Bedtime/Sleep

John's Most Recent Articles

Why Hanna Sleeps With Us

Posted on 5/9/2023

My wife, Willie (nee Wilma), and I are the happy caretakers of a happy seventeen-month-old pure white toy schnauzer, Hanna. Hanna occupies the center of our attention. If you spent a day in our...

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Don't Turn Little Issues Into Big Problems

Posted on 4/11/2023

Q: My almost-3-year-old, when I begin to do something, will yell, “I WILL DO IT!” When it’s something he can do, fine, but if it’s not, then I just say, “No, Mommy will do it” and that’s the end...

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Drama-Free Bedtime

Posted on 11/29/2022

Q: Several months ago, my husband and I allowed our five-year-old daughter to sleep with us for a couple of nights. We thought this was innocent, but she began crying hysterically when we...

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If Bedtime Routine Invites Trouble, Shorten It

Posted on 7/12/2022

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

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Just 'Stop It!'

Posted on 10/12/2021

I often find myself telling parents that they need to stop doing something that is counterproductive and, in most cases, contributing significantly to whatever parenting problem is bedeviling...

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How To Ensure Your Children Sleep on Their Own

Posted on 5/12/2021

Q: I’m a working single mom with a 4-year-old daughter who won’t go to sleep unless I lie down with her. Plus, if she wakes up in the middle of the night to find I’m no longer in her bed, she...

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Why Isn't Your Child Sleeping in Her Own Bed?

Posted on 2/2/2021

Q: In a recent column, you described our five-year-old daughter. She is in bed at 6:30 in the evening but usually wakes up during the night and wants to talk to us about whatever is on her mind....

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When It Comes to Phases, Don't Make Mountains out of Molehills

Posted on 2/25/2020

Q: Our daughter, our first and only, is just short of three-and-one-half. She has recently started coming into our room in the middle of the night and making a request of one sort or another. She...

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Co-Sleeping Is Detrimental to Marriage

Posted on 9/11/2019

A New York writer named Jonathan Daniel Stern, writing in the August 7, 2019, issue of the e-zine “Fatherly,” laments that co-sleeping has destroyed his marriage. As best as I can figure, Stern...

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Comfort, Not Counseling, Is the Treatment for Nightmares

Posted on 12/21/2016

Q: Our 5-year-old has suddenly started waking up with nightmares. He's not able to describe them with any clarity, however, so we don't know what the content of them is. The most he's able to...

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Recent 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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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When To Begin Nighttime Potty Training

Posted on 4/3/2023

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

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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....

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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?

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