HELP!!! My 3 Year Old Is Having Trouble Sleeping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with a lot of the moms that naptime is sadly drawing to an end. My daughter stopped napping when she was about 2 1/2, and she started sleeping WAY better at night! It could be growing pains, or wanting attention, or a lot of things. To this, I say, try a lot of different things. They make Calms Forte for kids - which is a homeopathic remedy that can help with restless sleep (if he's having trouble staying asleep). I make a night time tea for my daughter of Chamomile and Fennel, but you can buy pre-made children's night time teas as well. Another good thing is to wear them out as much as possible during the day so they're just too tired at night to protest too much. I start my daughter's bedtime routine a good 2 hours before it's actually time for bed. We take a bath (if she needs one), get in our pajamas, make tea and toast, & read books. When it's time for bed, she lays down her bed (which is in our room), I lay down on mine, and I don't answer her, other than saying, "go to sleep". I put her sippy cup of water next to her bed, so she drink some if she's thirsty.
I hope that the simple process of eliminating naps will be enough to help him sleep better. If not, there's vitamins and herbs and homeopathics. Good luck!

He may be ready to stop napping. SCARY thought...I know. My daughter stopped napping right after her 2nd birthday. I thought I would go crazy. So instead of napping, she is required to have at least 45 minutes of quiet time in her room. She is happy to read books on her bed most of the time.

It has worked out well. She is in bed at 6:30 every night and sleeps for 12 hours straight. When I was still forcing the nap, she would fight any kind of sleep and would wake up a couple times a night (mostly to say hi and good morning).

I know that all kids are different, but I went through the same thing with my son (he's 6 now) when he was about 2 1/2. It may be worth a try.

Hopefully you find something that works for you. I know how tired you must be! Good Luck and Happy (rested) Holidays!

I think that the majority of your troubles do sound like a cry for attention. There is one tactic that you haven't tried...ignoring. In my house, the rule is that once in bed the child gets NO attention from me (unless there is an emergency). I told my son this rule when he was 2. Now when my son (who is 3) calls out for the light changed or the blanket adjusted or whatever, I tell him he's big enough to do it himself. After a few days/nights of that, he quit calling out anymore because he realizes that I refuse to come (and many times I don't even answer anymore). Also, I close the door if he starts to whine about it. He hates that, so the whining stops within a few minutes. It doesn't have to be a fight if you don't allow it to be.

You might also try giving him some extra attention right before nap/bedtime. We always read stories together, just me and my son. I think the extra one-on-one time helps him with the separation.

Sleeping in the playroom bed should be a privilege with rules attached. 1. No whining! 2. Any whining (or talking or calling out) and he goes straight to his own bed. If you are strict about this, he will learn that you are serious and the whining will stop so you can get some peace.

Also, as for the idea that your son may be growing out of naptime, it may or may not be the case. You could find out by allowing him to look at books in bed. That's what I did when my daughters started to grow out of naptime, and some days they still slept (when maybe they were tired or growing.) But that gave them a quiet activity they could do on their bed that could lull them to sleep.

Middle of the night is another issue altogether. The rule in my house is that they sleep in their own beds, and if they wake up and are not tired they can read in bed until the sun comes up! Then they can come snuggle with mom for a while. You need your rest, and so does your son. Neither of you rest well when sleeping together.

We've had the same problem with all five of our kids at different periods in time. Sometimes it has been a security issue (they need to see mom and dad okay with each other, communicating, life being safe, boundaries being absolute etc.) but at times sleep was interrupted for growing pains and the solution for that is potassium.
One of our children woke repeatedly with night terrors But that doesn't sound like your issue. The best solution we found was to put a sleeping bag on the floor under our bed. If they woke they could quietly come in and sleep in the sleeping bag on our floor. They (4 boys and a girl) weren't aloud to wake mom unless there was blood (and lots of it!) or fire. =-) I laugh just saying it now, but it must have been an issue. Now I have 4 teens at home and one out and they still say "what you woke mom last night and there wasn't any blood or a fire?????"
Best wishes
K.

Wow, it's as if I could have written your request myself!! I have the exact same problem with my 3 yr old son. He does all of the things you said your son is doing. I had to stop naps because it was clearly a losing battle. My son would waste the entire naptime messing around or making excuses so instead, I have turned it into "quiet time". That means no TV, no noisy toys, no pestering Mommy. It means he needs to go play quietly or look at books on his own while his little brother takes a nap and I work on some household tasks. If he does not play quietly, then I make him sit facing the corner until he feels ready to do as I've asked. I feel badly that I have to be "mean" to him, but like you, I'm at my wit's end. I'm eager to see some of the other responses you get because I'm still at a loss on all of the other issues you mentioned! Best of luck to both of us. :)

Many children just don't need naps after the age of 3 says my experience and my pediatrician. Our daughter was 3 yrs 3 months when she gave up her daily nap (I fought it for a while since I had a 2 month old and desperately needed rest--but I survived). She did sleep longer at night and bedtime was less of a battle because she was truly tired. Hang in there. R., Midwife mom of 2, almost 3. Married 8 years and SAHM almost 5 yrs and loving it.

OMG - I could have written your post. Actually I was going to but now I don't. Thanks. We must have twins, because you just described my 2 1/2 yr old son and all the things I've tried. The only thing different is my son wouldn't stay in bed unless I'm sitting right next to him. So i've had to buy a baby gate to keep him in his room. I don't have any answers for you. I'll keep checking your post to see if anyone has a plausible solution. Good Luck and know that you are not the only mommy out with this problem.