Advice on how to deal with 3 yr old New night wandering and apparent fear of bed

[Clairehv]

Hi
Well here I am with another sleep issue to do with my 3 year old daughter.
Some context....
We transitioned E to her toddler bed around 4 weeks ago. It went really smoothly with easy bedtime routine and her typically sleeping 12 hours to 7am. The occasional NW she would call out and I or DH would go in and in the mornings she would call and wait for us to go into her room.
Additional info, I have been travelling about 3-4 days per week for work. Her childcare routine has remained constant but she has been getting upset about me going.
About 10 days ago she,had a stomach bug and then this week has developed a bad cold.
Monday night, DH woke at around midnight as E was in our bedroom saying daddy and apparently shaking like a leaf. She flat refused to go to her room saying there were monsters. He let her sleep in our bed with him ( I was away)
Tuesday night, she appeared downstairs at 9.30pm. He managed to settle her back to sleep in her bed by 10.30pm. Then she was up at 12. Again refused to go back to bed. He got her to sleep in our bed but then she was,actually sick at 5am
Wednesday night, appeared bedroom at 11pm. Slept with DH all night.
Thursday evening I got home about 10pm. She walked through to our room at midnight. I tried to take her back to bed but she got hysterical.I was,exhausted so let her sleep with me although realised she was full of cold and she coughed badly most of the night.
Friday night:tried to nip in bud. Had a long chat about reward,and present if she stayed in bed all night and shouted,if she needed us.
She came in to our room at 2.30am, I tried to take her back, she refused stood in doorway saying she didn't want her bed. I sat in her room for 15 mins, then she let me pick her up and sit on my knee. I persuaded her to lie in her bed, anyway after holding her hand, getting her a drink a banana after she was insisting she was hungry and even lying on her floor, she,finally fell asleep about 4 40am so two hours in total. She still woke up at 7am.
Tonight: went to bed fine, asleep by 7pm and falls asleep independently..
10.30pm out of her bedroom saying mummy, I tried to take her straight back to bed.She,resisted, sat on my knee for a while then I managed to get her into her bed but unfortunately only saying that she was being naughty and I would leave the room unless she got into bed. She got into bed but got upset and asked for Daddy. He is currently sitting next to her bed holding her,hand.

The only other change was last Friday we introduced a gro clock. E has always,slept in a,dark room with the door closed and has never been bothered so I am wondering if the blue gro clock light is bothering her.

Anyway advice please 're : the getting out of bed but more importantly the upset about going back to it.
She hasn't mentioned monsters since Monday. If we ask her why she doesn't want her bed she just says because I don't!she cannot express what is wrong to us.

I am really worried especially as I am away again for DH to deal with.

Also I had assumed that DH hadn't heard her calling out and that is why she got out of bed, however she doesn't say anything she just gets,out silently and walks through. I am a light sleeper and hear if she speaks so I also got the shock when she appeared in our doorway

Thanks for any help
C

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I wonder if it is a combo of separation anxiety and the difference the light is making? I cannot sleep in a room with any type of blue or green light as when I get into a lighter sleep cycle it wakes me up and it seems like more than just a coincidence that the disturbances started after the light was introduced.

[Clairehv]

Hi,
Yes and I appreciate DH probably made an error the first night bringing Her into bed but it totally freaked him out that she seemed so petrified and tbh he is coping on his own most of the week so he is doing a good job really.
Will try taking the clock out. Not sure how that will go as she likes it changing from a sun to Stars and she kisses it goodnight!
Will tell her it has gone away to be mended.
DH stayed in with her from 10.30-11.30 and she fell asleep. She stayed asleep until 5.45 am but would have been 6.45am as we had the clock change last night.

Will see how tonight goes. At least bedtime doesn't seem to have been affected
X

[Haribo2012]

You can turn the blue light totally off, so when stars go down at bedtime it goes black at the end.

[Clairehv]

Hhi Zoe
I had no idea you could do that. How does that work I have read the instructions but can't find out how to.
Thanks for the tip x

[Haribo2012]

If you go into where u set the time and where you set sun come up time it's in there, just go down to the pic that looks like a lightbulb think it's last one on screen and u can alter it down to 0...ours is on 1 so it's not too bright but 0 is dark x

[Clairehv]

Thanks Zoe. The update is that she has stayed in bed this week for DH.  She has woken up but shouted for him and he resettled quickly.
I wonder if she was feeling poorly last week.
Well I am rushing to get home for bathtime so hopefully me being back won't unsettle her again.
She has been asking for her clock so we can reintroduce now I know how to sort the light. Thank you x

[Haribo2012]

Sounds like you've turned the corner...hope clock goes well xx

[Clairehv]

Pretty much back to our 12 hour nights bar a few occasions where she has wanted to get up for wee so thankfully it was a short phase x

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Great update!