3 year old and 4 year old up loads in the night, two very tired parents at the end of their tether - help!

[merrykittymas]

So DD1 (4) and DD2 (3) are getting worse at sleeping through. DD1 is up 2/3 times for the toilet or just to have a cry, you have to go in and resettle her.

DD2 is the worst though she wakes up crying you go in to her, she actually gets worse. So far we have tried the nice there there go back to sleep to the no talking just putting her back in her bed. She can be up 8-10 times in the one night. Going into her doesn't seem to help and she will keep crying and crying.

We also have 5mo DD3 and she is the easiest to settle she just needs a BF.

DP gets up to the biggest two so as you can imagine we are both pretty shattered constantly. DP is up at 6am every morning for work too. They both used to be great sleepers but are getting worse. Next year they are going to start sharing a room too.

So has anyone had this and how did they solve it, I'm desperate for some sleep

I co-sleep with dd2 (4) or I'd be up n down all night. Sometimes she'll go several hours now.
Have you asked them why?

Co-sleeping out the of the question I already co-sleep with DD3.

If you ask them why they cannot tell you

You have my sympathy - our DS 4 and DD 3 have been terrible sleepers with my DP and I getting up all through the night for all sorts of reasons. We now seem to have come through the other side - these are the things that we did - don't know if you have tried these already but I hope they help.

1. we lift DS at 10.30 ish and take him to the toilet - that cuts out one wake up

2. plug in night lights for DD

3. we had a serious family meeting at the dining table and told our dc how tired we felt because we were getting up in the night and explained to them that they need to stay in their beds alnight with no shouting for help

4. we got them to practic settling themselves - in the middle of the day we went upstairs and got them both into bed and said - let's imagine its nighttime and you're asleep, now you wake up, what do you do and they said 'shout for mummy' and we said 'no this is how you tuck yourselves in and go back to sleep'

5. reward chart - worked for ds but not dd

6. threats - no treat (e.g sweet after breadkfast) if there is any shouting

It has worked - we need to remind them every now and then. Now we need to work on the bloody dog who woof at 4.30 for a sniff round the garden !!! Good luck

Also - nearly forgot - we gave dd1 (4) a clock and showed him what 7 am looks like - he is allowed to shout to us after that. Generally from 6.30 onwards he lays and looks at the clock until it get to seven and then shouts 'can I come through now'. DD can come through when she hears him shout. I was a bit sceptical that this would work but it does and I'm not going to question it.

thanks mumjoanne

I was thinking of getting them one of those Diseny Princess night and day clocks and telling them they aren't allowed out of bed until "day" time

The treat thing might work, they already have nightlights, have tried the Daddy is very tired etc thing