my 3year old wont sleep!

[hannah457]

hi all.
i have a 3 year old daughter who refuses point blank to go to bed unless she can sleep in my bed.
if i say yes i don't sleep cos she fidgets alot.
if i say no she will stand and scream then the other two get woken up.
has anyone had the same problem with one of there children if so what can i do
please help I'm so exhausted

Hannah xx

[yoyo]

Oooooooooo what a horrid situation!! Has this been the way for long?

I'm sure all the 'official' advice would be along the lines of stick it out for a good few nights but it's so hard hwen you're completely exhausted isn't it? ANything for peace and quiet sometimes. I;m sure someone will have been through something ismilar - I'v eprobably got all this to come!!!

[angel]

Hi Hannah

As yoyo said i think the official thing would be just to say NO and not back down. My little boy is four and is always up and down in the night i have found that the things that worked for me were to offer treats. So say to her that if she goes to sleep in her bed you will get her a little present the other thing i did was to make a sticker chart and he got a sticker for every night that he didn't get up and then at the end of the week if he had say five stickers out of seven he got a small treat (sweets) if he got six stickers a medium treat (small toy) or for seven out of seven a larger treat (large toy). Then carry that on for a few weeks and they then get used to it. I found with my little boy that if i went on more about him being a big boy and that only little babies need to sleep in their mummy's beds made him think about it as well as he loves being a big boy.

Hope some of that helps and she starts sleeping through.

Take Care

Angel

[hannah457]

its been happening since my youngest was born 8mts ago.

[monica]

Hi

Kids often regress with something when a new baby arrives. I go with the official line of putting them back to bed. It's tough for a few nights but it did work with my eldest. We'd put him to bed , then he'd be up so we'd put him back. I can remember once doing it about 20 times! With the babe, I left him to cry as I found it even more disruptive for him to keep going it to soothe him; it's hard as they really do scream the house down (I couldn't do it with my eldest when he was young; I've hardened now), but he can't get out the cot. And now within a minute he's asleep.

As your daughter's older, maybe the stickers with a bonus for so many nights in her bed would be an extra incentive. Is your babe still in with you? If so maybe that's another reason for your daughter wanting to join you.

Sayign that we don't often have the energy to do it through the night, so often he ends up in our bed. I guess I should practice what I preach!.

Monica

[hannah457]

hi all.
my daughters going to her dads tonight for the weekend so i going to start the new routine on Sunday night.
I'm going too do controlled crying and a star chart.
i know its going to be hard and all the neighbors will wonder whats going on but Ive got to do it.
I'm completely exhausted and in need of a good nights sleep.

thanks for all the advice.
my little girl angel is going to hate this new firm mummy.
but hay ho it needs to be done

[angel]

Hi Hannah

Just thought i'd ask how you are managing with your daughters sleeping has it got any better at all.

Take Care

Angel

[hannah457]

sleep routines not changed shes a stubborn little madam.
she sits in her room screaming her head off if not that she will keep shouting me and wake the other two up.