do NOT parent anything alike. This boy gets up almost every night and roams the...

Convert Nap Time to Quiet Time As Toddler Outgrows Naps

Posted on 7/17/2021

My just turned 2 year old toddler is refusing naps. She has been out of routine since the clocks have changed and as we have just moved and not been at home for nap times so I’ve let her sleep in...

Mom Needs Nighttime Nightmare To End!

Posted on 5/25/2021

I have a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and 1 yr old - all boys - who share a room. We have a 2 bedroom house so there is no other option - we have a parent room and a boy room. The 1 yr old used to share our...

9 Year Old Can Solve Sleep Problem

Posted on 4/23/2021

Our 9 yr old son suddenly started waking up 1-3 times during the night (usually sometime) between 11pm-3am, and is consistently waking us up as well. It began with him being irrational about...

Escape artist refuses to nap

Posted on 4/7/2021

My 2 year old recently discovered she can crawl out of her crib. Now she refuses to take a nap. I repeatedly put her back in her crib, and she crawls back out. Any suggestions? Should I put lock...

2 yro sleeping with Mom and Dad HELP!

Posted on 2/15/2021

Our 26 1/2 month old daughter is still co-sleeping with my husband and me. Although we would like to move her out of our bed, we are struggling with the dynamic of how to move her into the room...

Logic and a 4 Year Old Don't Go Together!

Posted on 2/12/2021

My 4 year old daughter is scared and I'm wondering if it's something we should be concerned about. She goes to bed fine (sleeps with the covers over her head because of her fears) but she ends up...

Fearful 11 Year Old Wearing Family Out

Posted on 2/7/2021

Our middle child who is 11, has had fears about bedtime and going to and staying asleep, on and off for the past few years. We’ve never let her sleep in our bed but have let her sleep on the floor...

Foster Child Struggles With Sleep

Posted on 1/29/2021

I have a 6 yr old foster child who comes out of his bedroom 20-30 or more a night. He refuses to stay in his room. We have tried all kinds of consequences and nothing seems to work. He even laughs...

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