4 Year Old Daughter's Behavior-Need Help & Advice!!

I have not had this issue yet. But I have been told you just keep putting them back in bed, as soon as they are out of bed you pick them up put them in bed and do not say a word to them. I dont know if this really works but maybe it is worth a try. It will probably take a couple weeks of everyday doing this. Hope this helps.

My daughter went through the exact same thing. We went down to the bubby factory and made her a special buddy to sleep with. We put a little voice box in it that says I love you, so when she is feeling lonely or scared she pushes to remind her that mommy and daddy love her and everything is o.k. My daughter would complain about her legs hurting everynight (i think it was for attention) so we started giving her a vitamin just before bed, she says they are her leg pills.

K.,
I have 2 girls (7 and 4 1/2) and 1 boy (9). We had the same issue with my youngest one just like you are describing. Apart from that the "illnesses" were always coming up when it was dinner/lunch time..and my youngest one decided she is not going to have any of it....so, she always ended up with stomach pain etc. That was easy for me to deal with...because I would just take away all the snacks and puddings afterwards. Regarding sleeping...did you let her sleep in your bed? We did. And it was impossible to get her start sleeping in her own bed. So, we started only allowing her to sleep in our bedroom on the floor. I had a little mat and a sleeping bag. So, if she wanted to sleep with us...it had to be on the floor (which was of course not easy initially but then she realized that was the only way to stay out of her own bedroom). She also had to do that with naps. We had to be patient...but after a few weeks...she decided herself that it was not that cosy on the floor and from one day to the next she "moved out" of our bedroom. Now she loves her bed...and always cuddles up with all or her fury friends.....we also got her a radio alarm clock....and she loves it :)
I hope this helps a little.
Janique

My little boy is the same age, almost 4. He is my oldest and we have taught him that he cannot come into bed with us unless Daddy has already left for work, so if he wakes up and Daddy is still here, then he has to go potty and get back in his own bed. Also he does the leg aches. I think that he is telling the truth because he will wake up just crying because they hurt. I try to be aware of when he is having pains and the next night I will give him some tylenol or ib before bed and he usually will not have pain. There have been times he says his belly hurts and I am pretty sure it doesn't so I do the same thing as the previous post, I don't give him treats or whatever and then next time his belly usually doesn't hurt.

We have used the "token" reward system with our three year old who employs some of the same tactics that it sounds like your daughter uses (says her throat hurts, has a cough, needs medicine, has to go potty etc. etc.). We lay with her for about 5 minutes when she gets in bed and then give her warnings like "2 minutes until Mommy has to leave" etc and we have also told her that if she chooses to whine and throw a fit when we leave, that we won't be able to lay with her the next night (and we don't) and that seems to work to get her to bed. Then we have used the token system this way--we tell her if she stays in her bed all night by herself that she will get a token (we use stickers on a weekly chart) the next day. When she has earned enough tokens, she gets special things she likes, such as a trip to the playground, rec center pool, library, ice cream, etc. and that sems to work. Just getting the tokens is usually enough for her because we have special stickers that she gets to choose from. Maybe this would work for you--good luck!

Little Miss Olivia sounds like my 2 daughters........I had it rough with them also. Try to make her "bedtime" a fun, special place to be in. Let her sleep with a favorite stuffed animal and let her know that Mommy is not leaving her and she is a big girl now and it is time to sleep in her big girl room/bed. If she wakes and tries to sneak into bed with you and Dad, bring her back to her room, and reassure her again. As many kids as you have, this will be kind of a pain in the neck, but after a few times she will get it. Another piece of advice someone gave me.. if she absolutely will not stay in her bed allow her to be in your room, but she must sleep on the floor. This will get old quickly and she will look forward to her nice soft bed. Good Luck.
P.S. I forgot to address the "aches and pains", as her Mother you know when she is really not feeling well. Go with your gut, she may be playing you.......if that is what you think than she probably is. Keep an eye on it, but don't always fuss over it or she will use it everytime.

The first thing is stating your expectations. "Here is your bed. It is nap/bed time. You are to rest here until I come and get you. You get one bathroom trip." this really works with my daughter who is now 5. I set the timer for her nap and tell her she can't get out of her bed until it goes off. I make sure prior to this that we have a predictable bed time routine (bath, book, etc), and I give her cues throughout the evening as to what will happen next. Over Christmas she developed irrational fears about snakes/monsters, etc. Her dad gave her a little Chinese medallion to "keep them away".

I will caution you one thing about tummy aches. If she frequently has them following meals, has nasty diarrhea, bloating, or pain, it could be a sign of something more serious, like Celiac disease. (I had this as a child but did not get diagnosed until I was 27). My daughter was traumatized this year by her immunizations, so now if she says somthing is hurt or she is sick, I ask her if she needs to go to the Dr. She almost always says no. I give her a hot rice bag for her tummy. She really likes those. Good Luck!