How old was your child before they slept well almost every night?

[LittleB]

Dd is 2.7 and has been sleeping badly, partly because she's had alot of colds, but even when well she'll wake most nights, usually I can just tuck her in and leave her but sometimes I need to stay with her, or keep popping in and out to get her to settle, I've occasionally slept in her bed when she's been ill and really upset. But she wakes most nights even when fine, usually she only goes through a couple of nights per week. Her bedtime routine is good, she goes off to sleep on her own, chattering to herself or straight to sleep, its when she wakes in the night its tricky. Is this normal? When will it get better? And is there anything else I should be doing?

4 and a half (sorry )

When DS started doing this at this age we eneded up using a sticker chart for staying in his bed for a few weeks. This got him into the habit of staying in his bed/room even if he woke up.

My ds was about 12 months before he slept through regularly.

Don't know if this will cheer you or depress you, but I was 9 years old before I slept well regularly, and most nights ended up in my parents' bed. Personally, now that I am a mum, I think they weren't tough enough on me - but there we are, whenever ds has a bad patch of sleeping, I often wonder if he'll start taking after me and I'm in for another 8 years of it.

comes and goes but dd was 3 before she really slept consistently. tbh she still comes in to the bed 50% of the time she is 4. no doubt someone will come on and recommend chaining her to her bed or using a stair gate but i just accept that dd has phases and eventually she will sleep properly.

Dd was over two. She was co-sleeping then, and still does.

3 and 20m and I have yet to have an unbroken night in over 3 years. However ds is capable of sleeping 7 to 6.30am he just doesn't every night. He wakes a couple of times a week and ends up in our bed - if he is ill run down. Best thing is to make sure they are out and about every day and get plenty of exercise. This is a bit more tricky in winter months (this is where I have been falling down recently).

If your dd is capable of setling herself then make sure she doesn't get much out of you when you go into her - no talking except murmuring night night, time to sleep etc. I had to teach ds to settle himself to sleep when he was 22 months by not talking and rapid return, but he is starting to have nightmares (seeing monsters etc.) now he is older and we have yet to find the magic solution to this one

I've never really struggled with non-sleeping children, but if we have had a bit of a glitch which does occasionally happen, we go down the sticker route. DD's are 4.8 and 2.8.

Sorry, my dd's 11 and it hasn't happened yet. But then there are health issues, so I'm not overly concerned. I think we've done well to get this far with our sanity more or less intact.
We just play musical beds at night. With luck I end up in little brother's bed which is the most comfortable. I'm relaxed about it, my parents were and they survived.
I know lots of people from my generation whose parents were relaxed about this; it's only since the Anglo/American parenting books started flooding the market that this has become one of the Most Important Issued of Childrearing, the way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

dd1 was 4, ds1 and ds2 were still babies. dd2 slept night from 7 weeks to 10 months, had a bad year. Got good again then march this year started waking 3 or 4 times a night and yelling and yelling and impossible to comfort. She's nearly 4. She co-sleeps (and has CP) Some nights I'm ashamed to say, we give her melatonin but its precribed cos kids with CP are notorious for sleep problems.
dd1 was just anxious and had night terrors.

Sounds like it varies enormously! Luckily she doesn't come into our room, she just stays in her bed and yells or cries for me, so when she's ill I'll get in with her, but I can usually sneak out again and at least dh sleeps well then, although he helps too when she has a really bad night. I will try not talking to her too, its just hard when she's chattering away. Stickers are a good idea, she loves them, I thought she might be a bit young but I'll try! Any other suggestions and stories?

I think you might have to try leaving her to cry it out for a few nights until she gets the message that you're not going to be at her beck and call all night. Get some ear plugs! I know it sounds cruel, but in the long run you will all benefit because you'll be sleeping more and not so grumpy etc. If she does start coming out of the room into yours, just calmly take her hand and bring her back then leave again. You might have two or three nightmare nights then by the third things will start getting better... leave it til a time when you're all mentally prepared for it (maybe in Xmas week if you're all off work and can have a few lie-ins to catch up with any lost sleep). Hope it works... I just did this with my dd2 at age six months and she sleeps for England now. DS1 the same.

My son started to 'sleep through' from this summer, when he was exactly 2 and a half. Before that, he mostly woke once or twice a night. It coincided with me completely cutting out bottles - previously he was having one during the day and whatever it took to get him to sleep at night. I don't know if it was a direct consequence of cutting out the bottles, or whether he was just 'ready' to sleep for longer periods?

I read somewhere that children like to co-sleep between the ages of 2 and 5 and then they start becoming more independent at night ie are ok if they wake at night and can go back to sleep by themselves.

My dd is 4 and we have a bed for her next door and in our room, and sometimes we just put her to bed in our room to avoid her and us having to get up in the night. We all get a good night's sleep and that's the only objective as far as i'm concerned!

DS is 19 months and sleeps in his cot in his own room, we usually don't hear a peep out of him from 7pm til 6am (now i said that he'll be up tonight for sure!)

meant a bed for her in room next door not next door neighbours!!

Ds1 was 8 1/2 months. Ds2 from 11 months (though he did sleep through from 6 weeks to 5 1/2 months).
Ds1, though, has had phases where he's been difficult to settle, or has woken in the night or woken early. I expect ds2 will be the same.
We do do rapid return (limited success but does give up after a couple of weeks when it sinks in that he always gets the same response) and we gave him a light he can switch on and he has his teddy. (Ds2 has his lion and will get a light when he gets a bed.) When we've discovered he's scared of a monster or an animal we've talked about what they're scared of so he knows how to make them go away. Once he's in bed he doesn't leave his room 'til 7 am either. Even on the occasion where they're both awake and I can't get either of them to nod off again and I am sat there silently cursing life. Apart from that we always put them to bed in the same way and handle nights in the same way (dimmed lights, quiet voice, barely any talking).

dd was 2 years
ds was 6weeks ( we couldn't believe our luck)

if i told you, you;d hunt me down and slap me !

ds was 10mths and dd was 3mths....7pm-7am guarrenteed!! and i thought 10mths of sleepless nights was bad!!!....obly ever have a problem if they are ill now.