Hello! Recently, we have been having trouble with our son sleeping. Before bed, he would keep getting up-maybe 2 or 3 times. Just using excuses like, I need to potty, I need a drink, etc. But lately, he has been doing it so often, it took 4 hours to get him to bed the other night!! He was up past midnight, getting up and coming in our room for some reason or another. Last night, he actually went to bed after only getting up once, and I was so happy. But.....he woke up at 3:00 am, insisting it was time to get up, and did the same thing until 5:00 am, when he finally went back to sleep. I am exhausted, because he doesn't just lay in his bed, he gets us up too. Every 10 to 20 minutes, he is in there. I have tried explaining that he can't get up anymore, I have asked if there is something bothering him. We go to the bathroom right before bed, everynight, and still, he will get up an try to go 4 more times. He even wet the bed right after going--not sure if he did in on purpose to get us in there or not. Is this normal? He would do this once a month before, but we thought it was just a little thing he would do, b/c sometimes you just can't sleep! But it has been around 4 days in a row now, and we are tired!! Any advice?
Hello I advise to read the Book child Dianetics there are simple solution that can help you. I was usinig when my childs where littel and help me
T.
Updated
Hello I advise to read the Book child Dianetics there are simple solution that can help you. I was usinig when my childs where littel and help me
T.
I would play hard with him in the evenings and then make sure that excersize will help him iliminate go potty before bed and quiet time just before. Hopefully he will be so exhausted he will sleep, Nice weather out side play outside with the fresh air before coming in a a nice bath to sooth him. I never have have never had trouble getting kids to bed and I run a home day care and by the time they have had activities in and out and two big meals they are out. I had one that almost can not make it through lunch so she will sleep maybe 10-15 min then I get her up for her meal brush teeth and change diaper then she is out. Good luck. G.
My initial suggestion was to "ignore" him. He seems capable of getting out of bed and therefore should be capable in going back in to bed. Then I read Holly's suggestion and agree with her. Like the Ferber method gradually show that his behavior is unacceptable.
Is your son getting enough attention from you during the day? If you go to work and he goes to daycare he may feel that you aren't spending enough time with him and evenings are the only time for him to get your attention. He may be afraid to sleep try a nightlight or glow in the dark objects. There are any number of reasons why this just started happening. Have you asked him why he doesn't want to stay in his bed?
Hi Megan,
As a sleep consultant for infants and preschoolers, I often get questions similar to yours. Many times the behaviors (difficulty going to sleep, continual stalling, "needing" to go to the bathroom, etc) are symptoms of another issue. It could be something that has made him feel insecure and he needs additional reassurance at night...he may be experiencing separation anxiety...he may be testing the limits...or, it could be as simple as he is actually over-tired. Over-tired children and babies don't sleep well. In order to fight fatigue their bodies release adrenaline, which causes them to be more alert and awake...therefore, having a more difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep.
Without knowing your particular situation, it's difficult to know exactly what advice to give, however you can begin eliminating some of the possibilities. Purposefully spend more one-on-one time with him before going to bed to help ease his insecurities. Decide what your limits and boundaries are and then stick to them. Be consistent in how you deal with his wakings. Offer incentives and positive reinforcement...give him a reason to stay in bed. And, evaluate how much sleep he is getting. Every child requires a different amount, but often we under estimate how much sleep children need.
I hope this helps.
My kids all did the same thing, so it's pretty common. You've probably gotten all the advice you need but here goes: start a routine, fairly early on in the evening, of bath, pajamas, snack, brush the teeth. Then cuddle in bed with a story. Make sure you ave enough time, but not to the point it's ridiculous, of course.
Also, make sure you are not expecting him to sleep too long at night. One of my kids just never needed a lot of sleep, still doesn't. As a newborn, he must have averaged only about 12 - 14 hours in total. As a schoolboy, about 8 hours. Now, less than me. He is just that way, I can tell because he wakes up on his own (no alarm) & has plenty of energy.
My daughter just needs reassurance in the middle of the night & to know she can come in if she has a nightmare.
Your son may be afraid he's missing something really fun. My kids hate going upstairs if the adults & any older children are still downstairs, as if an awesome party is about
to break out.
Another thing to try is sleepy music - I think Johnson & Johnson has some on-line you can download or else buy the CD's available in many drugstores. They work like a charm on my husband & me!!
I remember going through something similar too with my son at that age, I'm sure you've done this as well, but I would give him his small drink and make sure he goes potty before bed time. Then if he gets up let him go potty if that's what he claims, and then right back to bed. If he got up again, I would, with out saying anything place him back to bed (multiple times if needed). There should be no reason for my son to be thirsty in the middle of the night, I would simply tell him no drinks in the middle of the night, time to go to sleep.
Sometimes there maybe some underlying cause, for us it was because we had a new baby, and he had a tougher time adjusting with the change and stress. Good luck, I have felt your pain..:/
We had a similar issue. I bought my 3 year an alarm clock from One Step Ahead called KIDS'Sleep Classic. It has a "night night" bunny to show that he needs to stay in bed/in his room and a "wake up" bunny that shows when he can get up. We just started it about 2 weeks ago and it is already working great.
Good luck!
