My children don't like to sleep!

[Sellingbedtime]

Just looking for a sympathetic nod from any fellow parents of non sleepers. We was definitely dealt the "no sleep" hand with both our children. Tried various things but now just given up/given in and succumbed to the broken nights. Only now is our eldest 3YO sleeping through AND putting herself to sleep (yay!) But still loves a 5am wake up!

Thinking I definitely pissed someone off in a previous life and this is my penance

My 4.5 yo doesn't sleep through yet (less than 10x ever, the last time he did I went into labour and she's now 20 months old) and is (according to recent assessments) neurotypical. He goes to sleep at 8 and wakes at 5-6am. My second is still breastfed, she sleeps through occasionally and is improving, and has always been much better than my first. I co sleep with both to manage them and a full time job...

I have 2 white eyebrow hairs. Thanks kids.

I think 5 am waking is normal. But you will get your own back in the teenage years

This is how mine were.

Ughh, it was awful. I developed a twitchy eye, apparently that can happen to your nerves from lack of sleep.

Now mine are teenagers they sleep ok but I now have insomnia due to menopause. It's crap!

My 2.5yo only just started sleeping through recently and it's gone out the window with house sitting my mums, but tbh this is normal and I just roll with it. If anything it's our culture that is skewed when it comes to the normal sleep behaviours of children.

Love bombing helps, leaning in to the neediness helps, clean sleep hygiene, lots of encouragement and responsiveness will stand you and your kids in good stead for long term good sleep.

I definitely wouldn't expect a 3yo to put themselves to bed.

@GoodVibesHere I get the eye occasionally too!

Ds now has kindle fire kids for morning octonauts/numberblocks, alongside a breakfast snack box and water. So he will wake me and usually stay next to me in bed, but occupy himself and not wake his more reasonable 7.30ish-6.30ish little sister and let me doze unless he needs a poop or something 😅

Yes definitely agree with the skewed sleep culture. From the get go it was definitely my biggest hang up.

Ah I jinxed myself, daughter has just woken up.

On a similar note found the Tonies box very helpful for those early mornings.

Mine don't either! Whenever I hear of these kids that do 12 hours a night from a few months old I could cry with jealousy! My eldest slept through about age 4 eventually and now she is older she sleeps fine but I'm still co sleeping with my 2.5 year old who still wakes at least once or twice a night! I can't deal with the 5am starts though so mine go to bed pretty late.

My eldest used to have night terrors too where she would just wake up (or not wake up really) and start screaming at me in the middle of the night, used to scare the bejesus out of me.

To think I used to struggle to get up for work at 8am after 8 hours sleep or more in my early 20's this is my payback I suppose haha! I would be lucky to get a 5 hour stint these days.