4 yo DS won't sleep

[KTI22]

Hi, can anyone help with any advice.

My 4yo DS will not go to sleep without one of us in the room. (He's been like this since he was born). He doesn't go to sleep until 8/9pm and is awake at 6. He won't sleep during the day either and is constantly exhausted.

He won't join in with other children, and is badly behaved (daily tantrums). I'm convinced if I can get him to sleep 11/12 hours it will help with him joining in and the behviour.

It's all getting a bit draining.

Has anyone got any thoughts?

Hi
I have this problem my 4 yr old is very attatched to me and only falls asleep with me in the room. He is fine with my parents though. Two weeks ago my and husband and i went to las vegas.We left the kids behind (just 3 nights) My son was perfect while we were away for my mum and since we have been back ive noticed he has grown up so much. He still wants me to be in his room but he is going to bed much earlier with less of a fight and he falls to sleep very quickly. Not sur if that will help but i know how you feel

What is your bedtime routine like? Perhaps sit him down and tell him this is how it's going to be from now on, for example bath, drink, teeth, couple of stories from you, then you leave the room and let him 'read' on his own for 10 minutes before coming back, turning the light off and saying goodnight. This is what we do with our 4 year old. We also use a reward chart with him (enourageandpraise.co.uk do a boy specific one for 4 years +) so you could give him a sticker for each night he goes down on his own with a reward for 5/10 stickers? I agree that if you can get him to sleep better it will help with his beahaviour. Good luck x

Hi,
Think you have to be quite strict in getting a new routine going. Does he have siblings?

Can you bring his bedtime forward 15 minutes a day, or more if you dare, so that it reaches 7 or 7.30? My 4 year old is in bed at 6.45 and wakes at 6.45. He still gets tired sometimes .

Maybe you can make a new bedtime routine plan- call it something more 4 year old ish- together. Draw pictures and talk about what's going to happen. If you do it together and get him to pitch in then he's more likely to co-operate with it (or so the theory goes..!).

Consider a night-light- we've got one for DS and it was a saving grace as he was getting very scared of the dark and was starting to not go to bed so well (having been very good before).

With a night-light they can look at books etc if they moan they are "not tired"- the only rule is that after you say good-night they stay in their bed/their room- depends on your philosophy!!

Rewards could work well too.

Good luck!

Does he have a sibling? My 4y.o. sleeps with his 2y.o. now although they have no problem sleeping separately either.