Author Topic: 3 almost 4 lots of night got waking  (Read 1918 times)

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Offline Mommyadel

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3 almost 4 lots of night got waking
« on: February 20, 2018, 14:07:01 pm »
My little is almost 4 in July. We drop the nap on weekends as she fights it
So much it’s pointless. She sometimes has been napping at daycare but not always. Probably more on the not that often side. When there is no nap we try for a 7pm bedtime and wu is around 6:30. It seems the last few weeks she has been waking up multiple times in the night, first it was that she wanted a light in her room so we put one in there on a dimmer, then it was she didn’t like her room and wanted a different room, then it was her room decor keeping her awake and really all it boils down to is her feeling scared. That is why she doesn’t want to sleep in there. So we’ve left the light and said you can always turn it brighter if your feeling scared. But it’s just getting exhausting as she seems to have every excuse in the book on why she won’t go to bed. I’m at my wits end with her and don’t know where to even start with trying to get her to sleep in her own bed for the night. We always try to keep her in her room, but one can only go so many nights without sleeps before we give in especially with a 9 month old. Any suggestions on how to get her to stay in bed and encourage sleep?

Offline Palmira78

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Re: 3 almost 4 lots of night got waking
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2018, 11:53:45 am »
Dear Mommyadel, I feel your strugle, and I hope that I can help somehow.
First of all, consider the overall number of hours that your dear daughter is sleeping. Sleep needs vary a lot from one individual to another. I have 2 children and they are different, my husband and I are very different. Please check this link and look at the "standard" and also "may be appropiate".
https://sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times/page/0/1
My elder son, when he was 3 and a half, was no longer sleeping naps (just ocasionally). He slept 10.5 hours during the night and this was fine for him, he was not overtired.

You explain in your message, that your daughter is feelling scared. Have you considered changing her room decoration with her help? Ask her to remove anything that she does not like. You could introduce things that make her feel safe, a picture of you with her dad, some toys that she loves.... If she likes Red riding hood story, perhaps get her a toy of the hunter that saves her... Just throughing ideas.
I hope that it helps. Big hugh and let us know how it goes.



 

Offline Katet

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Re: 3 almost 4 lots of night got waking
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2018, 21:45:21 pm »
A piece of advice I was given was "look at where they are now" around 3/4yo there is a lot going on with mental capacity & it's a Western society thing to have children sleep in their own rooms, it's not an evolutionary thing.  Her fears of being alone are evolutionary rather than her being difficult or even that you have her sleep hours wrong. At her age she will have developed a feeling that she is independent of those around her, but also a realisation of how much she can be afraid of because the world is so big. Little things like a parent being in another part of the house & them calling out for the parent & the parent not hearing for 20 seconds can magnify fear, not being able to see a parent for 5 seconds in a public place can add to it. The fears of being alone can be very real & very scary.
 For me I found that time was hard & ended up with one of my boys  having a "camp out" spot on our bedroom floor. It was  a quilt & pillow on the floor (not too comfortable) & another quilt for warmth & if they woke in the night fearful they'd come in, sleep there, it lasted less than 3months , but it was a lot better than having to get up to them.  We noticed much the same happening with our DS2 around 3.5yo, but were able to solve it with the boys sharing a bedroom.

Often with the issues young children have a solution is better when we look at why it is happening, rather than why we don't like what is happening & how we can stop it.  Have you asked here what would make her less scared, as if you've been telling her "it's ok" - it may be making it worse, because clearly in her head it isn't ok otherwise she wouldn't be feeling the way she is, the trick is more to listen to what they say & show empathy & help them find solutions.  As an adult there is nothing more frustrating than someone telling you "don't worry" when you are worrying, but when they say "I hear you" you feel understood & it does help, same goes for children.
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05

Offline Mommyadel

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Re: 3 almost 4 lots of night got waking
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2018, 00:39:30 am »
That’s great insight! I just tonight put a air mattress in her room on the floor because well with a king size bed and two adults... she tends to sleep on top of me rather than in the middle 😂so I thought if I had the mattress in her room on the floor I could slee there and hold her hand if she woke scared and know that I would be there for comfort. Sometimes she flies into our room and clearly is petrified from whatever she just experienced. Sometimes I think she is just seeking comfort when she is with us. Maybe I should the mattress into our room on the floor, but to be honest I’m not sure she would ever do that( sleep on the floor) so maybe I will try the mattress in her room for a week and then move it to our room and say if she wakes she can sleep on the floor next to mommy like mommy did in her room. Thoughts? I do notice she is REALLY skidish these days and doesn’t take much to spoke her. Before around 3 ( just turned) she could have cared less and now she has to know where you are. I figured it was something we were doing wrong at night time that was causing her to be insecure.
I’m hoping this is just a phase