3 Year old boy that still doesn't sleep through the night! Just looking for some advise. Please read on.

Question

My son just turned 3 in April and he still will not sleep through the night. I have to admit we have some bad habits of rocking him still and when he wakes up we rock him again. (He is my last child so I really have babied him as far as rocking him.) I have tried to cut out naps and he still fights with me to go to sleep and still wakes up about 2-3 times. So I thought maybe he is over tired so I went back to naps and it didn't work. I just want some suggestions to help my little baby sleep. Any suggestions on getting him to fall asleep in his own bed would be appreciated too! He sleeps in his own bed, but just is up and down, we have never shared a bed with him. It would be nice to get a full night of sleep at least once in awhile! Thank you!

Answer 1

It has taken awhile to develop the habits, so it will take some time to get rid of them. One thing you can try is when he wakes up, go into his room and tell him it is time to sleep. If he gets out of bed, put him back into bed. Every time afterthat, put him back into bed without talking to him. Eventually, he will get the idea that you are not going to rock him to sleep. When you put him to bed, have a consistant routine and bedtime. With my 2 year old it is bath, brush teeth and hair, prayers, and then I hold him while he has a little milk from his sippy cup. Then he gives hugs and kisses, and I put him in his crib with his monkey and bear. He usually falls right to sleep. As far as nap time, if your son is fussy during the day, he probably still needs it.

Answer 2

I have a son that never sleeps through the night and he is 7. He is also Autistic though. Cut out his naps. Get him up early in the morning and run him all day. It's a routine that has to be established. It sounds like his routine is messed up because you maybe looking for a easy solution. There is a natural liquid called melotonin. It is very safe for kids. Its not a permanent solution but could help with the transition. As for sleeping in his own bed, will be a nightmare for a while but I put a lock on the outside of his door so he cannot get out. He will cry or he will play but he will know that it is bedtime.....period. Once he falls asleep, you should unlock. I cannot unlock it because my son could get out and hurt himself while we are sleeping. It will be rough for the first week but he will figure out that all the screaming in the world will not change. After a while you will not have to lock the door.

Answer 3

I had a similar problem with my 3 year old. He was 2 then, but kept wakingup at night and wanting to get in to my bed. He wanted me to lay down with him to go to sleep and b/c I was so tired, I did it b/c he went to sleep fast. But, when he woke to find I wasn't there, he'd cry. So, I took the advice of the SuperNanny!! I put the baby in bed and sat by the bed and did not make eye contact. Everytime he got up I put him back in bed and didn't say anything. It was hard to ignore him crying and stuff though. Then each night I moved a little further away from his bed until I was out of the room. I sat outside the room when he went to bed for a few nights, then it was over. Now I put him in bed, give night kisses and hugs, say night prayers and he's off to sleep. He also stopped waking up at night! Good luck and I hope you get some rest!

Answer 4

although your child could be suffering from one or more of many different things it would be hard to pin point it down without knowing the condition in which he wakes and age. is he seem sick or feverish. does he rub or touch his belly does he seem cranky or whiney. Dazed and or confused, disorinated. or does he just wake up?

a sleeping disorder could be the problem but that is usually triggered by something worse in which case a doctor would be your best answer.

could be the child wakes hungry - if it is a child that is still on the bottle some parents give them a bottle at night to calm the child which could leave him with gas on his belly and not being burped after could be the problem.

a child that is using a pasaphier it could be defective could try buying a new one.

room temperture could be uncomfortable or a draft in the childs room.

a childs mind could be still rapidly reacting if your child watches TV or things are very active before bed in which case reading them a story to calm them may help.

if your child is too old to be rocked to sleep then stop rocking him, he may cry the first week let him cry himself to sleep this could be just like you said a bit of spoiling but to break this you must cut him off cold turkey.

I could most likely list more stuff but like i said with more information or a trip to your doctor could prove to be a good thing.

best of luck.

Answer 5

medical advice may not be a bad idea. however if you've already gone that route please know that you are not alone - we went through this with our son.

things you can try;

look at what he is eating throughout the day - especially for the three hours before bed. sugar/caffiene/red or yellow dyes (cereal chocolate soft drinks juice fruit etc) these can all have an adverse affect on sleeping even in tiny amounts. try warm milk and bland crackers or unsweetened dry cereals as a snack.

if you put him to bed at a certain time each night, try placing him there an hour later or letting him choose when he goes to sleep.

these are other things we did - always making sure ours stayed in his bed and or in a resting state to keep him cozy enough to sleep when his body finally needed it:

we taught our son to rock himself back to sleep so you we didn't need to be available for him. he can keep a favorite toy or something that belongs to you as a help mate if needed.

we also taught him how to "dream while awake" - make up quiet adventures in his head that he fell asleep to.

we gave him a small book light and he took his favorite book and/or toy to keep by his bed for times when he couldn't sleep - he was allowed to read or play silently but not get out of his bed because it was time for his body to rest.

soothing wordless music or sounds of nature played very softly while he rested also helped.

Answer 6

It's hard but the quickest and most effective way is to let him cry, he'll get the idea that there is no point making a fuss after the first couple of nights, remember he'll be crying in anger not in pain, and it won't have any lasting effects. I put a stair gate infront of my kids doors so that they don't feel locked in but can't get out, it worked for all 4 of mine. Good Luck.

Answer 7

Stop babying him. If he gets up at night just let him do his thing in his room. Dont rush in to pick him up or rock him back to sleep. he will eventually realize that he can go back to sleep on his own.

Answer 8

We got our kids to fall asleep in their own beds by just being patient for about a week. After we tucked them in once and read them a story if they got up we just took them back and layed them down and covered them back up. Eventually they would fall asleep and after a week they went to sleep after the first time we tucked them in.
Is there a reason he gets up such as having bad dreams or having to potty or something?

Answer 9

Just because he is your last baby is no excuse. I know you want to baby him since he is your last one, but you have to think about whats best for him. You have babied him and babied him and now he is so used to it and it's just going to get worse. You need to just put him in his bed and tell him its time for bed and shut the door. If he cries, let him cry. He needs to learn how to put himself to sleep which he doesn't know how to do because everytime he wakes up you're right there for him. Let him soothe himself to sleep even if it means letting him cry it out. It'll take time but it'll be worth it. If you keep babying him he's just going to walk all over you even more later on and "because he is your last baby" is no excuse.

Answer 10

Take him to the doctor immediately. Not sleeping through the night at his age is a sign of sleep apnea or serious heart condition.