My Kids Won't Sleep!

Hi..I have been lucky with my both my kids and sleeping however when my oldest ( also 31/2) doesn't want to go to bed I tell him the plans for the next day and what we are going to do and that he needs to hurry and go to sleep so we can get to the morning quicker. When needed I make sure to include something special just for him i.e. playing outside, or eating his favorite breakfast when he gets up. I have found with all my boys that if you make something a race it's kinda fun! Good luck!

My aunt has a daughter who is 3 and has the same problem right now. She took her to the doctors and spoke to them about it. Initially they told her to try various environmental things to see if it helped.. like having her sleep with her brother in his room, night lights, etc.. same as you. However they are now thinking she may have sleep apnea where the child has difficulty breathing during the night while asleep and will wake up. They are discussing taking out her tonsils to help her have better air flow. You may consider talking to your doctor to rule this out..
otherwise.. the screaming it out and ignoring.. but I too live in an apartment and understand that is impossible.

I had this same problem with my son. I purchased an inexpensive CD player for his room and got some lullaby cd's from the local dollar store... Then I got a nightlight that is blue... With the soft music playing all night (I just keep it on repeat) and then the blue light (it is not as bright) he is sleeping through the night. Don't know if this will work for you or not, but, it did for us. Good Luck!

Haven't tried this, but I've read about in several places: give him nighttime passes, maybe 2 of them. He can use them for one last extra hug, an extra tuck in, a drink, whatever. Once he's used them all, he can't get out of bed anymore. BUT if he doesn't use any of them, he can exchange them for a treat the next day or maybe save them up for a bigger treat. And you know kids, the treat doesn't have to be anything huge or expensive, just something he enjoys having or doing. I hope that helps some.

My oldest is ADHD and has always srtuggled to sleep. I started a music thing and it works great. The started out with George Winston which is piano music but after a couple of years they've chosen to stick with Oh Brother Where Art Thou...I know wierd choice but everytime they get up now, they start it over themselves, and never wake me up when they go to the bathroom anymore. I am also an insomniac and music is no good for me so I use a white noise machine. 19.95 at Bed Bath and Beyond. You can choose rainforest, ocean, country night (crickets and such,) or the waterfall which I like the best. I have three boys so I know the value of sleep.

I've used a 'white noise' for both my boys and for the most part it works like a charm. Sometimes we put quiet music on but the white noise works best for us. To achieve that I use a humidifier fan, I just happen to have a loud one, but without the water in it. You can also purchase a sound machine at Amazon or Babies r Us but the volume on them isn't that loud, at least on the one I have. We do night lights as well but not too much light as it tends to interfere with sleep.

If it's monsters he's scared of get a small water bottle at the drug store and put a cool label on it that you can make on a computer indicating it's monster spray and then fill it with water. He can spray the monsters, hopefully he doesn't open it up and dump it out, and it makes him feel powerful and in control of his fear.

Another good rule that I've used is minimal words. I'll usually do a 'shhhhhhing' sound and say we'll talk about it in the morning.

If he has a lovey or snuggly thing that can help. Sounds like he needs to learn to put himself back to sleep, in his own bed without your help (my personal opinion of course, but do what works best for you). I've had success with the book The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. Just keep in mind you need to stick by whatever pattern you choose to create and it may take a while but it does work. It's a nice short book and easy to read.

Sounds a little like a power struggle to see how far he can push you. You need to be sturn with him and make sure you just keep doing the same thing EVERY night when it comes to him staying in bed. Or since he is 3 you can try and tell him something about the sandman and that if he stays asleep all night long the sandmad will leave him a special present in the morning (something just from the Dollar store) Or do a sticker chart that if he sleeps through the night without coming in your room or screaming then he will get to put a sticker on the chart and at the end of the week can pick out a special PRIZE for being so good. I don't know what else to do...But Bribes have always seemed to work well for us! ;)