5 yo DD won't sleep at night

[mintyneb]

quick background: DD (now 5.7) has not slept through the night for any more than about 5 days in a row for the last 3 years. She gets up and walks to my side of the bed, waits til I've woken up and I usually walk her straight back and tuck her in again without a word. She then generally goes back to sleep (I don't but then that's a different story!) although she often wakes up again.

She can go from waking once in the night to up to 4 - 5 times, same pattern as above.

Since going back to school in September (yr 1) she has reliably woken twice a night every night. However, over half term this increased to 5 or 6 times a night. With the whole Halloween / Bonfire night thing going on she's been saying she's had scary dreams and has been jumpy at the slightest sound.

She has a chronic health condition and so mindful that if she returned to school this week being really tired and run down she could get ill I started sleeping with her once she'd woken me up. I really wasn't keen but at the moment her health comes first for me.

Anyway, 2 nights ago, DH made it clear to both DD and me that I wasn't to get into bed with her. Cue two nights of her getting up 11 times each night (not that I was counting!) . Each time I've tried to tuck her back in she's got really upset saying she's had a bad dream, her throat hurts, her tummy aches..... all of which are ploys to get me to slip into bed with her.

She seems to be waking up fine in the morning and getting through the school day but I on the other hand am absolutely exhausted and really don't know what to do to try and resolve the situation.

Can anyone help?? She's never been a girl for reward charts etc and half the time she gets up she's not even aware she's done so, so I'm not sure how we can train her out of her night time wakings.

[Nigglenaggle]

Is she actually sleepwalking? Could it be a medical problem to ask the doctor about???

[marykat2004]

Good luck. I hope you get some advice. I have an 8 year old who still will not settle herself. At least she doesn't get up during the night. But she is tired.

[mintyneb]

thanks for replying. niggle, I have wondered at times if DD might be sleepwalking. Sometimes, she seems to be in a halfway house between awake and asleep - ie she can go instantly back to deep sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. I don't know if that counts as sleep walking.

I will probably have to contact her medical team just in case there is something that it is triggering night waking. A friend of mine knows of a diabetic child who wakes in the night due to blood sugar levels. A type of diabeties can develop in people with DDs condition (she has cystic fibrosis) but I really hope she doesn't have this to deal with as well.

marykat, poor you and your DD still not settling at 8. I keep telling myself that DD is just going through a phase, just don't think I can cope with another 3 years of this!

She only (only!) got out of bed 7 times last night so I should be grateful for a slight improvement I guess!

[Nigglenaggle]

Good luck with the doctors, hope it turns out to be nothing xx

[knackeredmother]

Why can't you sleep with her? She is telling you she wants your comfort and reassurance, what is so wrong with that?
I don't understand why we force children to sleep alone, your husband obviously doesn't want to so why should a little 5 year

[Choclatespread]

My 6 year old DS is the same, sorry no advice for you really, as i'm looking for some as well. He wakes 2-3 times a night and I'm settling him to sleep in the first place as he just can't settle by of to sleep by himself. I got really fed up with the waking in the night and resulted to sleeping with him or letting him jump in my bed.

He also has underlying health issues with a late suspected diagnosis of some sort of brain damage! Still waiting for tests.

Good luck I understand how hard it can be.