HELP! 3 year old has started waking every night 2-4x

[Snorfig]

I’m sure some of you will have words of comfort even if there’s no solution. My children were terrible sleepers as babies but grew out of it by 2. Youngest has suddenly been waking multiple times a night crying, they aren’t night terrors as she’s fully awake, and she isn’t trying to play or act up.
She’s 3 and has always been quite clingy, her separation anxiety has increased from starting a new room at nursery though she’s happy there and generally a delight during the day.
It’s been two weeks. Husband does more than his fair share of wakes but I’m exhausted. I work FT in a high pressure environment and really hope she remembers how to sleep again soon.
I can’t face controlled crying, nor co-sleeping. Gaaaah!!

Until I read to the very end I was going to suggest cosleeping. No other ideas, sorry. But lots of sympathy!

^eparation anxiety has increased from starting a new room at nursery though she’s happy there and generally a delight during the day.
It’s been two weeks.^

I could have written that except it's my DD from starting school. She's started sleeping better this last week, they've been back 3 weeks now.

Has she dropped her daytime nap? If so, could she be overtired from the new room? Counterintuitively, she might need a short mid-day nap.

Pockets I love your username and you could be on to something - napping officially stopped months ago but she slept brilliantly on recent holiday, maybe because she napped most days. I do think her bedtime should be earlier but with an older sister it’s hard to achieve!
headphones thank you for sharing that’s reassuring. I hope we see some unbroken nights again soon.

What's the age difference? Ours is large and they also share a room, DS is the youngest and goes to bed at 7pm. DD is older so goes to bed about 8:15pm. She sometimes goes up and reads in bed as we have a nightlight for the youngest so it's quite bright up there. It sort of solves the different bedtimes when it's looking difficult as DD goes up to bed too, but not straight to sleep. Depending on the age of your oldest, it might be worth trying?

Agree with napping, DS is 3yo but about to start school nursery. I expect he'll go back to napping on the way home from school. I plan to let him sleep for 45 mins.

Eldest is nearly 6 and goes to bed at 8.30, which works for her. Separate bedrooms but adjacent.
3yo seems to slump at 6ish then perk up again til 8.30 (I’d dearly love her to be in bed sooner!).
It’s a classic ‘too tired from the bad sleep to find the energy to solve the root cause of the bad sleep’. She’s always gone to sleep with one of us in her doorway shhhhhing, or even with her hand being held, because otherwise she’s beside herself, but that didn’t result in night wakings til she changed nursery rooms.

I would suggest a 6pm bedtime. You might have to enlist / bribe your 6 yo to do a fake bedtime 15 mins later and then read or play quietly until it becomes routine.

Trying a 7pm bedtime as 6pm just isn’t feasible sadly. She’s currently watching Duggee with very heavy eyelids. Nearly-6yo really wants her to play, they’re a sweet dynamic duo.

I'd say 6pm bedtime too. Change your routine give her a sandwich tea if need be.
830 sounds exceptionally late to me

She was asleep by 7.30 with no fuss, 1h earlier than normal. Let’s see eh?

I came onto this thread hoping you would solve my problem BTW but you haven't really as my 2 year old goes to bed at 6 mostly. Although I think I'll now look for a pattern of poor sleep after a later night.

How was your night, OP?

She’s woken once a night since bringing bedtime forward to 7.30 (going upstairs 7.15ish) so that’s a huge improvement. She’s really worried about so many things though, particularly ghosts and monsters, even during the day, so there are more issues, but I’m grateful for the early bedtime tip, thanks all x

It’s all gone to shit again thanks to a night away as a family. She’s so tired she’s furious with everything and I’m on the verge of a crisis due to the constant screaming and lack of sleep.
Tonight we start actual sleep training; going with the ‘attended crying’ method or some such shit. I can’t live like this, i miss my sunny little girl and my sanity.
The really painful thing is she’s much happier when I’m not there - as soon as I got home she had a meltdown. But she only wants me if I’m there, so I have a screaming limpet attached to me howling for iPad.
Wine.

H Snorfig

Currently going through the same with my 3.5 year old. We are trying the rapid return approach but still not let up it’s been like this with constant wakings for 4 Months now. Did your DD seem to get better or are you still going through it?

Thanks

My 3 year old has been the same lately. I’ve found going back to her 7.30 bed time has made a huge difference. Also she’s back in our bed! Not an option for you I see but it has improved her quality of sleep no end. Also have a newborn so it hasn’t improved ours!

Thanks @LeonoraFlorence

Yes I have found if I put her to bed eariler she seems a lot calmer when she does wake up rather than if she is overtired. Lets hope its another phase, although I feel like she has always been in a phase since I gave birth to her lol!