So DS (3yrs) was awake from 2am - 4.30am..

[LongHairDontCare]

He is 3! When will this stop

We must've gone into his bedroom at least 12 times between us. Excuses like 'how do I sleep?' "I'm not tired" "can I have a drink" (it was next to him) "can I have a toy?" "can you stay in here?" "there's a noise!" "I need to go toilet" x2 (he didn't go)

What do I do? So tired, baby DD had just been resettled too and then woke again as soon as he went to sleep. I didn't handle it well & there was shouting and toys taken away for today, so ended up feeling like the worlds worst mother too.

While I'm here, any tips for teaching 6 month old DD to self settle and nap longer then a cat nap?

Oh to add, he has never been a great sleeper, wakes in night regularly but can sleep through other nights. This 2 hour thing happens every few weeks so not illness related

Why do you go in? We go in once and say " it's the night, everyone is asleep, go to sleep." And leave them to it.

Because he screams and sobs and shouts and he'll wake DD up, as well as our neighbours. Our walls are thin and he is stubborn

Losing it with him in the middle of the night really isn't helping anyone, but I think you know that.

Coping with two poor sleepers is tough

Maybe try a reward chart? At 3 he should be old enough to understand that.

You make up the rules according to your priorities, but something like:

• 20 stickers if you don't wake Mummy & Daddy up at all
• 5 stickers if you stay in your room all night
• 5 stickers if you don't shout at night
• 10 stickers if you go back to sleep all on your own

(or whatever works)

Point is, offer oodles of stickers. Then have a target point - say 30 stickers in a week and you can have a small gift/treat.

With your youngest - have you tried a dummy?

Thanks for replying & the advice. I felt awful for shouting at him.

He slept through last night! We have decided to do a version of your idea, he is good with visual things so I'm going to get a jar with marbles/buttons or something and take one out whenever he starts shouting and refusing to go to sleep. For every one still in the jar in the morning he can have a sticker. I don't mind him waking, especially for a drink/toilet/nightmare but I can't handle it for 2 hours straight.

Youngest has a dummy but we are in the dummy run phase! I guess I'll have to ride it out And stop co-sleeping if I ever want her to self settle!