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3 and half years old,...STILL not sleeping through,...please help!!

16 replies

Prettyfull · 25/02/2008 20:34

Hi, i really need some ideas on how to get my little girl to sleep through the night!! Shes 3 and half and i can count on one hand the amount of times she has slept through. Dd wakes up anything from 3-10 times a night. On average she wakes 4 times. When she wakes i go to her and simply say, close your eyes back to sleep its still night time. Most of the time she will just go back to sleep but recently shes been waking so much and its been such a struggle to get her back to sleep. I have said to her tonight if she wakes im going to close her door and iv also put her safety gate up and told her im going to close them both. I blame alot of her sleepless nights on the fact she doesnt eat, she would go all day without eating if she could.

Im seriously going insane with the lack of sleep, i have lack of energy to play games with dd the next day so i really want to get this sorted.

Id like to hear from anyone else who also has this problem, would be nice to know im not the only one whos had nearly 4 years of sleepless nights!!

Thankyou!!x

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Megglevache · 25/02/2008 20:39

Message withdrawn

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lizandlulu · 25/02/2008 20:53

my dd 2.2 has is just going through the stage of sleeping through the night.

sometimes i wake up in the morning after a peaceful night and think 'waahay a whole nights sleep!!'

its really hard to know what to do for the best.
i live with my parents because of situations out of my control (sounds fancy, its not) so cant leave her to cry it out, but if i was in my own house, i would. there comes a time when they have to learn.

yes i know it is easy for me to say, but i did it before we moved here when she was 9 months, and it doesnt take long for them to get fed up and go back to sleep,honest

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juuule · 25/02/2008 21:09

I posted this on a similar thread:

"When we've had this situation at times over the years we have done these things:

Sofa bed in our room for child to get into during the night.

Slept with the child in their own bed.

Let them bring sleeping bag/ duvet cover / own pillow and sleep next to our bed.

Taken sleeping bag/ duvet/ own pillow and slept next to them in their bed.

Taken child downstairs to settle /fall asleep and then carried back to bed.

At the moment we still have the cot up in our room. If our dd (4y8m) is upset in the night she brings her teddies and climbs in. "

Can you catch up on your sleep during the day or have early nights or catch up at weekend?

And as always - These things are not forever and they will pass as the child matures.

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CanterburyTaLcS · 25/02/2008 21:12

Pretty much what juuule said.
DD1 aged9 slept through night for the first time, aged 8.

We probably made every mistake in the book,
but we got our sleep.
good luck.

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hunkermunker · 25/02/2008 21:15

If it's food-related, is there anything she does like to eat? Can you give her eg mashed potato, porridge, etc for dinner?

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juuule · 25/02/2008 21:16

Just reminded me, that's something else we did with some of them - gave them a weetabix and a drink when they woke up.

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brightwell · 25/02/2008 21:18

Sorry, no wise words, but you do have my sympathy, dd was almost 5 when she started sleeping through....which I thought was bad but CanterburyTaLcs beats us hands down!

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Nemoandthefishes · 25/02/2008 21:22

you are not alone..I have posted before about my children but mostly ds who is 4.4yrs and since being pg with him have had only a handful of a full nights sleep. None of my children seem to need much sleep at all and an example is the past couple of nights.
SAT all went to bed at 8pm ds[4.4] and dd2[13m] awake from 1-4am
DD1[2.2] awake from 3am-5am. All of them up and full of beans at 7.15am.
DS does not nap in the day and both dds have 20-60mins depending on what they have been doing.

SUN bed at 8pm for ds and dd1. DD2 went at 6pm as she was shattered
DD1 woke at 1,2.15,3 and 5am up at 7.
DS woke at 12, 2[for an hour] and 5[for an hour] up at 7am
DD2 woke at 2,4 and the up at 6am.

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CarGirl · 25/02/2008 21:22

I took my dd3 for cranial osteopathy just as she was turning 4, she went from waking sometimes 3 - 5 times per night most nights to sleeping through - it was heaven

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Prettyfull · 25/02/2008 21:31

hi, thanks for all replying. I have tried the things u suggested Juule, dd was in my bed most night when i simply needed sleep really bad. I thought i was doing wrong by having her in my bed! Shes now in her own room and has a good routine during the day so im going to try and stick to this, as i dont want to take a step back.

I really thought i was the only one with this problem and that all other children dd's age were sleeping though so im so glad i posted this now lol, nice to know im not on my own although sympathise with the rest of you poor sleepy mummys!!!

