4 years old next week and waking several times a night almost every night

[summersusu]

I have been a BW since he was born so i hope he is not to old for me to post.  He will be four next week and has been waking 5 out of 7 nights a week once or more.  Sometimes it sounds like a nightmare and sometimes it is just a whine for him to be tucked back in.  He doesn't get out of his bed, just cries until someone comes in.  We have talked to him over and over about going back to sleep, we have tried nightlights.  He takes one nap a day, goes to bed around 8ish and sleeps until 7 or so.  Please help, I expect this from my 15 month old, not my 4 year old

[anna*]

Could he be ready to cut the nap?

[summersusu]

Not sure.  Sometimes he takes it and sometimes he doesn't but I haven't notice any difference at night.  He stays with a in home daycare and I know she is going to make him lay down each day whether he naps or not.

[anna*]

I guess my two ideas would be to try cutting the nap for a few days to a week (possibly also bringing bedtime a little earlier?) and see if that makes a difference, the other thing that comes to mind (obviously my LO is a lot younger) is to consider setting up a reward chart system and making HUGE praise when you have a quiet night.

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

I think its developmental and a lot of 4 year olds do this. DD did and it drove me nuts, this was when she discovered she could get out of bed at night. she used to come to my room and get me to tuck her back in and tuck in her bears. We just had to ride it out. In the end a night light did the trick and a final reward of a bedside light.
I also think maybe its time to get rid ot the nap and do quiet time, for us its with a dvd and maybe make bed time earlier, at least half an hour. It took 6 months to break the habit with dd. She would come in my room and scare the living daylights out of me by tapping me on the arm and I would wake up with a jolt, this made me madder than anything and I got to the stage where I dreaded night time. We also did a happy sad face chart.

Now we have EW, due in part to having to be up at 6.30 for school so she does it at the weekends as well, going to tackle that this weekend if I can find a battery operated digital clock, cos she is wakening ds and going in his room when she wakes.

At this age you have to be even more inventive and try whatever works. Bribes usuallly work quite well.

[summersusu]

I am going to try rewards.  I also think we might try early bedtime as he has been going to bed around 8:15 or later where he use to be in bed no later than 8.

[zachymom]

I don't know if this is really true, but I read somewhere that the vast majority of night wakings for children between 3 and 12 are due to them needing to go the bathroom (but not understanding that themselves.)  The doctor/author suggested that you take the child directly and silently to the potty and then lead them back to bed.  I've done this with my daughter at least a dozen times and it always seems to work.  And, I do everything I can to get her to try and go "one more time" right when we turn out the lights.
My other thought/suggestion was the nap, too.  My almost 5 year old dropped her nap at about 3 1/2 and we've been doing quiet time ever since. Perhaps you try dropping the nap and moving bedtime up a bit?   Hope something works!
Good luck!