sleepless 6 yr old

[nurseymum999]

Really struggling with my 6 yr old daughter sleeping at night. Has been for a few months now. Getting to bed isn't normally a problem, though when I get in from a late shift she's often in my bed with daddy who have both crashed out after story time. it's when she wakes in the night, she can't and won't go back to sleep. She has fairy lights on in her room so it's not dark (she was moaning it was too dark), I have tried staying in the room until she settles but that can takes hours so now I go and settle her back down and go back to bed but she'd up and tries to get in bed with us again and again and again. This I don't want to happen so I escort her back to her room. She tells me that she hasn't had a bad dream, there is no noise or shadow etc that are scaring her and when I do put her back to bed for the umpteenth time she then starts to cry and wake the whole house up. I have tried the reward sticker system that if she stays in bed and thinks about something nice that she will end up drifting back to sleep with limited success. Anyone else got any ideas so I can have some sleep please?!!!!

Does your DD listen to a story CD? Maybe if she could put one on she would stay in her own room. My 6 yo likes The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden etc. If your DD prefers shorter stories, Winnie the Witch, Hairy Maclarey or even comforting nursery rhymes might be short enough to lull her back to sleep.

Good luck.

Mine are younger and we've done the return to bed with a goodnight and kiss the first time, then return and kiss,ten return with no communication for all subsequent adventures.

I must say though that perhaps your bed needs to be just for you at all times of the day. If she has night time stories there it's not unreasonable of her to feel some right to be in the bed whenever she wants. I think stories need to move to her room and your dp needs to not fall asleep with her. He has perhaps introduced a sleep prop without intending to. If she always falls asleep with him in the evening she's going to feel lonely when she wakes and he's not there.

I'd work on her bedtime routine and hen stand firm on the overnighters with as little fuss as possible.

I think fairy lights might be too bright for seratonin levels to keep her asleep. I would get her something that turns off after 10 mins, she can activate it to turn it on again but will eventually turn off. My DD has a rainbow light that does that.
I think you are doing your best to be kind but she is taking advantage of that. I wouldn't interact with her, would return her to her bed and the only sound would be "shush".
If there is a toy that she really wants I would say she can have it after a week of un-interupted sleep in her own bed. ( I am thinking to break the cycle of waking up).

Hope anything I have said is of use. Good luck.