3 Year Old Sleep Habits - Belmar,NJ

You need to put her to bed earlier. My son is in bed, fast asleep, by 8 p.m. at the absolute latest. The more sleep children get, the BETTER they sleep.
Good luck!
Lynsey

This stage can be very frustrating! Every kid is different, but my kids have had periods of interrupted sleep as well. My kids are waking up at the same time now because of the sun. Unfortunately, being trained to go to sleep at 10 and wake up at 9 is not exactly going right along with the circadian rhythm of the sun either. For one, darken her room so her mind won't alert her to "daytime" at 7am.

For me, I just took the night-wakings on a case-by-case basis with each kid. My 3 year-old also went through this recently. There were nights when I was too tired to see him through it, so I just brought him into bed with me. But I was careful to make sure it wasn't every night so he wouldn't expect it. Other nights, I laid down in bed with him for a bit until he fell back asleep. Some nights, my husband would handle it. Sometimes he would be crying for something specific (a toy or something to hold) and when I found him something to hold, he would go right back to sleep. After a few months, he stopped and now he's good.

My pediatrician was recommending 12 hours sleep for a 3 year old. Maybe she's not getting enough sleep, which increases cortisol production and makes it harder to sleep. I would try scooting her bedtime up in 15 minute increments to get her at least up to 9pm, maybe even 8. That might help also.

There's no clear answer for this, unfortunately and you're not the only one. But hopefully it will pass quickly and you can all go back to getting your rest! Good luck.

daughter started have nightmares sometimes at about that age. She couldn't really explain it but clearly something gave her a scare. We just comfort her until she can fall back asleep.

there ios a great book that helped me a lot. 'healthy sleep habits, happy child" by Weisbluth. he's a sleep specialist. he seemes to really know his stuff. good luck.

Hi M. :)

I have three kids, and no matter what I did they are programmed to sleep their own way. None of them ever needed the "required" number of hours stated by all the books--usually 1-2 hours less than that. I have had people tell me I have been doing it all wrong for almost 10 years. I say, come live in my house and then we'll talk. ;)

I have two night owls too (like me), and one (middle child) who goes to sleep at an average bedtime, but he is the first one up in the morning (like his dad). :)

Once school went to full day in 1st grade, my oldest night owl shifted back a bit on her own to accommodate rising earlier for the bus. I expect the same thing to happen with my little one next year.

All along the way, however, they have each gone through different phases where sleep issues popped up, but they were always phases that passed. It's ultra-hard when you are pregnant, and you wonder how you will ever survive when the 3rd one shows up, but you will all settle into something, believe me. The one thing that had to happen in my house was that my husband had to help when my then-18 month old was going through his struggles (I was 7 months preg with #3). I just couldn't do it all myself, and it was great that my son didn't just need to rely on me for sleep things.

Hi M.-

3 year olds need a total of about 12 hours of sleep a day, (night time & naps together). If your daughter is not getting that much, and is waking at early hours, I bet she is sleep deprived.

It may sound funny, but the children who I've worked with, (I'm a parent coach), who have sleep changes like yours, usually are over tired. When children are over tired, they actually have a harder time going to sleep and staying asleep.

I suggest trying to move her nightime sleep time back half an hour a night. The earlier you get your child to sleep will actually help them stay asleep longer. Many parents try keeping them up longer for them to sleep later, which doesn't happen.

As for your 3 year old napping, it may not happen. Around 3-4 kids start giving up their nap time, so ensuring 12 hours of night time sleep is important.

I hope this helps.

R. Magby

Dear M., You should try to get your children to bed earlier. The day will come that she will have to go to school and it wil be harder to break this habit. She may also sleep better and later. Do it gradually, first go back to 9:30 then to 9:00 and so on. It gets light earlier and this may be waking he up. As far as a nap, do you lie down with her in the afternoon? This is what I did with my children. If I slept, great! If not I got up and got some work done. we each have to make our shedules work for ourselves. Grandma Mary

"she can't seem to give me an answer" sounds like a possible night terror. It is developmentally and age appropriate. My daughter had her first one around 18 months and we've dealt with them on and off since (she just turned three). I can describe them best as a tantrum in her sleep.

They most commonly occur in the first hours of sleep (though my daughter rarely has just one a night). You child may sleepwalk, thrash about wildly, or cry inconsolably. They usually end as quickly as they begin and your child has no recollection in the morning.

They can be triggered by stress, a change in environment or schedule. My daughter has them when taking certain allergy medications (zyrtec, singulair) or sometimes if she goes to bed later than usual. If I am travelling a lot, that is sure to bring some on.

I am told that they usually grow out of them by age 4 or 5. It makes for a tough night. My daughter has especially bad ones, but the pediatrician says they aren't frequent enough to worry about and she should grow out of them.

Tips for calming them quickly:
1) don't try to wake them
2) turn on low lights
3) repeat something soothing over and over
4) hold or touch them if they'll let you, but just sit nearby if they won't

The most important thing is to ensure they don't hurt themselves.

Good luck.