Tell me about your 3 yo sleep habits

[callmeovercautious]

I have put this in Behaviour and Development instead of sleep as I think it is a behaviour issue really.

I need advice and hopefully some reassurance

DD is 3 and wakes everynight at various times and either crys until we go into her or just gets up and comes into our room.

We tried putting her back but it would result in a 3 hour battle which is not good for any of us. So instead we have been putting up with it and she sleeps with us, but it is starting to effect mine and DHs relationship and there is no chance of us having another DC if she is still doing this.

So are we that unusual? How often does your 3 yo wake? and if they wake how do you handle it?

DS did sleep though for a few months but now he wakes up once or twice every night for a wee or because of a nightmare or because of growing pains in his legs or sometimes hunger. When it seems like a good reason we deal with the problem then spend a little time in his room and give him a hug and tuck him back up. When he calls out and then says, "read me a story" we refuse because it's night-time, say goodnight and ride out abut 10 minutes of angry crying.

He does stay in his bed, though, as we have always done the Supernanny thing of putting him back if he gets out. It might only be a 3 hour battle one night, you know, worth trying putting your DD back - at this age, it's not controlled crying is it, she knows you are just outside her room and have not deserted her etc.

We have just been working through moving our DD1 (aged 3.4yo) into sleeping in her own bed every night and staying there.

We frequently co-slept when she was younger and she had moved into a bed in her own room just before DD2 arrived Dec 2008.

We have found a sticker chart is one of her favourite things - and starts from teeth cleaning and includes stories in own bed etc so she always gets some stickers - then goes through settling down to soing to sleep and staying in own bed all night - obviously last two are done on chart the following morning.

We also spent a couple of nights with me sleeping on mattress on her bedroom floor all night.

Last night I settled her from the mattress on the floor - and then she slept through the whole night until we woke her at 6.45 this morning (have to leave the house by half 7!) I slept in my own bed.

Tonight has been the same as last night and I will be sleeping in our bed again as usual.

We started this at the beginning of the xmas holidays - it was scuppered by conjunctivitis and 3 nights in a hotel family room on the mainland after xmas so took a bit longer maybe.

Fingers crossed...

Thanks Ladies

Sods Law has it that the little angel slept all night in her own bed Perhaps I should moan about her on here every night.

doingthelambeth - she never has a "reason" for waking when I ask her so it is a mystery! Which unfortunately also means there is nothing obvious I can fix.

Dysgu - The sleeping on her floor might work, I think I have a blow up I could use.

I am off to see the HV tomorrow - they are great here (bit rare I know!) we had a chat on the phone and she said DD did seem to be worse than average but that if I went in to see her we could talk it through more. I am looking forward to hearing what she has to say