3.5 yr old waking multiple times a night! I'm exhausted!

[Geo90]

Hi everyone,
This is my first ever post so I hope its in the right place and I could really do with just some moral support right now.

My 3.5 yr old boy slept through the night from 11m to just after his 3rd birthday and I know we had it so good. He would send himself off to sleep and everything!
2 months after he turned 3 his bedtime routine no longer worked and we went through weeks of screaming for hours at bedtime! We managed to get through that with a completely new routine now at bedtime that involves me sat on the end of his bed and singing a few songs and then just sitting there whilst he drifts off which takes about 10-15 mins. He knows there is no more talking or playing during this time. He now also wants his door leaving open slightly and a light left on in the hallway. He has white noise on also.

He now wakes up at least once a night between 2-4am crying and coming into our room saying he is scared...he sometimes thinks he's heard thunder no matter how many times we tell him he hasn't. So I have now switched off the white noise once he is asleep in case he thinks that is it but it hasn't helped.

Last night he got us up 8 times between 2am and 4:30am. He just wants you to sit on the end of the bed till he goes back to sleep. Last night was really bad but usually its just once a night.

I'm literally at my wits end and so tired because its always me he wants not his Dad, which somehow sleeps through the crying. If Dad does try and resettle him, its "no, I want mummy". I'm completely exhausted with the broken sleep and then working long days in a full time job.

I've looked into sleep programmes and apps to help online but all the advice is hidden until you pay and this seems like such a specific problem it may not help.

I think I'm just looking for some moral support from fellow mums that have been through something similar please rather than just my MIL and neighbours saying "well what can you do...".

Thanks x

I had similar. We had to stop him falling asleep with someone there for him to stop wanting it at night.
only took a couple rough nights for it to sink in and improved hugely since.

Could it be night terrors? It’s not unusual at that age. It sound utterly hideous.
maybe moving him into your room for a short period is worth a try?

Did this get any better for you? In the same boat 😭

My daughter is 3.5 years and has literally never slept a full night in her life! Hubby and I are both ft working older parents (43 and 48) and to say we are exhausted is an understatement!!
She definitely went through a period of night terrors not so long ago so could that be it?
Hope things improve for you soon.

If it's any consolation, in currently awake with my 4.5v year old. She's finally dropped off but it's taken 2 hours. It's a fairly regular thing here and I'm knackered.

It's a bit of a complicated situation with her so we feel much so just have to put up with it for now.

I feel your pain though.

We had this, it turned out to be worms! Urgggh

Worms?

We had the same with our 3year old. Always been a great sleeper (12hrs a night from around 6 months old) but we moved him to a 'big boy bedroom' with new bed etc a few months before our second baby was due to arrive and he started waking lots in the night. I was anxious worrying about having a newborn and a 3yo up in the night! We would talk to him each night before bedtime about staying in bed etc - some nights this helped and some it didn't!
We did get a grow clock to encourage him to stay in bed 'if the owl was blue', this did help to some extent the majority of the time but it was just a phase and lots of my friends with children a similar age went through the same. It must be some sort of sleep regression! Pleased to say he did come through it and we are back to a good 11 hours a night.
Hang in there; it will get better! May be worth trying a grow clock too!