3 Almost 4 Year Old Not Sleeping Through Night.

How long has he been doing this?
Many times, at the cusp of an age change... a child gets tweaked... temporarily... then it normalizes again.
Just keep him to his usual nap/sleep times.
It should pass.
BOTH my kids, when they are on the cusp of an age change... do things like this and also behavior wise.

OR, maybe at his Dad's house, then back to your house... he has to adjust again because Dad is NOT keeping his naps/sleep times, regular, or he is putting him to bed whenever. This sort of thing... really can tweak and abrupt, a child's NORMAL sleep habits.

all the best,
Susan

Don't give him any food, drink or mess with any toys during the night. Be consistent that night time is bed time. Put him back to bed and each time he gets up put him back to bed without talking to him. If he calls you, ignore him. Be consistent, tell him whats expected of him before he goes to bed at night. HTH Good luck!

Do not give him anything in the middle of the night. Do not teach him that you will respond to his ridiculous requests. No discussion! If he wants something, repeat the same answer over and over again. E.g. "No, it's the middle of the night, go back to bed." Remember, you cannot reason with a child in the middle of the night. If he wants water or food, just tell him "No, it's the middle of the night, go back to bed" or whatever you come up with. It has to be the same answer over and over again as he will get tired of it and get the message.

If he has had a drink before bed, he does not need anything in the middle of the night. Do not teach him that it is worth waking up. And do not feel guilty about being the "bad" parent. Your son will remember, when he is older, who did what was best for him.

And whatever you do, do not mention his dad unless it is something nice. I got so sick of hearing my mom complain about my dad. When my mom finally accepted the divorce, she would speak well of my dad. They got along so much better then and it so much nicer for us kids. What do you want your son to remember about his childhood?

In order to get along better with his dad, be sure to compliment him on something that he does with your son every opportunity that you can. It will go a long way with your relationship if you demonstrate some respect for him (no matter how hard it is to do it!) and your son will benefit in the long run. Even complimenting his dad to your son will make him respect you more!

Just keep the house dark when he wakes in the night, give him some warm milk and tell him he has to go back to bed until the sun comes up, period. Tell him if wants to stay awake he needs to just lay in his bed and can't get out. If you get up with him and get drinks and play that just wakes him up more. I'd change the routine to "okay, lets go pee, do you want some milk?" and after that its back to the sack. Whisper to him because it's night time, and dont turn on lights because that gets the brain going.