At wits end, please help

[shanias_mum]

My 3 yr DD keeps waking up at night, every night, and comes into my bed. Most of the time i get up and put her back to bed 3 or 4 times a night unless like monday night i was just too damm tired to get up, so she ended up sleeping with us the whole nite which resluted im me and DF getting no sleep. I got up at 6.30 monday morning made myself a coffee and fell asleep on the couch till 7.30 when dd came and woke me up.

Last night she was came into my room and tried to get into our bed and i told her she had to sleep in her own bed. so i got up and went to pick her up and she threw herself on the floor cyring. I put her to bed and she cried to turn the light off cus she couldnt sleep so i did, and went back to bed. as soon as i lay down she was up again crying to turn the light off, so i did, and went back to bed. Just got to sleep and she starts crying again, so i leave her for bout 10 min till i cant take anymore and go into her and she wants her water bottles, so i go downstairs to get it, then she wants me to sleep with her in her bed, and i tell her no i am tired and need to sleep in my bed and i go back to bed. She cries for bout another 10 minutes, then finfally dozes off. Then at 3.30am she is up AGAIN and in my room saying that she is all wet, she had spilled her water bottle all over her bed on her clothes, so up i get and change her sheets and her clothes, and finally get to sleep for the rest of the night.

She also wants to be carried every where and when i dont pick her up and carry her she will cry and cling onto my legs making it imposible to walk!!! I am soooo tired and dont know what to do, my boss said maybe try and put her back into a cot to stop her from gettin up but she could climb out of that when she was 1, so thats not going to work, then i thought maybe putting up a gate at her door to keep her in but this would still result in her crying untill i could take no more then get up. I am very tired , by 7.30pm i am nearly asleep and am always falling asleep on the couch, and cant take much more. Please help me, any ideas?

Sorry this post was soooo long.

[jembelina]

Ok, I'm no pro and my ds is only 1 so really i have no idea what you are dealing with:o Anyway, I'm thinking you could try something along the lines of controlled crying. Everytime shecomes into your room say something like 'it's time to sleep in your bed' and take her back to her room - no eye contact, no drinks, no light on and off, etc. And just keep doing this every time. I'm sure you will have a couple of horrific nights but hopefully she will realise she is not getting/achieving anything by waking up. I could be completely off track and just cyber slap me if your thinking 'whatever lady!' Otherwise maybe there is somethng in her room that upsets her? Could you try having a soothing tape set up so she can press play herself if she wakes up (once a gain slap me if that is just a dumb idea for a 3 year old)? or I spose as a last resort you could put her mattress on your bedroom floor...probably not what you had in mind though, huh?

Good luck!!

[shanias_mum]

jembelina, thanks for the advise. And NO i am not going to cyber slap you! lol :D any advice is good advice. I will try that control crying thing, i let her cry but i will try not to turn lights on or give her a drink or any thing like that. That tape thing sounds like a good idea but i dont think she would do it. She never says that she is scared at night so i dont think it is anything in her room. I'll try anything at the moment. Thanks again! :D

[shanias_mum]

Just an up date on how the sleeping in her own bed thing is going.

Wednesday Night, she slept through in her own bed!!! Yay :yelclap: She didnt have a nap that day, and was late going to bed, bout 9.30pm.

Last night she woke up bout midnight and came into my room, i told her that she is not allowed in my bed and took her back to her own, she cried but i left her and she finally dozed off. DD came in again bout 2.30am and i did a repeat of the first time, and we she asked for her water i said she was not having it and to go to sleep (someone said not to give her anything when she woke up) well she screamed and carried on for about 1/2 an hour but she stayed her bed. Then at bout 3.30am she fell out of bed!!! :rolleyes: So more tears.

No wonder i slept in till 7.30 this morning! :eek: (not to mention DD put my phone on silent, so i did not hear the alarm) Heres hoping tonight goes better!