How do i get my 3 year old to sleep in her own bed?!

How do i get my 3 year old to sleep in her own bed?

I just got my 3 year old to sleep in her own bed. We put a twin mattress on the floor in our room, and told her she could take 3 toys to bed with her. We also promised that if she went to sleep in her "red bed" (her favorite color is currently red, so the bed has red sheets), we would put a snack next to her bed. The snack is the real motivator; the first night she woke up and wanted to come into the "white bed" (our bed), but we told her that she could only eat her snack in the red bed. She stayed in her bed and happily ate. We give her a granola bar or cereal, always in a little plastic baggie next to the bed with water. It's been about a week for us now, and although she was a little nervous the first night, the promise of her own special snack really helped. Now she is excited about her own bed, and always wants us to talk about her "snack."

Keep in mind, however, that we have tried in the past to get her to sleep in her bed with little success, and for a long time even the mention of it would make her anxious. We had to give her a long period of reassurance (sleeping with us without our suggesting she stay in her bed) before she was ready for us to start suggesting the possibility that she start in her own bed. When we finally brought up the subject again, we told her that she was going to have her own bed now "like Junior Asparagus" (one of her favorite cartoon characters). So far, we are very pleased with the results. She is happy and so are we. Later, we will move the mattress into a separate room, but one step at a time. That's our experience, hope there's something that will help you.