Help.. 5y/o wont go to bed

[Harrys Mum]

:sleeping:Does anyone have any new ideas on getting a 5y/o to go and stay in bed?? My DD almost 5 has never been easy to get to bed but once there she always stayed put. Probably in about the last 6 months and even more so in the last 2 she just wont go to sleep, sometimes she is still awake at 10pm. I lost my temper with her the other night just because i was really tired and just wanted some down time, DH works away 4 ot of 7 so at the end of the day im wrecked, but I dont like to raise my voice and usually manage to stay calm, did I mention I also have a DS 18m/o who is teething and wakes up at about 10pm sceaming as well!! Any ideas on how to get my little angel to stay put and go to sleep please. :hair: AL

[Myztik]

Have you tried star charts at all? My 5yr old went through a phase about 6mnths ago where bedtime became a nightmare, he'd carry on for hours keeping his little brother awake etc. We made a reward chart specifically for bedtimes and if he went to sleep like a big boy without any fuss he got a star when he woke up in the morning.

[abuzzinnbumblinhoneybee]

my 6yr old has done this, but we have come to an arrangement that he can either fall asleep in his bed, on my bed or on the lounge ( cause i can turn the tv and lights off out there), and he knows that later when mummy want to go to bed i will move him into his. it works for him and i don't mind where he falls asleep so long as he doesnt muck about!

[WorkingClassMum]

Have you tried putting them in a double bed together?

They take a week or two to settle into routine.

DS 6 & DD 3 & 11/12 are in DBed and have been for a year - they both sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Prior to putting them intogether DD was up and down all night like a jumping jack

DS has always sleep well.

They have just starting occassionly sleeping in their own beds. But oh, that sleep - I needed it...

[the_queen]

My daughter is 6.5 and yes, I've been through this :yes: You have my sympathies :hugs:

I let her sleep in my bed on weekend nights (ie no school the next day) and on those nights, I make a big deal about how she is allowed to stay up AS LATE AS SHE WANTS :smiliedance: and she will say "i'm going to stay up ALL NIGHT mummy" :D and then is asleep on the couch by 9:30 :laughing:

The trade-off is that she can stay up as late as she wants on weekend nights, as long as she goes to bed at 7:30 on school nights. Some nights she sits up reading for a while, and I do 'force' the "in your bedroom" issue but not the "go to sleep" issue. I encourage her to lay in her bed and listen to music or think about what she's going to do at school the next day, but if she isn't tired, then she can play but it has to be in her room with the door closed.


When she was younger, I did put a video on in her room for her to watch. It kept her in bed, and she would fall asleep. I wouldn't recommend it as a first option, but if you've tried everything else, it will probably work so it might be worth trying. It's something that can become a habit, so really think about it before starting it... although my daughter transitioned quite easily from having a movie every night to having one only on the weekends, to not having one at all. Although, our VCR and DVD player broke :laughing: so she didn't have much of a choice!