Hi- My son just turned 3 years old and all of a sudden he does not want to sleep at night-- he tells us he is scared. if we leave the room he will either follow us or scream at the top of his lungs. Any ideas?
HI my daughter is doing the same if yu get any great ideas feel free to pass them on to me. I was going to post the same thing.
we are having the same problem. I'm trying the twilight turtle to comfort her at night.
http://www.sleepsheepandfriends.com/turtle.html
Get a small, low-watt (40 watts) lamp for his room and put it on a timer for a few hours. Also, get one of those sound machines. This way he won't hear every creaky noise in his room. One by Homedics only cost about $20. Also, go and buy him a new stuffed animal to keep him company - let him have it only when he goes to bed, make it special. Good luck.
When my son went through that at 3, we let him sleep at the foot of our bed for a little while, then at the foot of his older sister's bed because he never woke her up! This only went on for a few months then he slept in his own bed. Now at 7, he never leaves his own bed but claims he stays awake all night when he's scared. Of course he does sleep. This all seems to be a sign of an active imagination and a smart little boy. Don't worry!
We are going through the same thing right now although it started about 2 months ago. We've tried a lot of the suggestions that have been given to you. The one that seems to work best for him and us is letting him sleep on his little Elmo pull out couch in his brothers room. We rub his back a little after our night time routine (books and songs) and he generally nods out relatively quick. When we try to sit in the room with him while in his room - he just stares at the walls and stays awake for hours. It's a tough phase to go through but it is a phase and will pass - we went through it with his older brother too (we made the mistake back then to lay with his brother until he fell asleep which inevitably one of us would fall asleep too! - that is much harder of a habit to break so I don't suggest it!) good luck
Maybe he had a really bad dream and is now afraid to sleep or some fairy tale might have scared him even the most innocent children's stories can have something that frightens them in it. Find out what is scaring him and then you can come up with some ideas to help him but I would walk him right back to his room maybe he needs you to stay w/ him until he falls asleep but tell him no talking and the first time he talks leave the room.
You probably already do this but just in case you don't - let him have a night light and maybe a little flashlight so he's not afraid in the dark. Try to get him to talk about his fear and be sympathetic but not overly so. Don't try to tell him not to be afraid. The best thing is to work with him to try to find solutions that will work for you AND him.
Hi S.,
The Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales might help.
http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?r=1&am...
Children relate their sleeptime routines and discuss their dreams. Maybe your son will be inspired by the children, the music, and the stories to enjoy his bedtime.
: ) Maureen
We went through this with our son also. Pedi told me that their imagination really kicks in at this age and when left to their own devices their thoughts get the better of them:) His suggestion was to stay in the room with them (but not in the bed) until they get sleepy. Other responses I see had some good ideas too- see what works best with your family.. You might try letting him have a flashlight or leave the light on (we did this, then turned it off after he was asleep).
this too shall pass...hang in there:)
Get the Dr Sears Nighttime parenting book
