Help...My 3 Year Old Will Not Sleep Soundly Anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoa, I'm of a completely different opinion than some on here. Your daughter needs MORE sleep. She needs to go to bed earlier -- like 6:30/7pm. Do not let her put herself to bed. Children are not disciplined to self-regulate that way. I know that my daughter (who is the same age) would also stay up if we let her have books and a light. When you leave the room, the lights should be out and she should be quiet.

I lay down with my daughter at naptime, because she's too squirmy to fall asleep on her own during the day. She is taking a 1-1.5 hour nap, and now I get a 20-30 minute nap too. :) Or at least I lay down for a while. I just lay there until she's asleep and then I leave. I do not lay down with her at night.

When she wakes up at night, tell her to go back to bed. After she starts going to sleep earlier you will see a reduction and disappearance of those night wakings.

Of course there may be a specific reason, but these are two guesses that I have. One, she may be going through a growth spurt and may need more calories during the day, maybe a bed time snack. You may already be doing this, I don't know? I've noticed that there were times when my son needed more food than others, and he did tend to sleep better at night when he had a snack closer to bed time. Two, it could be that she needs to drop her nap (my son did this around 3 1/2, although all kids are different), and even though she's tired, keeping her up might give her, and YOU, the soundest sleep at night, which is more important. I sure hope that you are able to get past this hump. Sleep is SO important to me and I know that when it's taken away, it is NOT a good scene!!!

Oh, dear L.- I can hear the fatigue from clear over here -. My suggestion is to let her hear you and her Dad firmly discuss - ''' how to make sure 'little one' stays in her room at night'. Whatever your plan is - it needs to have some oomph with HER. My 3 year old grandaughter lives with me- and has gone through several such periods - I tell her when I put her to bed ''' want door open or closed?" She always says she wants it open - so I leave it open with a calm reminder --- ' open door means stay in your room- or door will close'. Then if she gets up - after putting her back - I say ''' door will close'' - and close it part way- when she protests I remind her ''' open doors are for girls who remember to stay in bed'' - by not closing the door all the way I leave myself a response if she keeps getting up -- each time ( sigh) the door closes more . This works for her. Whatever strategy you use- let her hear you and Dad discuss it for a day or so - and then implement it- and pretend that you are made of steel--. Sorry, lamb- it's a tough one.

Blessings,
J.
aka Old Mom

i'd cut out your naps all together. My oldest 3 all stopped taking naps at 2. It's a tough first couple of weeks as their little bodies get used to the change, but you will have a happy sleeper at night! Good luck!

I've been reading about the Good Nite Lite. A sun/moon nightlight that shows they can be awake when it is a sun and moon is for sleeping. you set it on a timer. Ages 3-5. Maybe it would be just enough reminder for her. We are considering buying it for our daughter who is younger. check out goodnitelite.com

L.,
I have no advice for you, but I just wanted to let you know that I could have written this post. It sounds exactly like my daughter, exactly. She sleeps through the night once or twice a month, then I'm up checking to make sure she's still breathing because I can't believe it! :)

I wish you all the best and sleep for all!
M.

Let me know if you get any great advice! I have the same issues with my 3.5 yr old. I work fulltime and have been a walking zombie for the past 8 months. She was a great sleeper until about 8 months ago. She always comes in our room around 3am. 2-3 times a week, she comes in about 11:30, 1:15 and then at 3. I usually let her sleep on our floor at the 3am call. We've tried the same things you have and have read numerous sleep books.
Good luck! W.

I had problems with one of my 3 year olds doing the same thing. Always needing something in the middle of the night: fix my blanket, find my kitty, drink of water, go potty, etc... It took many battles and middle of the night fits when I refused to do these trivial things but she eventually learned she was not going to get what she wanted from me and it was no longer worth it for her to wake me up. We had some rough nights, but this was definitely a battle worth picking because she clearly had my number and I was being manipulated by a 3 year old. As far as using the potty, I put a little potty chair in their room so they could get up and use it by themselves at night. It's kind of annoying to have to empty it every morning, but worth it to me for a good nights sleep! I also got them a digital clock that projects big numbers on the ceiling and told them 8:00 is bedtime (although they are allowed to play quietly until they fall asleep, usually before 9), and when they wake up in the morning they have to wait until it says 7:00 before they wake up Mommy. They still nap around noon every day. One kid sleeps an hour & a half, the other I have to wake up after a couple hours or she'll sleep the day away. Different kids definitely have different sleep needs, and even then, they seem to constantly change. It sounds like you are doing a great job keeping in touch with your daughter's needs. Just follow her lead, give her more sleep when she needs it, and keep encouraging her to develop healthy and independent sleep habits. And don't be afraid to stand your ground if you have to. Hang in there!

L.,

Does she have a nightlight? My son had some serious sleep issues when he was around that age and it turned out to be because he was scared of the dark. We installed a dimmer switch in his room and that was the end of that. My daughter had the same issue at around 9 months old. We did the same to her room and he waking at night stopped.

Have you considered moving her bed time back by a half hour or so? Again, my 19 month old was having a hard time going to sleep and would fight it like the dickens. I moved her bedtime back to 8:00 like her brother and that was the end of that. Now she's usually asleep by 7:30 in my arms and sleeps no problem (we cuddle on the couch and watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy).

Hope this helps,
Melissa