Help with sleep problem

[Surfsalot]

I really am desperate for help- my 4 yr old wakes up for hours on end during the night. Think sometimes she needs a wee then after going to the loo is wide awake for up to 4 hours!! I put her on the loo at 10pm... GP today prescribed Phenergan but am concerned this is not sorting the problem out- plus am not keen on pumping her with drugs... Have tried everything... She isn't naughty at night just awake unable to sleep- and I can't sleep if I know she is awake incase she gets up to mischief or goes downstairs! Does anyone know of a sleep guru/ clinic/ anything- desperate for help... xxxx

What do you do when she is awake in the night? Does she sleep better if you're together (co-sleeping or in her room?) My DD is a bad sleeper too (she is nearly 4) and we tried all the techniques we heard of over the years.

Our current strategy is its OK for her to be awake but she must stay in her room and play quietly (look at books etc). She has a lamp she can turn on herself and a bottle of water, so only allowed to come into our room if she needs the loo/had a nightmare. Otherwise we just keep quietly but firmly returning her to her room (obviously we are not robots and give her tlc if required). A good deal we have is that we tell her we will stay for one minute, then we're going back to our own bed, she is usually happy with that.

Your dd must be tired during the day too? It can become a vicious cycle: daytime nap = not tired at night = awake = tired next day = takes a nap...The best nights we have are when she has swimming lessons so I think exercise really helps too.

I have heard people talk about sleep hygiene - this means having a good steady routine so that she knows bedtime is coming and starts subconciously winding down. So for us that is: relaxing play after 6pm, milky drink 6.30, bedtime at 7 (with a predictable wash-pjs-stories-song order). If she is antsy at bedtime we say stay in your bed and I'll come and check on you in 5 minutes (and we do it) and repeat as necessary.

But ultimately some children are just born as bad/light sleepers, and all you can do is manage it to maximise sleep for the whole family. I say this with confidence as dd2 has no such sleep problems (so far anyway!) and we didn't do anything different!

Hello- thank you for replying....am doing what you do- she stays in her room if she wakes and talks to her toys and reads them stories or sings to them! She has a moon night light that she keeps by her bed aswell. Tried co- sleeping but she fidgets and just lies there wide awake. Bedtime routine is the same as yours- she has no problem going to sleep... Think she is just a light/ bad sleeper. Find it sooo hard as am a single mum and due to her bad sleeping habit my mum and dad don't want to have her overnight... It also means I can't get a babysitter as she sometimes has night terrors... She is like a limpet to me and sometimes a bit possessive as it's just the 2 of us. Her dad never helped and to put it diplomatically wasn't a very nice person during the night - hence why he isn't allowed to look after her! So life is pretty harsh- just feel permanently jet lagged and not too dissimilar to a walking zombie! Will search for a sleeping clinic online and do some research as my GP hasn't helped and has stated she doesn't know what to do! Not the most helpful advice! Nevermind... Will just continue and keep praying it won't be forever! Thank you for writing back xx