HELP!! My 3 year old has decided not to sleep through the night anymore!

[mumzyof2]

My ds is 3.1, and from being 5 months old, until 1.5, he slept through the night, everynight. But 18 months ago he just stopped!!
There is the odd night (maybe 1/10) that he will sleep through, but other than that, I am up every night, at least once, and couldbe about 5 times! I always put him straight back in his bed, but most of the time, he just keeps getting up and trying to get into our bed, although I dont allow this. Last night was a nightmare, and he just lay in bed screaming like mad, and I got really wound because he was inconsolable.

What can I do? I have another baby due at the end of April, and I dont want to be getting up all night with ds and a baby too, or I'll go insane!

all get in bed together?

in all seriousness is co-sleeping an option until he feels confident to go back to his own bed?

Oh poor you, you must be exhausted. What does your son say about it? Now that my DD is 3, she is much easier to deal with about this sort of thing just by talking it through. I managed to persuade her to agree to try not to call for mummy in the night, and mostly it actually works. Is he frightened of anything? I have had to devise spells to keep away monsters and gave her a nightlight to deal with other less identifiable darkness horrors.

we went through a few weeks of DT2 getting in bed with us, we didn't make an issue of it, just budged up let him in and he fell straight back to sleep. Few weeks later, we would just discuss before bed what was going to happen, if he got up, would gently lead him back to bed, quick cuddle and he was back off.

i have a feeling he was having night terrors, but they seem to have stopped. I used to hate idea of co-sleeping, but if it helps him sleep and you get your sleep too, no harm in it - he is not going to learn bad habits at this age.....

I used to love the co sleeping thing, but with a baby on the way, it just won work, plus he thrashes about a lot, and dp really doesnt like him being in our bed.
He did go through a phase of being scared, but once we stopped the Scooby Doo obsession, it soon stopped.
He did it again last night, and I just broke down in tears. He was inconsolable, he wont listen to anything you have to say, hes too busy crying! The day after hes done it, and I mention it too him, asking why, what was wrong, etc, and hes just says hes sorry, and wont do it again, bless him.

My dd (3.7) is going through this at the moment

It's easier for me though as I'm not pg so I just get in bed with her or let her into my bed

It's fairly common at this age - they have started to develop an imagination but don't have enough experience to understand that whatever they're frightened of is very unlikely to actually happen.

Has he said why he keeps getting up? With dd it is because she doesn't like being left alone.

Sorry I don't have any constructive advice but I don't want you to feel like you're the only one going through this!

I just give my ds a cuddle and then put him back to bed when he does this (it is infrequent for us, though). He always wakes up in his own bed so he does not get used to being back with Mummy and Daddy.

When I asked him why he gets up, he just says 'Because he wanted me.'

Oh and I can't co sleep with ds these days because I am a light sleeper, he is a kicker and the two don't mix iykwim. I feel quite strongly that sleep is important to me for my own sanity!

us too, ds is 3.5 and wakes up at a different time each night regardless of how tired, previous day's activities etc. From what I can piece together he is having dreams and they are so vivid they wake him up. Then he realises he is by himself and wants company. He comes in with us, and probably wakes 2 or 3 more times but when he does he puts his hand out and as soon as he finds me he goes back off again.

I wondered if the fact that your ds says he's sorry and thinks he shouldn't be doing it, maybe he thinks he "can't" ask for you in the night and maybe that scares him? Totally guessing btw.

Oh, no he knows he can ask for either of us. He lies in bed shouting 'Mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy.'
He doesnt say that hes scared about anything, all I can think of is that hes doing it because hes full of a cold, as hes only done this screaming thing the last two nights, and he has a cold and a cough, so maybe hes feeling lousy. He usually gets up in the night a few times, but I just walk him back to bed, and he stays there. Tht doesnt really bother me. Its the screaming for ages that gets me down.

Does he sleep through the day? We have just been through something similar with ds1, and I stopped all daytime naps, plenty of fresh air and running around. touch wood, this seems to have got things back on track and he has the odd kip through the day if he has been very busy, but otherwise i think we have turned a corner wirh this.

No, he hasnt slept through the day for about 18 months - maybe I just have to sit this through.

Good luck. It sounds like something you do maybe just have to see through. I hope it sorts itself out before your baby comes. Is there anything new making him anxious at the moment? We went through a phase of screaming nightwakings when DD was worried about going to nursery.

No, he may be a little unerved about the baby I suppose. But we talk about the baby a lot, and he seems excited about it. Iv had 4 scans, and hes been to them all, because I wanted him to understand what was happening.