3 Year Old Will Not Sleep Through the Night - HELP Please!

Could be night terrors, but I think it's more sleep deprivation. Your child, I believe, is too young to have given up naps. They all fight it at certain ages, but if you stick to your guns, they'll take the naps.

I noticed that my 5 year old is growing out of her naps...but if she has a melt-down or wakes up crying/screaming, I know the next day is a nap day. So far, she's taking 1-2 naps a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Believe it or not, the more sleep your child gets, the better they sleep.

I would strongly advise getting the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. I don't agree with the CIO method he prefers, but it does tell you about the vicious cycle of not enough sleep in children (and B.). I noticed it in my own daughter. Even when she would fight her naps, I would just let her know that it was 'rest time' and that she didn't have to go to sleep, but she did have to play quietly in her bed. 9 times out of 10, she would fall asleep within 10-15 minutes of going up to her room. Even now, when she doesn't need a nap, she's just naturally taking 'rest time' after lunch. She grabs a book, lays on the couch and reads for about an hour. It really helps to get my son (10 months) quieted down to fall asleep for his own nap.

By the way, here is a website to offer a bit more information on sleeping/sleep habits: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/sleep.htm

For the sippy cup... eh... I would change her over to a sports bottle or something, but not take it away. I would make sure she's only getting water in it though since you don't want to cause tooth problems. My daughter is 7 and is using a SIGG water bottle. They are expensive, but worth it, I think, because they have change-able tops (spouts, etc) and aren't made of plastic which can have harmful chemicals, etc.

For the sleeping- my daughter is a bad sleeper and is now 7. She didn't sleep through the night until she was almost 6. One thing I have found with her is that when she wakes up, she has to potty but can't process it for some reason. The best way for me to get her back to bed with the least hassle, was to have a routine for wake-ups until she could handle them on her own. For example, go in and tell her it's okay, ask if she had a bad dream. If she did, talk it out for a minute and reassure her. If no bad dream, tell her, "lets try to potty" and take her to the bathroom, then do a quick tuck-in, night night kiss, etc and snuggle her in with a stuffed animal or lovey and say goodnight and leave the room. Do all of it in a monotone whisper with the least light possible so you aren't stimulating her.
If it is a potty issue, she will eventually learn that waking up means she should try to go potty.

Hang in there- I know it's rotten, but it will pass!

Amanda

When she is screaming for mommy she could have had a night terror.....It could be something she has eatten causing it or something that she has watchted though out the day....As for the sippy cup tell her cups are for up time and not for night time or down time....Tell her to pick a stuffed animal to sleep with....Also try this site for other ideas.... http://www.a-mommys-world.com/chat.php

I would most likely get rid of the sippy cup as an aide to help her fall asleep as she is not self-soothing on her own when she falls asleep at night. Thus, when she wakes up she can't soothe on her own to fall back asleep when she does wake up. I think it may involve some tears but if you are consistent should go pretty quickly; the book Happy Child, Happy Sleep Habits (I think) may be helpful as well, it is very close to me when dealing with the sleep of my wee ones. Good luck, it isn't easy!
T.

Sippy cups aren't generally a problem as long as all she has in the cup is water. I know some adults that keep a water bottle on their nightstand. My 16 year old and my 7 year old daughters still take a spill proof cup to bed (to avoid knocking it over in their sleep). As for waking up in the middle of the night, monitor what time she wakes each night. My 16 year old and also my 14 year old daughters each went through a short period waking with 'night terrors' about age 5 or so. We found there was a pattern, they awoke each night almost exactly 90 min after they fell asleep. The pediatrician recommended waking them 15 min before the anticipated wake time to kind of get them out of the REM sleep cycle or whatever. We did that for a week or so and they eventually got back to a normal sleep pattern. Also try putting her to bed 30 min later so she's more tired by bed time. Google NIGHT TERRORS on the internet and check with your pediatrician, is my advice.