how to train a 3 yrs old to sleep?

Question

my daughter had sleeping problems..she used to wide awake in the middle of the night (1am to 4am~) until she started school when she was two.. but now she still always sleep late at 11 or 12.. n i have to wake her up at 7 for school (school starts at 7:40). u can imagine how it's like to wake a sleeping kid.. she will cry..then afternoon she will be tired and fall asleep at 3pm for 3 hrs! if lucky she will sleep at 1:30pm.. so that mean she woke up from nap between 4-5pm.. i try not to let her sleep in the afternoon..but she is soo tired that she can fall asleep during playing or even eating.. i learn from articles to fix routine..so everynite at 8:30 i will read her 2 books. but after that eventhough she seems sleepy she will keep saying "i dunno how to sleep, i cannot sleep" if she not sleepy i wont force her cos i know it's no use..but someitmes i see her almost fallen asleep then she suddenly get up and say "i dunno or i cant sleep" any similar experiences out there?

Answer 1

Have you read the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth? I love this book and I use the sleep theories on the children I keep in my home day care, and what I'm telling you is from the book. Just from reading what you have said here, try limiting her afternoon nap to around 2 hours and move it up a little to around 12:30 or 1 pm. That way she's up around 2:30 or 3 pm. Then try moving her bedtime to around 8 or even 7:30 pm. As it is, if you go to her bedroom at 8:30 to read books, she's probably not getting to sleep until at least 9, and this is really too late for a 3 year old, my daughter who is almost 4 is in bed with the lights off at 8pm. It's amazing what half an hour to an hour earlier bedtime will do. I got a little lazy with my daughter's bedtime about a year ago and she started having all kinds of sleep issues and she has always been a good sleeper. Then I realized I was keeping her awake up to an hour longer than what she was used to and it was not good. So back to the earlier bedtime and she was fine. I think your daughter is overtired, most likely from her naps being too late in the day and her bedtime being too late at night. I hope this helps. Good luck, I know it's frustrating.

Answer 2

Well common sense says that the reason she's not sleeping til late at night is because she's taking late naps. Sooo, take her out somewhere around the time she's usually going down for a nap & keep her very busy, then put her to bed early(like 8pm) & she'll probably sleep all night. Now it might take a while for it to become habit & she will fight it but you can do it. You're lucky, most 3 yr olds I know dont take naps anymore.(mine stopped at 2)One thing I do when my girls say they aren't tired is give them some books & tell them that it's bedtime, they don't have to go to sleep right away but they do have to stay in their bed. They can read, listen to their music or just lay there but they cannot get up unless they have to potty. Usually within 15 minutes they are asleep. Good luck!

Answer 3

You are asking how to train a three yr. old to sleep, during the night? My daughter has a three yr. old son that has the same problem that you do, he will not go to sleep, either, and will be awake all day long that he will be in a very bad mood and would not listen to reason. I have told my daughter that to make her son go to sleep at a decent hour all she had to do is be firm with him and get him to bed at 8:30 p.m. In your case I would suggest that when your daughter is at home , if she is too sleepy, get her to sleep for an hour and wake her up so, that way she would be ready to fall asleep by 8:30 or 9:oop.m. I hope that this works for you. Good Luck, and remember kids are kids love them as they are because they depend on you their mother to help them and teach them with love, how to cope with the world.

Answer 4

I had the same problem with my oldest. He was going to bed around midnight and waking up at like 6am though. He would have no nap...so he wasn't getting enough sleep. He was also really hyper. Well, one dr. said that he had ADHD and wanted him on meds so we took him to another dr. They said he had enlarged tonsils. On a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the largest, my sons tonsils were a 3. So they did a sleep study and he had sleep aptnia (sp). He had his tonsils removed in Jan. 2006, and he is a whole different kid. His new schools loves having him b/c they can teach him. His old school also complained to me that they couldn't teach him. We use to NEVER take my son into public b/c he was literally bad, but now he will hold my hand walking through the store. He is a whole different kid. Check with your dr to see what they can do. Goodluck, and if you have any questions contact me.

Answer 5

Your daughter is sleep deprived. Let her sleep as much as she needs in the afternoon for about a week. Put her to bed by 8pm. A 3 year old needs 12 hours of sleep every 24 hours. She may have also learned that if she has trouble sleeping in the evening that she gets a lot of attention from you.

Answer 6

Try to get her out at 3;00 to play or to a friend house who also has children, go to the park, to the store. By 3 years old a child learn how to manipulate and I believe that she's doing that to you. If she play all afternoon long, she'll be tired by 8:30 and sleep all night.

Answer 7

cut back on her naps instead of 3 hours try just 2hrs,1hrs, until you get to 30mins for a nap because the more they sleep in the day the less they sleep at night. but she just maybe craving your attention at night and that's what's making her want to stay up.

Answer 8

My 3 y /o replaced into nonetheless in our mattress besides. I made up a decal chart and defined to him that as quickly as he fills up his decal chart (14 blocks) he gets this scooter he has been begging for for WEEKS. He has to sleep the finished evening in his mattress and sleep by myself in his room. evening a million he screamed for 40 5 minutes yet finally fell asleep and slept sparkling with the aid of evening 2 he fussed at us for like 3 minutes then fell top to sleep and slept sparkling with the aid of. evening 3 he fussed for a minute because of the fact it replaced into superb and he wanted to play outdoors...yet fell top to sleep. evening 4 he did no longer fuss in any respect, fell top to sleep. Thats so some distance as we've gotten yet so some distance so solid!

Answer 9

two words: Jack Daniels