3 year old wakes at night

[Canikeepmysnot]

I'm after any amazing sleep strategies! My son is 3.5 years and still doesn't sleep through the night. I've had periods when it's been better and he has slept through on the odd occasion but honestly it's appalling and makes life so hard.

At the moment he wakes at 1am and around 4am - yelling Mummy mummy will you hold my hand, find my dummy, lie down with me! I don't know how to stop this as he doesn't understand when I explain. Any ideas?

He is now out of nappies so we do have the occasional wet bed, and also nightmares which obviously need a response!

He doesn't understand when you try to explain what?

When I explain he mustn't call for me unless he needs a wee or has a bad dream.

Mine is the same. 12:30 and 3:30 every night. He has never been a great sleeper. At the moment I am so tired I am just getting into bed with him. He goes back to sleep quickly if I get in. I think..he'll not still be doing it when he is 15...

@Canikeepmysnot I am going through exactly the same thing at the Moment! DC screeches "Mummy! Mummy!" so loud in the middle of the night so I panic and dash into their room only to find her sat up but half asleep. I think maybe it's night terrors or bad dreams in our case? Is your DC totally awake?

Rubytinselslippers at least it's not me! Yep goes straight back to sleep if I get in with him, but if I go back to bed a few minutes later - Mummeeeeeeere

No it's not night terrors, definitely definitely awake

Mine is definitely not fully awake...but becomes awake if i don't cuddle him in. I agree some form of night terrors.

Sorry cross post

My 3.5 year old is the same, well maybe a bit better because it's not every night anymore. However her 20 month old sibling is worse 😫

I think the same as a PP said - it isn't forever is it? (Fucking hope not anyway!)

Ems137 - no surely can't last forever! Very impressed you took the plunge for a second!

Get rid of the dummy
Make sure you lift him when you go to bed to have a wee
Get a heaven my blanket and tuck him in well when he calls

What’s the bedtime routine?

Yes, definitely call in the dummy fairy. My DS used to wake a lot looking for his dummy until we took the plunge. We put all his dummies in a gift bag, attached it to the inside of the front door & hey presto the next morning the fairy had delivered a much wanted toy (a Toy Story Woody). After a few nights he stopped asking for the dummy. Good luck!

Thanks for all the tips, we do play in room and story wind down, bath a couple of nights a week.
He'd got into a bad habit of wanting to hold my hand after a really bad nightmare which petrified him so I'm breaking that habit.
Interestedly tonight he decided to read the dummy fairy book and go to sleep without dummies so we are officially on day one no dummies. Fingers crossed for sleep!

Good luck

Get rid of all the dummies now! Bin them and don’t look back

Greentulips the dummies have gone! He was very excited about the dummy fairy visiting for about an hour and now he's upset and very cross. Could be a long few days!

Stick with it - it'll be worth it in the long run. I threw the dummies to the bottom of the wheelie bin so I couldn't be tempted to give in and give him the dummies back.....x

Thanks mishgs, tonight was awful, cried for 40 minutes but I didn't cave! Ended up holding him standing up and doing the rock and bop I did when he was a baby. Went straight to sleep. I'm pretty sure he can sleep without it, just the reality setting in. He asked Daddy to call the dummy fairy to come take the toys back , should of done this before he could talk!

What works with my DD (3) is a star reward chart, with a star for staying in her own bed and another one if she doesn't cry out (unless it's a wee or she's ill). It has worked well this time. That said, I just had to get up and settle her at 4am. But that's ok because DS (17 months) has been awake for hours!

My DC are not good sleepers...

I would consider putting him back in night nappies and using them until he's been continuously dry for six months.

Does he snore?

I didnt get a full nights sleep until mine was nearly 4 - but it turned out that the waking up anxious was sleep apnea, my child would stop breathing, wake up panicked and then cry or want me. If i cuddled her next to me in bed she'd go straight back to sleep, but it would take ages to settle if on her room.

Sometimes it was night terrors but normally she was wide awake and wanting me. The operation completely fixed her and she slept through mainly from about 2 weeks after. And to be honest was a completely different child.

I felt guilty for getting frustrated with her when it really had been her waking terrified. She of course had known no different and didnt know why.

Thought Id mention it just in case theyre snoring a lot!

I met a 7 week old today whose sleeping through. Gosh I was envious! 4 years of very broken sleep... and I was a wreck!