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Sleep ideas for 3 year old

bliss611bliss611 member
in Attachment Parenting
Hi Ladies,
Any other board, I'd be afraid of all the anti-co-sleeping comments and how I should have sleep trained. But hopefully you ladies have some gentler ideas.

My 3-yr old DS is an awful sleeper. I never minded much until recently. As a baby, I nursed so we co-slept and everything was fine. Then we moved him to his own bed (mattress on the floor) in our room and I would lay with him to help him fall asleep. It would take about 20 minutes to put him down and then he would sneak into our bed at dawn for a couple of hours.

Lately, he takes over an hour falling asleep. And he is in our bed within two hours. If I put him back in his bed, he's back within an hour again and the cycle continues with no one getting any sleep. I've tried the usual ideas - he doesn't get attached to any toys I can give him for comfort, we have a calm bed time routine. I don't mind helping him sleep but this is getting exhausting.

He is starting day care in a month and I am going back to work in a few months and I would like to figure this out. Appreciate any ideas.

TIA!!
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Re: Sleep ideas for 3 year old

  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    I wish I had some real advice! DS has recently become very energetic at bedtime. We do our routine of book, bath, diaper/pj's, songs, and nursing...and while he's nursing his eyes get brighter and he starts wriggling, and before I know it he's crawling around the bed like a mad man!

    Lately it's 2 hours to get him to sleep, but thankfully once he's asleep he stays asleep. 

    What works best for me is to just insist that he lay with me and nurse if he likes (not sure if your DS is still nursing). He gets bored just laying there so he always nurses. If he just isn't allowed to get up and play, eventually he will go to sleep. All the while, I sing, rub his back and belly, and try to create an atmosphere of sleep. 
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  • KateLouiseKateLouise member
    Could you tyr taking him back to his bed and staying with him Maybe sleep with him for a few nights, so that he gets used to spending the whole night in his bed, before removing yourself.
    Maybe you could put another mattress in his room, so that you remove yourself to the mattress and then gradually away?
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    Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
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  • bliss611bliss611 member
    KateLouise said:
    Could you tyr taking him back to his bed and staying with him Maybe sleep with him for a few nights, so that he gets used to spending the whole night in his bed, before removing yourself.
    Maybe you could put another mattress in his room, so that you remove yourself to the mattress and then gradually away?
    He is in our room on his own mattress. I tried that and it backfired. He started to crawl into our bed, waking me up, and insisting I come to his bed in the middle of the night.
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  • cpmichcpmich member
    Are you sure he isn't ready to drop his last nap? He might be going through another sleep transition.
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  • rae_dylanzmomrae_dylanzmom member
    I went back and read NCSS (for the 100th time) to get ideas on helping my 2 y/o sleep better. I found a few new ideas to try in there. One thing I'm noticing is that some improvements in getting my son to fall asleep without me seems to also be helping him get through waking spells without me. 

    The thing that probably made the biggest difference for me, was when I payed more attention to his cry/protest. Recognizing the cries that were really boundary testing helped me see what was going on for him. 

    GL!
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  • bliss611bliss611 member
    Thanks for the thoughts ladies.

    cpmich - he has been iffy about naps lately. I will keep track to see if the days he doesn't nap work better at night.

    rachel - I forgot NCSS had ideas for toddlers. I have to go dig up my copy :)
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  • nosoup4unosoup4u member
    I like the book, "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West. She has some gentle sleep solutions (and more concrete ideas than the NCSS woman, IMO). She has a whole program to follow to get kids to stay in their beds, etc. during the night.

    Do you have space for him to have his own room? He's old enough that you could talk about staying in bed and calling for you (get a baby monitor), you could try one of those clocks that change color when it's time to get up, something like that. I would definitely play-act what is expected at night.

    What time is bedtime? I would either shorten or drop his naps, make sure he gets enough physical activity during the day, or go to bed later. Good luck!
    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

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  • Jenny952Jenny952 member
    First of all, i wouldnt worry too much about getting his slaap habits ready for daycare. They have an unbelievable ability to adjust to different routines. My dd was used to being rocked or nursed to sleep all tne time and now she falls asleep on her cot just like all the other kids. Do what you need to do at home to get sleep and he will adjust to daycare just fine.
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