Posted by inexperiencedmom on June 18, 2008 at 14:15:51:In Reply to: Re: 8 year old sleep anxiety posted by DSPS on April 14, 2008 at 12:23:03:
My now 10-year-old son had the same problem when he was 8. He was extremely afraid to sleep, and we used all kinds of rewards with no luck. Although he would promise during the day that he would stay in bed, he would become anxious and eventually tearful when bed time arrived. I finally put an air mattress next to his bed and slept there with him. It was the only way that everyone could get a good night sleep. It lasted about 5 or 6 months until I told him one day that I needed to return to my own bed. He agreed and slept through the night without any problems. I was glad I did it. In his case, it was one of those phases that required my sensitivity to his needs, and everything is fine when he's ready to move on to the next stage.