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Refuses to sleep throughout the night

LyndsayC
LyndsayC Community member Posts: 2 Listener
This discussion was created from comments split from: Ask a Sleep Practitioner.

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  • LyndsayC
    LyndsayC Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    Hello there,
    my daughter is 3 years old, she was born at 24 weeks and spent the first 4 1/2 months in hospital. Since January 2014 for some unknown reason she refuses to sleep throughout the night. She is fine going to bed in the evening but staying asleep or getting herself back to sleep when she wakes up is proving VERY difficult as she wants me to be with her the whole time. She could be up from 2am-4,5,6am which then results in no nursery for her as we are both shattered from being up half the night. She still has a bottle of milk going to bed, and I believe she has a reasonable bed time routine bath, chill out time with mummy, story, and then bed with her bottle by 7.30pm. I have tried all the advice my other mummy friends have given. Tried tested and failed as my daughter just will not sleep through the night. We could be up 4-5 times a night.
    I really dont know what else to do, I have taken her to the GP to see if it could be a medical reason just to rule anything out and nothing. Health visitor nothing.
    Please help!
    Thank you :)
    Lyndsay. x
  • SleepPractitioners
    SleepPractitioners Community member Posts: 41 Courageous
    @LyndsayC

    Hi Lyndsay,

    Waking 4 - 5 times a night is what we all do, we just don't fully wake when we have learnt to sleep. One of the common reasons a child will wake fully during these natural night wakings is because the conditions have changed. If you were with her when she fell asleep and then leave, you have 'vanished' upon her first night waking.
    I would also advocate moving the bottle to the beginning of the routine downstairs an hour before bed, and have a banana with it (both sleep inducing!)

    Also put some families photos in her room, she is with people all day long and then left alone in her room, that can be quite scary when you are little!

    Often parents have tried 'everything' but you need to try them for 2 weeks (in order for a child to learn a new behaviour) and things get worse before they get better which is one of the toughest parts!

    Good luck!

    Em x

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