3 Yr Old up All Night.

This is similar to another suggestion but worth a repeat...
A friend of mine was given this suggestion from a co-worker and it worked for both families like a charm.
Give the child a treat (they used mini Oreo cookies) close to bedtime and tell him if his feet don't touch the floor until morning (and there are lots of ways to explain how they can tell it's morning- by how light it is, by the hands of a clock touching the stickers you put on "morning", etc) he can have another treat with breakfast. This may sound over the top (a cookie with breakfast) but it's precisely in the "treat" factor that made this work so well. They said it took 2 nights for it to work and then a few weeks to wean the kids off hte cookies, but it was totally worth it.

Gatting him to stay in bed may be all you need to get him to sleep- maybe set him up with books, a few quiet toys etc and tell him they can stay in bed with him if he stays in bed too.

You know your child best and you know what would motivate him to change his behavior so use that to help you.

It sounds to me like he's overtired - a most common sign of being overtired in kids is being hyper and not sleeping. Most 3 year olds need at least 12 hours of sleep. Try putting him to bed earlier because if you miss his 'window' for falling asleep it can be very difficult for him. Even if he doesn't sleep (you can't actually force a child to sleep) at least insist that he stay in his bed and quietly play with toys or books. Eventually he'll fall asleep.

Our kids have a 8pm bedtime... our 3 year old sleeps from 8pm to 8am and our 7 year old sleeps from 8pm to 6:45am so he can make the school bus that comes at 7:30am. Both wake up on their own because they are well rested and have the sleep their bodies need. Experts say that a big clue that kids need more sleep is having to be woken up in the morning to get them up 'on time'. If you have a set wakeup time and set bedtime they'll fall into a pattern. It might take a few days or a week to readjust his schedule since he's been doing it for awhile. If he's waking up earlier, getting plenty of exercise (double the normal preschooler amount so that's 2 hours of vigorous exercise) and you limit the sugar and NO caffeine (watch out for hidden caffeine in medicine, chocolate, etc) he should fall asleep sooner within a week.

Another tip... when you walk him back to his room/bed, do not talk to him. Do not make eye contact. Words are unnecessary and give him the attention he wants. He knows after the first time you tell him it's bedtime. Just take his arm and silently walk him back. It might take a couple times. It might take a dozen times. It might take 50+ times the first night (my son was stubborn that first night out of his crib). Be consistent. As soon as you say one word it's like starting all over again.

I would put one of those doorknob protectors on the inside of the bedroom door. Even my 4 almost 5 year old can't get the thing off our doors, and it might work for you, too. I would also suggest a reward system. If he stays in his room all night, he gets a treat the next day (A hershey kiss, or one MnM, for example). At the end of the week, IF he stayed in his room all night, he gets a big treat, like a trip to the library, indoor playground, something like that. We have a similar system in place to teach respect and to teach our oldest child to control her bad behaviors. Create a chart to hang where he can see it and encourage him often.

Think about what all has happened in the last year. You have a 10 month old and he was moved out of his bed, probably the only bed he's known. It sounds like he is looking for attention, not to say you don't give him attention, just not what he is looking for. His whole world has been turned upside down inthe last year. He was the baby for three years and now there is someone else he is competing with. His way of getting attention is to keep getting out of bed each night. My advice is to keep working with him. When he gets up, make it as boring as possible, do not talk to him, do not look at him, put him directly back in bed, tell him you love him and leave it at that. Then in the morning when he wakes up make a big deal about him sleeping through the night in his own bed. Pretty soon he will get the idea that if he sleeps through the night, it will make mom and dad and his other siblings happy. Three year olds love to please other people. Hope that helps...

Have you tried not giving him a nap at all during the day? I know as Moms we hate the day when our "babies" no longer need a nap. I think we need them to take one as much as they need one! My first son started having a really hard time going to sleep at night. Sometimes he would still be awake at eleven and twelve o'clock when we wanted to go to bed. Once we stopped giving him a nap he started going to sleep right away again.(He was only two and a half by the way.) When he started Pre-school he slept even better! Sometimes he would even need a nap again. I think every child stops needing a nap on their own timetable. Just a thought. Good luck with your little guy!

I would check to see if he is getting ANY Red Dye in his food - most especially his bedtime snack. Please check everything, even if it is not red in color. My son did this at about 3 (now 20 yrs old). We finally figured it out that he was totally intolerant of Red Dye #40 & #3 and also cinnamon. The allergist also mentioned to watch Yellow dyes too. They not only made him hyper but also gave him stomach pain.

Good Luck!

Time to try some diet and activity changes. The doctor is right, he needs to be put back into his room every time he comes out of it after bedtime immediately and told he must stay there.