Dd doesnt sleep during the day, so not like i can nap with her, but shes started at nursery now, so i try to catch up on an hour while shes there, but again thats hard as usually other things to do.

Thats a great idea that sumone suggested about weetabix in the night when they, not sure she;d take to it, but def worth a try.

Dd went to bed as she does everynight at 7.30 pm, shes already just woken up,so prob gona be a loooong night!

Thanks again xx

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hunkermunker · 25/02/2008 23:25

If you ask her why she wakes up, can she tell you?

Does she have a favourite toy she cuddles at night? Can you tell her a story involving the favourite toy and sleeping through (toy getting too tired with waking up a lot, etc?)?

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Prettyfull · 26/02/2008 08:19

this is soo weird! I posted on here once b4 about dd's sleeping patterns when she was about a year n half, and after i had a lil moan about my lack of sleep and being tired, she slept much better. I posted yesterday and she slept great, dd woke only once!! WOW, i didnt do anything diff lol

I like that idea hunkermunker she has her fav teddy bear so im def going to try that tongiht, ty xx

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Bluebutterfly · 26/02/2008 08:25

Does she have vivid dreams?

Does she eat close to her bedtime?

Does she get enough fresh air exercise to wear her out?

Btw not trying to suggest that the problem is your fault, just that sometimes changing existing habits can have a big effect.

Ds sleeps better now that he is in nursery 3 days a week - all the frenetic playing with other children really seems to wear him out - I also now avoid sugar at bedtime (if I am giving him a dessert, I give it to him at lunchtime rather than dinner) and make sure he gets to go outside most days.

He still sometimes wakes because his imagination is so strong these days and I think that his dreams are more disruptive at times.

Hope you can find some sort of solution!

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missingtheaction · 26/02/2008 08:38

neither of mine slept through until they were about 3. Made every mistake in the book with dc1, was much better organised with dc2 - she still woke, but less often. As a teen she still comes and gets into bed with me sometimes.

try to get hold of a copy of 'Solve Your CHild's Sleep Problems' - it's very informative and helped me gird my loins! We all wake briefly loads of times in the night, so it's all about getting back to sleep without disturbing you. How does she go to sleep at bedtime - do you stay in the room? does she have a light/story/music etc? It looks like she needs to see you before she can go back to sleep on her own, and this is a habit you are going to have to break - dr ferber says imagine you use two pillows, then for some reason you aren't allowed any pillows. You'd get used to it, but it would take a few weeks. This is what you are going to have to do with her. It is not going to be plesant but if you put aside a fortnight to crack it and enlist some help upfront maybe it's doable. I am not pretending it's easy or foolproof, but it is SO SO SO worth it!

on the food front, neither of mine were (or are) interested in food. not panicking and making sure they have no snacks at all during the day does help!

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Prettyfull · 26/02/2008 11:20

I do think she has enough playtime, fresh air etc, she goes to nursery for 3 hours each morning, then we usually go out after to, weather shes walking in the highstreet while im paying bills or i take her to the park. She has a set routine every day and i stick by it. She doesnt eat close to her bedtime, infact she doesnt really eat at all! Im going to try her with a weetabix and maybe sneak some bananna in with it too lol tonight b4 bed.

Iv tried everything when it comes to settling her to bed. She goes to bed at 7.30, iv tried reading books, cuddling, etcetc but the best routine which works at the momment is after her bath, we have quiet time, read a book and cuddle in the living room, then i lay her down in her bedroom and explain about her getting a sticker on her reward chart if she sleeps well then i leave her to fall asleep on her own.

Ty for your ideas, im going to ask dd tonight too why she wakes i'l keeo you updated!

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TPog · 26/02/2008 21:00

Hi, very helpful to read all this. My son A has gone from sleeping through the night from 6 weeks old to at 3, waking twice and then rising at 5.15. I work full-time, have baby no 2 due in 8 weeks and am in tears about it 'cos I can't cope with the sleep deprivation anymore and what will happen when no 2 son arrives, with the night feeds? We do all the stuff Prettyfull mentions above, tire him out and have a good wind-down routine. A does not appear to be distressed or hungry in the night. Thought of the 'rabbit ears' alarm clock but cannot afford its cost of £25 and don't know if it works, anyway. Any suggestions much appreciated - will buy the sleep problems book!

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