I have a 3 year old son and for the last year his sleeping has gone from bad to worse. Somehow he got them switched and now he is up all night and sleeps all day. I have tried everything, I am not a new mom and have never had this problem before. I have tried keeping him up, but I am so exhausted myself that any chance I get to sleep, I take it. Sometimes I cannot even stay awake when he is. I feel awful, like a horrible mom. I am depressed and feel terrible both about what is happening and lack of sleep, We don't see sunlight, I try to keep him up during the day, but nothing, I mean going to the park, taking a walk, nothing gets him up and same thing at night, I take him in a quiet room. read to him, lay down with him, give him chamomile tea, rub his back, rub his feet, don't give him any sugar or caffeine but he seems to be wired. I am desperate and need help bad. I have even let him nap during the night but nope. nothing works.
Talk to pediatrician. You obviously need a sleep specialist. If you take him to park, he sleeps? Not sure I understand.
He sleeps at the park? Have you asked his doctor? I would seriously keep him outdoors all day, every day until he is sleeping at night.
If he is falling asleep at the park, preschool, the store, and all the other places you go during the day then I think you need to take him to the doctor, something is wrong, or off, for sure.
Updated
If he is falling asleep at the park, preschool, the store, and all the other places you go during the day then I think you need to take him to the doctor, something is wrong, or off, for sure.
No more laying down with him. Do your short bedtime routine (no more than 30 minutes). Give him a 3mg melatonin at bedtime. Put him in his bed and turn off the light, close his door, and go to bed. Stop staying up with him. Leave no toys, no lights, nothing to engage him. Make night time boring. Ensure that the room is cool (65'F) and he has jammies and a nice, heavy blanket for warmth.
If you have to, untwist the light bulb and child lock his door. Without you engaging him, he'll eventually get bored and fall asleep. And if he doesn't...at least you can.
You mean he is so sleepy that you don't try to take him to the park?
You sleep at night.
You do a bath time/bedtime routine (don't make it excessive - 1 or 2 stories then lights out (keep night light on) you can sit near him for 15 min then leave whether he's awake or not) then he stays in his room (or sleeps next to your bed on the floor in a sleeping bag).
In the morning - everybody gets up!
Breakfast time, get dressed time and out you all go - park, sunshine, etc.
Come home, keep him busy, lunch, nap time or quiet time around noon (only an hour or so) and then get out in the afternoon for more running around in the fresh air.
Then home, supper time, play time or limited tv time (no more than an hour) then bath and bedtime routine.
And you sleep at night.
Repeat.
Completely baby-proof his room. Take out everything unnecessary (even the dresser if he's a climber). Put a baby gate at his door.
When it's time for bed, put him in his room, close the gate, and tell him that it's time to sleep until 6AM (or whatever time is reasonable for you). Show him the number on a digital clock that he can see from his room, turn off the lights except for a nightlight, and then go to your room and go to sleep.
The first few nights, if he's really used to being up all night, you might do it from just midnight until 5AM, or something like that.
If he's used to being up all night, he might just sit in his room and play for a while. But my bet is that after he throws a fit (maybe a really long fit, since he's 3 and will have stamina), he'll get tired enough to doze off. And then the next day, since you got a little sleep at night, you can work harder at keeping him up during the day, so that he'll be more tired at night.
Research melatonin. It's the natural chemical our bodies produce that helps us go to sleep. Most of the house managers in the group homes that I've worked in are on 7 days then off 7 days. When they go home they have a hard time falling into a deep sleep. They take melatonin the first night home and it helps, then they take it the 2nd night and they sleep all night deeply. They don't take it the other nights they are off because they fall asleep naturally.
I don't know about giving it to kids but I bet the ladies at the natural foods store could help you find out if you can't information regarding kids online.
