3 Year Old Sleep Issues - Bethel,CT

Same thing happened to my 2 year old when our new baby was about two months. Tried everything-nothing worked. Not crying, not Ferber...NOTHING. So I know exactly where you're coming from. We finally bought a color changing clock (it changes color instead of beeping) from One Step Ahead. We explained that to our 2 yr old that he could not get up until the light turns green. We would set it for the time he'd wake and gradually moved it till a more reasonable time. He cried at first but is finally sleeping till 5:00. (He was up for the day at 3:00 for months) Sometimes, I can still hear him wake early...butthe will play in his bed until it's green. The clock cost about $45 with shipping but was worth it for us. Good luck.

I went through something like this and found out the clock was making to much noise with the tics and the tocks over her bed. I found this out by getting in her bed one day. Teddy bears, music, night lights may be some ideas....Good luck

Hi K.,

You didn't mention if you are still home or back to work. Is he in daycare or at home with you? Is he still napping or has he given naps up? I am not sure how you feel about co-sleeping I never did it so I would say go to him comfort him and tell him it is night night time and just leave the room. He will cry but after a few nights he will realize you are not going to let him get up. If you don't mind co-sleeping then take him in bed with you so you can get some much needed sleep. Is the baby waking him or is he just wide awake? I know it is hard with a new baby but I would try to make sure he is getting enough physical activity during the day so he will be tired at night. I am sure it is just a phase, what matters is how you handle it so you do not create a bad sleep habit. If you don't want to leave the room you can stay with him just do not take him out of his crib or bed. Be firm and tell him it is time to sleep. My kids always went to sleep to music so if they woke at night I would go in check on them of course, if they were fine I would kiss them good night put the music on and go back to bed.

We frequently have sleep issues with our 3 year old also- he goes in cycles of good and bad. When he's in a phase of waking up in the night, we use a reward chart with him and it works so well. The basic idea is that he can earn up to 2 happy faces a night, and when he has earned 10 (or even as little as 5 when you first start), he gets a reward. We have done both earning $5 to buy a small toy and also getting to go someplace special, just to mix it up. Since your son would probably love to have some time doing something special with you, that might be the way to go. If you want more details of what's worked and not worked for us, send me a message and I can tell you more. Good luck!