3yo sleep regression...WTAF?!

[Mamabear04]

DD has just turned 3yo and her sleep has gone completely to shit. She wakes every 1-2 hours saying she needs to pee to get out of bed and has tantrums during the night about being put back to sleep. She says she wants to go downstairs and can't stand being in bed even during quiet time when she listens to her stories. Is there actually a 3yo sleep regression? I don't know what to do about this it's bloody awful! She's worse than a newborn!

...potty in her room, stairgate on the door, leave her to it.

@MolliciousIntent how can I leave her to it when she's screaming she doesn't want to go back to bed/wants mummy and daddy and is waking everyone in the house and most probably our neighbours. I am honestly at my wits end!

Honestly, as long as you keep giving her what she wants when she loses her shit, she'll keep losing her shit. You don't cave to tantrums in the day, presumably, so don't cave to them at night! You're just teaching her the level of misbehaviour required to get what she wants.

Buy your neighbors a bottle of wine and apologise in advance for a noisy week. Then just knuckle down and don't give in.

We had sort of similar at 2 years 10 months

I ended up sitting on the bed with him while he cried for whatever it was, didn't engage in the ask but just said 'it's bedtime, are you ready to get back into bed?'

If he said 'no!' I'd say 'ok, I'm going to sit here until you're ready'. Cue more crying and if wait maybe 2 mins and ask again. When he eventually says yes, I give him cuddle, explain it's bedtime and I'll see him when the owl is awake (gro clock) and then put him back to bed

Honestly it took some time but we were both consistent with this approach and he realised he wasn't going to get what he wanted.

First few nights he'd wake several times and each time would cry for maybe ten mins. Then slowly reduced to one wake and a bit less crying.

Now he mostly sleeps through again and we get maybe once or twice a week he'll wake once but will not protest very much that it's bedtime.

If he ever came into our room, we'd pick him up and take him back and sit on the bed and repeat the above.

Good luck and it hit us by surprise too!!

We have also been having an awful time for the last 2 months!!!! I’m at my wits end…. DD is 3 this month. For the past 2 years, has always self settled & gone to sleep alone & slept through. F**k knows what happened, but we (well I!!) have to sit with her until she falls asleep, then crawl out the room. I’m lucky if she stays asleep 1.5 hours, wakes up screaming, wanting to come in my bed. Eventually after sitting with her for up to 2 hours, I give in as I’m so tired & have to be up for work. I dread bedtimes!! She has also been waking up sweating, where she soaks her top. I’ve even brought a baby red night light to see if it was the dark. But that seems to have made no difference!!! I just don’t know what to do!!!!!!

DS was slightly younger, I think about 2.5 but controlled crying worked for us. I'd leave him a minute, go in, comfort, back to bed, leave and if he started crying again, wait two minutes before repeating. Adding a minute each time. I only ever got up to 8 minutes once. He's 4 now and sleeps beautifully again. It's a phase, it will pass, you just need to be consistent in your approach