Wits end

[Amfeelingfline]

I need a bit of advice, my 8y.o dd is an absolute nightmare at bed times. She’s always been difficult, waking up every night (usually for a wee, so i’m lucky there I suppose) but even though she has a toilet in her room (was there when we moved in) she will scream and cry and wake me up so I can take her to it. Will invariably demand that I stay in her/my room until she falls asleep or will literally scream the house down. I have tried: redecorating the room, put countless fairy lights/night lights so it’s not completely dark. She shares a room with ds so is not alone and as we did with her, I or dp will read them stories usually until they or ds falls asleep. She continually wakes up and will call for me just to check that i’m Not downstairs so I have no time with dp when he is around (he works long shifts and can be home after midnight) I cannot recall the last time I actually got to spend some time chilling with him. Things seem to have gotten worse over the last few months and i’m starting to resent her. She will come in my bed in the middle of the night and has a 1000 excuses as to why she can’t sleep. Tonight I got them to bed by 7:45, and she has just now fallen asleep because i’ve come to my room ( was trying to tidy up downstairs) and she cried and cried and screamed until I yet again relented...she can keep this up till really late (i’ve tried). I don’t know what to do anymore... please help

My now 11 year old was and sometimes still is like this. What helped us was music on an iphone near her bed. She never picks the phone up...so no worries about her being online or anything.

She chooses her own music and that seems to keep her company. YouTube has loads of stories too...relaxing ones.

My dd was like this too. Story cds did help and I told her if she didn’t fuss and cry I’d creep in and give her a kiss every 5 minutes...and I did, religiously!!
When she woke up in the night I did the same and would keep myself awake so I could go in every 5 minutes. I would go in, kiss her and leave. No chat.
It took a while but worked in the end. I could say I’m reading a really good book so i’ll come in 10 minutes. Important thing was to make sure I remembered to do it!!

Thanks both, she came to my bed last night as well....she has cd stories already. I might put a little speaker in her room and play soothing sounds like the sea or something and see if that works HennyPennyHorror, i’ll also try the i’ll Come and give you a kiss in x minutes (though not sure how you managed at night tulipsarefab), I much appreciated the input 😁