At the end of my tether with 3.5 old.

[Avocado0nToast]

Can anyone help? I've posted before about my DS sleep so it's always been a problem. However he's now 3.5 and it's worse than ever. He's up multiple times a night for silly reasons - last night it was he couldn't shut his water bottle, his pillow was cold etc. He can now get out of his bed so he comes wakes us or screams until we go to him. It's very rare for anyone in our house to stay undisturbed in bed for longer than 2 hours. Once the silly reason is sorted he goes back to sleep happily.

I'm embarrassed to say I'm feeling completely broken by this. I have no idea how to break the cycle but something needs to change as I am worried this is starting to affect my mental health. Does anyone have any tips on getting a stubborn 3.5 year old to stay in bed?

Dint have any advice but feel your pain I’m the same with dd who is nearly 3 and ds 1 and o don’t no how the break the habbit I have tried everything. Currently been awake since 2.39 aftervobly going to sleep at 12.30 and honestly feel like I could cry because I just need.

Sleep

I guess you have two options:
-embrace hi sunshine need for contact at night. Put bed in your room/ co-sleep / whatever to get everyone e most sleep with least disruption. It won’t last forever.

• sit him down and explain that it has to stop. He has to stay in bed. You are not going to deal with bottle/ pillow/ whatever during the night. Make him as self sufficient as possible- night light, easy water bottle- whatever the sticking points are. Then choose reward for staying in bed/ not calling you. A new toy/ treat breakfast- whatever floats his boat. Then few nights of rigidly sticking to it. It might get worse before it gets better. Do you have gro clock? It’s really helped us with early waking- dd can see from number of stars how long til she can get up.

Good luck- lack of sleep is awful.

Sunshine???? His!!

He doesn't feel like my sunshine today cantchooseaname . Baba feel for you I'm also sat here trying not to cry and wondering how I'm going to make it through the day. for you and everyone else suffering.

I'm just worried I'm becoming a terrible mum. I'm so tired and cross and shouty because I get no break or sleep.

He seems unaffected by anything. I've offered rewards, I've taken stuff away, I've tried to find if there's a deeper problem. He's got a night light, an easy water bottle...the only thing that has kept him in bed for one night recently is the worry he would run into Santa on Xmas Eve! But then DD6 was up at 5am Xmas day so not much respite!

Sleep deprivation is the worst, and I am completely with you on how it affects parenting.

Can you and husband tag team it? So at least you know when you will get some sleep.

This sounds awful and you have my sympathy! The only thing that worked for my daughter at that age (and she wasn't as bad as this) was pure bribery. We put a bunch of sweets / chocolate etc in a bag and said she could have one every morning she'd stayed in bed all night. After it started to work we cut down a bit but the immediacy of good night = sweetie is what worked for us. Very unmumsnet though!

My husband and I take it equally so I have plenty of help. The problem I find is even when he goes to him, I am still woken by it and I'm so annoyed it's happening AGAIN I find it really hard to get back to sleep. I just want to find 'the thing' that is making this happen, but maybe I just need to accept some kids are just like this with sleep. I hate being grumpy mum, wish I could be more accepting of it all without getting annoyed.