I am like the living dead at this stage.......any advice welcome

[VeronicaMars]

DD is 3, she was a good sleeper until about two months ago when she got a really bad cold. Now it's every night. She makes her way into our bed which is fine if she would go to sleep but she doesn't.
She wants to talk, move around and sometimes she just says she is not tired even wanting to go downstairs. She is also asking for warm milk, water used to work but she will now cry for milk.
We are so exhausted at this stage.
She goes to bed at eight and last night it was three when she came in to us and I can honestly say it was five before she went back to sleep.
Any ideas or is it just habit now?

Bump cause I'm so tired....

guess it's habit but that doesn't mean it has to go on.

At 3 she's old enough to understand that she needs to sleep in her own bed surely. I'd just keep putting her back in, maybe with a treat in teh morning if she manages to sleep the whole night in her own bed.

I'm not suggesting it will be easy but i'm sure with persistent she'll been sleeping in her own bed. Just don't give in - it'll just be harder next time you try.

Have you read The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers? I've just got it for my 2 1/2 year old who is just as bad, and it has some really good ideas that I hadn't thought of. Like roleplaying in the day what you do if you wake up in the night (reach for lovey, snuggle duvet round you, put your special music on or whatever). Also making a book about her that ends with staying in bed all night. Loads of other ideas too. Don't know whether they work because I haven't tried them yet, but I'm feeling much more optimistic!

Yeah I'm sure it's a bad habit now. Haven't heard of the book but I will have a look, it would be handy to have for ideas.