J.J. is nearly in pre-school and it's only recently that he goes to sleep in his own bed, in his own room and stays there all night. He used to sleep between my husband and I, and then graduated to a toddler bed -- in my bedroom -- which wasn't as bad, but still frustrating. In short, I spent many a sleepless night agonizing over my -- ahem -- sleepless nights. Things will be different should a sibling ever come along. Here are the lessons I learned the hard way... Falling into the trap >> How do parents like me get into a mommy-and-daddy bed habit? For Robyn Eckard, a divorced mom from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, she took comfort in having her toddler son sleep next to her. And in my own case, allowing my then 10-month-old son to sleep with us during a bout with a terrible cold, followed by a rough teething week resulted in a snowball effect difficult to reverse How to get unstuck >> "I just can't take it when she cries." "It's the only way any of us can get some sleep." "He'll grow out of it eventually." "She's a good sleeper, so it's not disruptive." If you've used any of these excuses, say experts, you're only fooling yourself. In actuality, it's to your child's detriment to allow poor sleep habits to continue since she's not getting the proper rest either (hence all the tossing and turning). Choose a method and follow through >> Don't think the Ferber (a.k.a. the cry it out) method is right for you? Try some other expert and real-mom tricks to transition your toddler into his or her own bed. One way is to gradually move further and further away from your child's bedside each night until eventually, you're completely out of the room as he falls asleep. But whichever method you choose, say experts, give it time and follow through. Give other tricks a shot >> Try using an egg timer to help children understand what it means when you say you'll only stay with them for two minutes, and implement a reward system to celebrate and encourage future successes. I had many successes and setbacks (night terrors ruined our first success streak), but we all rest easier and wake up less grumpy now that the nighttime nightmare is over. Sweet dreams... finally! Did you succumb to letting baby into your bed?