Perhaps it has not dawned on you that not all children like to sleep in beds? In fact, many parents will comment that their child sleeps better just about anywhere and everywhere else. For the new parent who has put all the time, money, and creativity into designing the perfect nursery with the beautiful, expensive crib—discovering that the infant does not actually LIKE to sleep in the crib can come as a discouraging blow. You may find that your child likes to sleep in the stroller, car seat, or even on the floor better than sleeping in her adorable bed.
If your child likes sleeping in un-bed-like places, this does not mean that you have to give up on the idea of one child sleeping in one bed. It just means that you have to deal with the reality and figure out why the child prefers sleeping elsewhere and then using that to help train him or her to sleep in the bed. When my youngest son was born, he was born into a bustling family with two barely-older sisters. I think that since the entire time he was in-utero, he was surrounded by the sounds of his sisters and the constant chaos of family life that is what he was used to. In those early months, he just could not sleep in the peace and quiet of a big crib and a silent room. Put him down in the middle of his sisters playing or carry him for a while in the midst of a typical day and he slept soundly and happily!
A child may prefer sleeping someplace because it is soft, the temperature is comfortable, or the sounds and smells are reassuring. This may very well NOT be the child’s bed or bedroom. If you can figure out why the child prefers sleeping someplace other than bed, you may be able to make adjustments and recreate the comforts in the child’s room.