help - end of my tether with lack of sleep!!!

[howtodecide]

Hi all,
DS is 3.2 and he has slept through the night once or twice in his life!!! DD is now 5 and was also a terrible sleeper until she turned 3 when she seemed to realise how to do it. They are both early risers. DD typically wakes between 6 and 6:45 with a very occasional lie in, but she does at least sleep from say 8 8:30 until then. I am just recovering from Shingles and I know one of the reasons I ended up with it is because for over 5 years I have had only a handful of unbroken nights. The thing is DS's sleep has improved dramatically over the last year - he is no longer in our bed and is generally only waking once a night but I am exhausted! He has dropped his daytime sleep now (stopped about 6 months ago) and this has helped but he is not getting enough sleep at night and it is affecting his behaviour in the day. he still has a dummy (only at night) and I am reluctant to take it away for fear of making things worse! DD had hers until she was 4 when the dummy fairy came and it was fine.
A typical sleep pattern for DS is
6:30pm bath
6:45pm story with DD
7:00pm in bed and he is fast asleep - we don't stay with him he goes to sleep on his own. (last night it was 8pm simply because he had fallen asleep in the afternoon! Although he was good as gold and layed there quielty for an hour!)
Sometime between 2am - 4am he wakes and calls out for me. I go in and get into his bed and sometimes fall asleep until say 5 then go back to my bed, or lie there for 10mins then go back to my bed.
Between 5:30am and 6:ooam he wakes for the day. DH gets up for work at 6am so its almost impossible to get DS back to sleep at this time.
He has a clock to tell him when to get up and he does get the idea although will only stay in his room if I am in there with him! (its set to open its eyes at 6:30am.)

I am not after advice telling me to leave him to cry when he wakes - I cannot do this have never done it and never will - although I do accept that maybe I do need to be a bit firmer with him - helpful suggestions please???

Has anyone sought help from a GP about night waking at this age? Could there be a medical problem tonsils/adenoids??(maybe am clutching at straws but I am thinking of making an appointment!)

do I just ride it out and hope that like DD he somehow gets it SOON!!!

I really don't want to bring back a daytime sleep if at all possible - I don't think it will help - when he used to have a late morning sleep he was waking even earlier in the morning and an afternoon sleep creates a vicious cycle where he goes to sleep later and still wakes at 6am??

If you have read this thanks I know it is long and rambling!!!

[frazzledbutcalm]

I doubt its tonsils etc. If you're not prepared to do the 'cry' thing then I don't really think you'll crack it :-(
At 3 he really doesn't need you to get into bed with him ... I'd try a reassuring ruffle of his hair and quick kiss, tell him it's time for sleep then leave...