daughter won't sleep alone!!

[luwebby]

My 3 yr old daughter refuses to sleep alone anymore. It been happening for just over a month now. It's driving me nuts considering I have a 6 month old to tend to as well every night. She tells me she's scared but refuses to tell me of what. She'll sit up in bed all night crying for us until we finally give in so she hops into bed us. I'm not against co-sleeping by any means (especially if it allows you some shut eye) but she's a very "busy" sleeper so she's constantly moving and talking in her sleep and if you're anything like me (probably all moms) and you wake up to any little sound, it's enough to drive you nuts!! Any suggestions? TIA

[frugiedh]

This could have been me so many years ago with my daughter. I started "lying down" with her to get her to go to sleep at night because it meant that she would go to sleep faster and I was always SO tired that I was willing to do ANYTHING just to get her to go to sleep!! BIG mistake! OMG! I did that for ... at least 5 years! Yes! It is SO hard to get out of bad sleep habits because you just keep saying- tomorrow, tomorrow tomorrow I'll deal with this and tomorrow you are just as tired so you don't!

I would read some sleep "help" books from the library or whatever. They have great advice and in the least make you realize that you are not alone in this. They say to give your child their sleep blanket, toy, etc. say "It's sleepy time" and walk out of the room. If they cry you are supposed to go back in, hand them their sleepy toy, whatever and say, It's sleepy time". etc. etc. etc. You have to be commmitted to having a few bad nights ahead of you to break her of it AND then of course, she will have nights in the future when she will continually test you again and again. My daughter was/is particularly good at getting what she wants and did not give up easily. Even when I finally stopped lying down with her, she would ask me EVERY night to do it and that was for at least a year after I stopped. I actually felt guilty because I felt like I had created this bad sleep habit for her. I appreciate how hard and frustrating it is though. You must be so tired with a baby too! I also found 3 years old the most trying age for BOTH of my kids. Good luck!

[dawnikus]

My daughter has been like that since the day she was born, but not because she was scared. When she was able to talk she would call out "hand" in this soft spoken little voice until I was laying next to her with my hand somewhere on her body. I even tried one of those fake hands that you see in stores around Halloween but that didnt work. She was 4 when she finally grew out of that stage. I dont think that will work for you, but have you tried a night light? Not just any night light maybe one that she can hold (fisher price flashlight or something) and tell her it gets rid of her scarys if she turns it on. That might work.

[StarDancer]

lol i have a problem like what with my son. He is 10 months old and still won't go to sleep unless i'm holding him wrapped in a blanket with a bottle (that he won't hold himself). And not to mention he JUST started sleeping throught the night!

[alajen]

My 3 yr old daughter refuses to sleep alone anymore. It been happening for just over a month now. It's driving me nuts considering I have a 6 month old to tend to as well every night. She tells me she's scared but refuses to tell me of what. She'll sit up in bed all night crying for us until we finally give in so she hops into bed us. I'm not against co-sleeping by any means (especially if it allows you some shut eye) but she's a very "busy" sleeper so she's constantly moving and talking in her sleep and if you're anything like me (probably all moms) and you wake up to any little sound, it's enough to drive you nuts!! Any suggestions? TIA

I had the same problem with my daughter, who is still a newborn. She would only sleep if she was being held by one of us. One book I can suggest is "Happiest Toddler on the Block", by Dr. Harvey Karp. I have the "Happiest Baby" version, which helped me finally transition my baby to sleeping alone in her crib - she started sleeping through the night just this past week! I plan on buying the "Toddler" book later one when she gets older.

Hope that helps, good luck!

[2girlsmom]

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time, my girls have always been great sleepers and gone to bed by themselves. They hate it when they have to share a room with each other in the summer. We get an exchange student from Spain every year, and the girls share a room. Hope your little one settles down for you.