Hi, I know this subject has been addressed several times but I'm posting again! Sorry! My soon to be 4 year old daughter started having sleep issues about a year and a half ago due to several things: flu, travel, moving homes, moving schools, new baby, among other things. So when she asked me to stay with her until she fell asleep, I did. Now, things are settled, very happy at nursery, at home, family life is great. But she still insists I stay with her until she falls asleep and although she understands the fact that I go to my own room after she sleeps, she comes in every night at around 1am and insists I come back to sleep with her. She does not want to sleep in our bed, she wants me to go to her bed. I have a night light but she wants it off when she is ready to fall asleep. We have a great routine that we have followed for years. When I ask her what woke her up she'll say I dreamt of lions or monsters or something but I don't really think that is the issue. I think its just habit now. She says she is scared of the dark but does not want a night light. I do not believe in the cry it out method at this age. If I try to leave the room before she is asleep, she just follows me and starts crying so loud the neighbors can hear, let alone my 9 month old! Any suggestions??? Thanks!
Yes, I did try reward chart, it worked for few nights a few months ago, but now she doesn't care about it anymore.
That's tough, I am assuming you tried leaving the door open? Maybe you could find a fun, dim light -- that has animal shapes or stars or something? And just try it out rather than asking her. Also, here are some other sleeping tips you might want to check out:
http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/search/sleep?utm_campaign=t...
Since she is 4, have you ever tried a reward chart? Like, after she gets 5 stickers, she gets a treat?
I suggest CD stories and lullabyes! Find a CD with no lyrics, just a nice instrumental. Twin Sisters has a nice one called Nature Sounds. Anyway, after she lays and listens to a story on CD (Scholastic has tons to own, and the libraries has lots too) she will be relaxed and her mind will be focused on the pictures she made in her mind. Then start the music. If you can get a CD player with a repeat option, use it to play it all night long. Then if she wakes up in the night, there is music to tell her brain it is still sleep time.
Also, when my son was afraid of the dark we got him one of those glow worms that has a face that lit up If he woke up scared he squeezed it and had light. Even now at 8 he uses a Glade Light Show air freshener that glows different colors on the wall. He says watching the colors helps him relax.
Before bedtime, I put out our four-year-old's big stuffed tiger on the end of her bed and tell her that tiger will scare away any bad dreams. I'll make a tiger sound and she'll laugh. You might find a stuffed animal that can substitute for you when your daughter is needy at night. Encourage her to hug that stuffed animal if she wakes up and the stuffed animal will make sure her next dreams are really good ones.
Another idea is to keep a CD player in her room. Our daughter has a Barbie one. She falls asleep to lullabies and loves it. You might put in something similar that's soothing and if your daughter wakes up, she can play that softly to feel better.
