# My daughter is sleeping in her closet. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 19, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979 "2009-08-19T18:32:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/41 "2009-08-20T04:06:51Z")
The very first apart I got was a 1 bedroom with a very very spacious closet. I actually thought about putting a little cot in there to sleep on and just using the bedroom as my tv/entertainment area. My bed wouldn’t fit in the closet though so I nixed the plan. ---
**Author:** ![Telcontar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Telcontar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcontar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/42 "2009-08-20T04:28:56Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > It started about a week ago. The littlest Trion (she’s 5) asked if she could sleep in her closet. The Mrs. and I said “sure”. We put down some blankets and made a comfortable area on the floor. We figured that she would lie there for a bit, then get up and get into bed. > > Nope. She slept there all night. And she’s been sleeping there every night since (aside from the weekend when we were at a relative’s house). > > We’re not actually concerned and are not inclined to make a big deal out of it. She not in any danger or anything. But it’s one of those parenting moment where you go “Huh.” I think this is one of those parenting moments where you should get out your camera and make careful notes. One day, this is going to make an awesome story for the first boy she brings home. Like the others and, it seems, yourself, I don’t see this as a problem. She probably just feels safer in a confined space (it’s why we snuggle under blankets even when it’s hot out). I’d leave her be, or maybe suggest a bed tent. > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Perhaps she’s going to have kittens. Well, grand-kittens are preferable to grand-kids. just saying. ---
**Author:** ![TheFatKid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheFatKid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFatKid)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/43 "2009-08-20T04:39:52Z")
This is easy. She just likes it there. Let her sleep where she wants. After seeing the sleeping quarters at the Alhambra I contemplated doing the same thing. Still do. Might actually do it one day. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/44 "2009-08-20T05:05:45Z")
When I was little and scared of the dark, I took my blanket and pillow and slept in the bathtub. It was safe, enclosing and bright with the light on. So, you know, kids can be weird, but there’s kid-logic in it. I, of course, had not watched or heard of Psycho at the time. Still like a nice, comforting bath to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/45 "2009-08-20T05:26:58Z")
I loved sleeping the closet as a kid, and still do, to the point that I did it for a bit in college when I had my own room. It’s a better nest situation that a bed offers- more cozy. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/46 "2009-08-20T10:49:01Z")
> [@Telcontar](#): > > I think this is one of those parenting moments where you should get out your camera and make careful notes. One day, this is going to make an awesome story for the first boy she brings home. I know! But our digital camera is busted. We’ve got enough credit card “points” to get a new one, but its on back order and won’t be shipped until next week. ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/47 "2009-08-20T13:09:27Z")
Darn! Harry Potter got mentioned before I got my fingers to work. Has she seen the Harry Potter movies? Maybe she’s waiting for the owls to arrive and take her away to Hogwarts. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/48 "2009-08-20T13:18:56Z")
Why don’t you just ask her why she wants to sleep there? I’d like to hear her answer, if she knows it. StG ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/49 "2009-08-20T13:22:52Z")
She’s shown no interest in Harry Potter yet, so I don’t think that’s it. > [@StGermain](#): > > Why don’t you just ask her why she wants to sleep there? I’d like to hear her answer, if she knows it. OK, I’ll ask her tonight and report back. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/50 "2009-08-20T13:48:19Z")
My oldest daughter loved her crib so much that we let her continue sleeping in it even after her sister was born 2.5 years later. It’s kind of comforting to sleep in a confined space. I still get a better night’s rest in a 2 man tent than I do a huge hotel room. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/51 "2009-08-20T14:39:37Z")