Take out the carbs in his diet. Removed the sugars except for what is necessary for a healthy body. No chips, no candy, limit his breads, potatoes, noodles and rice intake to one helping per meal. For snacks use celery with some cheese or peanut butter. Limit sweet vegetables like corn, carrots, etc. to meal time servings only. No more cookies, ice cream, pudding, jello, jellies, etc., except for dessert after a meal.

Wind down time before bed. This starts about an hour before bedtime. A nice bath, sit down and read a book, cuddle and watch a calm movie, work a puzzle, something that is quiet and soothing. Put some soft music into the room when it is lights out time.

Explain he does not have to go to sleep, but he must lay in his bed with a favorite toy, a book to look at he can read to his toy, and rest. He is not to wake up his brother and he is not to come out of the room unless he needs to go to the bathroom. Stay consistant.

Stop the napping all together and make sure he gets up early in the morning with the rest of the family.

Good luck.

I hate to sound harsh, but you really need to have a bedtime routine and set some rules! Kids instinctively know what is coming next in their day if they have a structured routine throughout. It seems as tough he is overtired, pushing boundaries, along with the fact that you are allowing this to happen. My kids, 6 and 4, have a bedtime routine that we follow EVERY night. They know what comes next after each task that we complete together. We read on the couch, then up they go to brush their teeth, take turns going potty, snuggle into bed, say prayers and give goodnight kisses. My husband and I walk out of their rooms and all is peaceful and quiet. This all takes place between 7:00-8:00. We have done this since they were babies. I agree with the lady that posted about putting him back into his bed without words each and every time that he comes out until he is SO bored of the "game". If you stay consistant, he will instinctively know that his "game" is no longer any fun, and know that when Mommy says Goodnight that she means it. You will be setting boundaries and rules for bedtime. Good luck and take control of your evenings...you can make it happen!!!!

This is one of the challenges of parenthood.

He is probably past the age of needing a nap. I quit giving my kids a nap at age 2 for the same reason, they wouldn't sleep as long at night. Let him know that he must go to bed and stay there. Maybe give him a little light that he can read by. Tell him that if he gets up, he will not be able to (this is where you fill in the punishment- no TV show the next day, no going outside, sit in his room for an hour in the afternoon the next day, etc.)At this age he should be getting around 10 hours of sleep a night. Make sure he is getting some exercise in the daytime.

Make bedtime a routine- always to the same, bath, brush teeth, prayers, then read a book or 2 on his bed. Kiss him goodnight, remind him of the rules. Tell him he can read in his bed if he can't sleep, but he cannot come out of his room.
Then if he gets up, give him a drink of water, tell him that was his one chance, if he gets up again, the punishment will stand. Next time he gets up, swat him on the bottom, tell him OK tomorrow you will ?? whatever you want the punishment to be. It will take patience and several days, but if you are consistent and serious, he will learn.

Wow, your little guy sounds even more active than my 4 year old girl! She has always been a difficult one to get to sleep at night, so I can identify with you. Stick to a really consistent bedtime routine, such as a bath, snack, books, prayers, then lights out. Some kids respond to having their back rubbed or scratched. I always play soft music while we are going to sleep. Dim the lights an hour before you want him to go to bed, turn off the TV, and put toys away. Make sure he isn't having anything with caffeine in it ever, and not much sugar. You can get Valerian Super Calm by Herbs for Kids and Calms Forte 4 Kids by Hyland's online at Vitacost. If those don't work, try about .25 ml of melatonin, which you can get in liquid form. It may help him fall asleep faster and get him on a better schedule, but be aware it can cause bad dreams. If he doesn't fall asleep on his own for a nap, just don't put him down for one. Once my child stopped napping, she slept better and longer at night. Daily gross motor exercise is really important, too, so if you can go outside, do it daily. If it's too cold, try dancing inside, letting him ride his tricycle, jumping rope, throwing and catching a soft ball, anything that will get some of his enery out. Good luck!

Hello E., I have 4 children and haven't really experienced the same exact problem, but I have in myself before. I noticed that when I didn't have enough carbohydrates I could not sleep. I can understand how carbs weighs a person down a bit. Maybe you can try to increase his carb intake. That doesn't necessarily mean fatten him up. He may even have a chemical imbalance in which case you might want to suggest having him tested to your Dr.. I know a child with a chemical imbalance and he rarely sleeps. Good luck and God Bless your family.

Have you tried SKIPPING the nap to see if that makes a difference? In addition, try some physical activity late in the day to tire him. I know this ALWAYS helped with Abbie.

Lastly, dehydration can play a part in not sleeping. Make sure he's getting adequate fluids.

Maybe he's one of those that needs background noise of some sort. Have you tried ocean waves, wind chimes, etc. or something of that nature?

CUT him off with any SUGAR by about 3. Diet may have something to do with it too. If he gets dessert, make it at lunch or fruit or something of that nature instead of ice cream, etc. Natural sugars in the body process and react differently in the body than processed sugars.