I have a 4 year old who gets up 2 to 3 times a night and is awake for good by 6 a.m. I'm losing my mind.?

Question

She goes to bed at 8p.m. every night. She refuses to nap at the babysitter and is frequently grumpy during the day.I have tried to put her back in her bed without talking to her and it didn't work. No sleep is getting to us as a family. Any advice is super.

Answer 1

my 3 1/2 yr old does the same thing so, i put her to bed later and that seems to help a little also, no naps throught the day and plenty of playtime you gotta tire them out!!

Good Luck :)

Answer 2

Continue doing what you are doing (back to bed, no talking at all).  It's exhausting, but eventually she'll get it.  I agree with what others are saying about later bedtimes, etc.  But also, she may be a light sleeper with small noises waking her up.  This was a problem for my son, and some of my friends' children as well.  I advised all of them to do what I did:  I bought a Homemedics SoundSpa and used the "Rain" sound effect.  It is a peaceful whitenoise-like sound that drowns out little noises (traffic, creaking house-settling sounds, etc.) that may wake them up.  I leave it on for him all night, and he sleeps straight through now... twelve hours or more.  

Also, a consistent bedtime routine may help.  Brush teeth, check potty, read a story, tuck in stuffed animals, bed.  You could even try some "Bedtime" baby lotion.  The lavendar scent is supposed to help calm a child to sleep.  Another thing you can try is eliminating TV or other stimulating activities in the evening.  Try to keep the hours between dinner and bedtime as calm as possible.  

Good luck... and know that eventually, this will pass.  I know it's difficult and I wish you the best.

Answer 3

isn't it still light outside at 8? that's a little early try 8:30 or 9. and make sure she doesn't have a sleep disorder. also make sure she's not haveing lots of juice and water right before bed. and when she does wake up tell her to use the bathroom and go right back to bed nothing to drink nothing to eat.

Answer 4

Put her to bed later like around 8:30pm or 9:00pm. It might help.

Answer 5

Refusing to take a nap?  Sometimes my little one still fights nap time, but he takes it none the less.  He may wail like a banshee, but believe me, he takes his nap.  Sometimes if a child is too tired, then they won't sleep well.  This may be your problem.  

I would also extend the time to about 8:30 pm. Make sure she does her nightly routine at 7:30 and that she doesn't drink anything after 7:30.  Then set a timer at 8:00 pm for 30 minutes.  Tell her when it goes off, it's bedtime.

Make a sticker chart and set a goal to not get up during the night.  You may have to start out small, like for one night a week, then the second week, 2 nights etc.  until she is sleeping all night every night.  Let her pick out a reasonable reward.

Answer 6

Okay, it'll take some rearranging, but if you can, go get the doorknob covers(make sure she can't get them off), and put it on the inside of her bedroom door. This only works if she has her own room too. Also, put all toys and everything away when it's time to sleep, so she's not playing. Make sure you have her room as dark as possible, the sun will wake them up, especially in the summer. I bet, if she gets up, and can't play with anything or leave the room(i'd put a potty in there, as she's probably trained) that she'll go back to sleep out of boredom. Good luck!

Answer 7

ducttape

Answer 8

I am not professional, but I speak from experience with my nephew.  He had sleep apnea from enlarged tonsils.  It is obvious that this child is over tired and running on adrenaline.  But the daily irritibility and frequent wakings seem like more than just "brattiness" to me.  If it is not a medical issue (i'd seek help, though), I suggest makin sure the waking are NOT a reward--no drinks, snuggles, etc.  At 4 the child should be able to express feelings, but may not understand what a dream is, but it's possible that dreams wake her.  My son described dreams as a movie in his pillow.  Finally, have you ever slept in her room?  Perhaps there is some outside problem like a light that shines in the window or some kind of noise bothering her that she doesn't even realize.  Good luck--I have a poor sleeper on my hands, too.