> [@Never\_Say\_Dice](#): > > I wouldn’t allow it to continue. Start doing the math, and you’ll learn that the CO[sub]2[/sub] level will rise more than OSHA work limits. Ah yes, who doesn’t have a hermetically sealed, coffin-sized closet in their child’s bedroom? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/52 "2009-08-20T15:35:35Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > It started about a week ago. The littlest Trion (she’s 5) asked if she could sleep in her closet. The Mrs. and I said “sure”. We put down some blankets and made a comfortable area on the floor. We figured that she would lie there for a bit, then get up and get into bed. > > Nope. She slept there all night. And she’s been sleeping there every night since (aside from the weekend when we were at a relative’s house). > > We’re not actually concerned and are not inclined to make a big deal out of it. She not in any danger or anything. But it’s one of those parenting moment where you go “Huh.” My son is 5, and I never know where he’s going to end up sleeping. He may be in his bed when we turn out the light, but when I come to wake him in the mnorning, he may have: 1. Taken a pillow and quilt and gone to sleep in the closet 2. Moved the entire mattress from the bed to the floor, and gone to sleep there 3. Pulled out one of the big drawers under his bed, and curled into the drawer with his pillow and blankets. 4. Propped up his mattress against a wall to build a “tent” or “tunnel” and gone to sleep in there. As long as he’s getting a good night’s sleep and not hurting himself, I’m inclined to laugh it off. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/53 "2009-08-20T18:40:02Z")
Sounds like she would enjoy the Navy, sleeping in one of the very [tightly packed bunks](http://www.mbaintheusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/racks.jpg). Tbh, I still miss those myself, like my own little cocoon… Oh, and I had a mattress in my closet as a kid, and slept in there occasionally, and lots of times just sat in there and read. I think we have some ‘den’ instinct somewhere deep in the reptile brain that makes tight spaces seem cozy, and it affects some of us stronger than others. Too this day i still prefer low ceiling basement rooms to a room with high vaulted ceilings. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/54 "2009-08-20T19:12:21Z")
My 6yo daughter loves to sleep in the closet- she would do it every night if I let her, but I had to stack things in there. When her friend has a sleepover I set up a little pup tent for the two of them to share in the living room. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/55 "2009-08-20T19:17:09Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > Too this day i still prefer low ceiling basement rooms to a room with high vaulted ceilings. You should move to my neighborhood. The houses were mostly built between 1890 and 1940, and have lots of low ceilings in basements and attics. A tall friend of Mr. Neville’s stayed with us once, and his head was brushing the ceiling in our finished attic. ---
**Author:** ![FalconFinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@FalconFinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FalconFinder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/56 "2009-08-20T20:22:35Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > I remember being probably 6, and seeing a picture in a book of a bed that was in a small cupboard in the wall. The mattress was right on the floor of the cupboard, and there wasn’t much space above the mattress. I wanted a bed like that. Eventually I grew out of wanting a bed like that, though. .. Was the book one of the Childcraft series? I had those as a kid (I managed to snag them back from one of my older sisters who was planning to toss them) and one book had stories and poems and I remember seeing a drawing/painting of a bed similar. I wanted that bed when I was a kid, too! I remember there was a window in there looking out to the night sky… I’d totally forgotten about it until you mentioned here. The Childcraft books I had are from somewhere around 1966 (a year before I was born) and I totally LOVED those books! The Make and Do and How Things Work volumes were my favorites. If interested, they still make them: [http://store.worldbook.com/wb/product.asp?sku=20236](http://store.worldbook.com/wb/product.asp?sku=20236) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/57 "2009-08-20T22:11:02Z")
As long as she is sleeping well and through the night, it’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/58 "2009-08-21T00:22:39Z")
This evening durring dinner I asked her why she liked sleeping in her closet and she said “Because it’s more fun.” Apparently in an earlier conversation with her mother, she said it was cosy. But her reaction to that tonight was to laugh at the word “cosy”. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/59 "2009-08-21T02:23:35Z")
After reading this post and thinking about it all day, when I came home from a very stressful day at work, I took a book and a light and curled up in the (rather spacious) cedar (I had to remove some blankets.) My fiancee came home, wondered why the sheets were on the floor in the hall… and saw me in the closet. His comment was, “well, if you’re gonna come out of the closet, I guess it’s best you do it before we’re married.” It felt good to back to that childhood comfort. Perhaps this weekend, I’ll build a fort in the living room… ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979/60 "2009-08-21T12:44:40Z")
> [@FalconFinder](#): > > Was the book one of the Childcraft series? I think so. I certainly had those, in an edition from the mid or late 70s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-daughter-is-sleeping-in-her-closet/506979.md?page=4)