7 Year Old Waking up Constantly

I wonder if something in her diet is causing her to not sleep well. Does she get caffeine in the mid-afternoon to early evening? Maybe pay attention to what she is eating and or drinking.

7 is plenty old enough to understand that you do NOT come in to parents room at night unless you are truly sick or very scared. Personally, I would be either working on some sort of consequences for that, and/or shutting and locking my bedroom door.

i wonder if she's got too much going on while she's supposed to be sleeping. i get the flashlight thing, and maybe some soft music, but a story will keep her brain active, and coloring is going to do nothing but keep her awake. i would take those away. are you sure nothing has happened recently to make her so scared? what does she say she is scared of? at 7 she should be able to talk to you about it.

in the end, i have never allowed our son to sleep in our bed, except once when he was seriously ill for a long time. and it was a nightmare getting him back in his own bed after he was better. unfortunately i would have to recommend to keep putting her back - just because YOU are tired isn't really a good reason, that's just as good as saying, "i was too lazy to get up and put her back in her bed." no offense. but it says that you are just giving in. if you actually want her to stay in her bed, it will take work. or you can just allow it. i'd also start her earlier. you don't mention when she gets up but 8 is perfectly reasonable for a 7 year old. might be worth a shot. good luck!

Try an earlier bedtime. Now is the perfect time because of the time change. I would say lights out at 8:00. Secondly, night lights wake my son up. He was using his fish tank light so my husband and I started turning it off after he went to sleep. He is sleeping much better. Last, be consistent. You need to have the rule that she is not allowed to sleep in your bed. You and your husband need to explain that to her tonight when you put her to bed. Take her back to bed every time, no matter what. Take turns with your husband. If you give in only once, she will wake up and think maybe this time mom or dad will let me sleep with them. You want her to wake up and know that you aren't going to let her so she may as well try to go back to sleep.

I never allowed my kids in my bed either, so I get that. I was a stay at home mom and I NEEDED My space at night. If my kids were ill or had a nightmare I would go to their bed, and lay with them or on their floor until they fell back to sleep. I know it is an inconvenience, and you are tired but if she is experiencing some type of fear right now a rewards chart isn't going to help her. Sometimes they just can't put their finger on, or put things into words with what's bothering them. I would try an earlier bedtime, she could be overtired and unable to rest. Have her take a bath, and maybe have her read in her bed, that usually relaxes me. Also, I know that school can be an issue, I swear 7 is the new 12. I feel that children have so much on their plate right these days. School work is soooo hard, and dealing with social issues. My daughter just started teaching 2nd grade and she said the work is sooooo hard. She is teaching 3rd grade math to these kids. Crazy in my opinion. Maybe leave her a notebook by her bed and tell her to draw or write in it what is on her mind. I have one because if I wake up with things on my mind I am unable to fall back to sleep. For me it is more of a to do list. When I am laying there wide awake thinking about all of the things I have to do. It helps me to write it down and then I know I won't forget, and I can go back to sleep. I have a teacher at my preschool who's daughter is 7 so far she has gotten 3 phone calls from the nurse complaining of stomach aches, she has never had an issue with school before, and is a wonderful student. The long and short of it was she is being bullied by another girl, and also was scared she wouldn't get 100% on her spelling test. It took this woman days to get out of her daughter what was wrong. I know your tired but her fears are real and she needs time to work through them and also needs your help. Good luck!!! This will pass.

I read a childhood development book that says age 7 is the age of fears and over active imagination. So, it is very normal for a 7 year old to suddenly fear the dark and/or want you by their side as they fall asleep. My 7 year old son keeps a light (not a nightlight but a bedside lamp!) on each night and that makes him feel better. He also wants the bathroom light blazing down the hall. If he wakes up in the night he comes to our bedroom and one of us walks him back to his bed and lies down with him while he falls asleep. Our bedtime is 8pm and our son is probably asleep by 8:30. Have you tried making her bedtime earlier or does that not help? Our son, when he is feeling scared of things he imagines, puts all his stuffed animals around his bed. He also gets out all his toy guns and lays them all on the floor so he can get the "bad guys". He does not feel the need to do this every night...just every now and then. I think this is something they will outgrow.

We use a dream catcher to "catch the bad dreams and bad thoughts". We bought it at an Indian Pow Wow one year and had no idea the help it would actually bring us one day!! We bought it because we liked the way it looked and thought it would be an awesome reminder of our day at the Pow Wow. It has turned out to be a lifesaver. For some reason, they (our boys, 6 &4) feel safe with it hung above their heads!! Just a thought.

If it takes her a long time to fall asleep, she may be overtired or overstimulated. Cut out any tv or screen time before bed. What you did as a kid plays no part in what is going on with your child.
I'd say to remember that bedtime is for sleeping. If you read with her before bed, she should not need a story playing. She is not a toddler. She should not have coloring things, nightime is for sleeping. The goal if she wakes up is for her to go back to sleep, not to play or keep herself amused. If you don't want her coming to your room, take away the flashlight. Let her keep the nightlight of course.
Your other option is to set up a sleeping bag or something on the floor in your room and tell her that if she wakes up and is scared, she has the option of coming in and sleeping there, but if she gets in your bed or wakes you up, she will be punished, and follow through with a punishment.

We've had this problem with our 9 yr. old son for about 3 yrs. It went from about 4 times per night down to now about once per week. He eventually was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. We put a sleeping bag on the floor in the corner beside our bed and had him go to sleep there when he came in. He liked the idea of having his own little spot in our bedroom and it helped him to feel more secure. Don't make the spot too comfortable with blankets, pillows, books, flashlights, etc.. The idea is to let him gradually, on his own, realize that his own bed is more comfortable than the floor. But it does give you guys the respite of being able to get a good nights sleep (hopefully) without sharing your bed.