Help with 3 year old daughter getting to bed

[mummysaunders2010]

My daughter was never a problem with getting to sleep at night, About 6 months after my son was born (he has just turned 1) she is a nightmare to try and get to bed sometimes its gone 10 by the time she is actually in her bed let alone asleep. Then she wakes up in the morning tired and has to go to nursery. Just dont know what to do anymore

What happens when she won't go to bed? Does she get up, cry, etc?

Ye not really cry more of a fake scream if you know what i mean no tears, i have started laying with her but dont want to get into that because that is hard to get out of but as she share a room with her brother it cant be fair on him as it disturbs his sleep

I may be in the minority here, but I'd tough it out. Do the whole bedtime routine, have a lovely story, cuddle etc then explain that it's bedtime and you expect her to go to bed nicely. Each time she gets out just go up and put her back with no discussion/conversation or argument. It might take a few nights, but she'll soon realise that you are serious. You could combine it with a sticker chart and say if she goes to bed nicely she can earn a sticker and when she gets 7 stickers she can have a treat. Either have a pot of say chocolate buttons, or a box of little things that three year old girls love (generally pink and sparkly in my experience) and let her have a button or a sparkly thing.

My son used to sleep through his sister's bed time tantrums and has also learnt that if he tried the same thing now he's in a bed not a cot, that he fighting a losing battle.

Good luck. Hope it helps.

I agree with couldtry - you need to keep putting her back in bed and don't lay down with her. That's a habit that will take a long time to break.

How does her bed routine fit in with her brother's? Does she get time with you after he's gone to bed?

With Plumm on this too. If the 'cry isn't 'real' then it's for attention. So let her have a bit of attention. Let her see that your son is put to bed before her and that she gets say 15 or 20 minutes of quiet time with you - doing a puzzle or some colouring whilst you chat and explain to her that's what you are going to do and then to the putting to bed, putting back routine. She will no doubt push you and you may well have to put her back repeatedly (sp?). Def don't lay with her though. It might seem a lot easier than an hour of getting up and down, but a rod for your back in time.

It's always so much easier when it's not your kids though. I have a post on here somewhere about how I find it very very hard to control my daughter's temper and then mine (or are they the same thing????). None of us find it easy and none of us gettting right all the time. Trial and error. Anyone who tells you different is full of sh*t! Hope it goes well. (((Hugs)))