How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

I posted about this recently. DD had the stomach virus about 6 weeks ago (she'd throw up every night for almost 2 weeks, we'd give her her cup to clear out her mouth since I'd personally want that myself). So now, EVERY night she wakes up at least 2 times a night (last night was 3 times) asking for her cup It is HABIT at this point, she doesn't really need the cup

We did CIO a few weeks ago 1 night and it worked...she whined/fake cried for over an hour, but it worked for a few nights. But then it started up again. We threaten everything (and follow through the next day b/c she remembers waking up, etc), take away TV, certain toys, etc. My problem is, now she's in her big-girl bed, so I can't really do CIO at this point b/c she'll just get out of the bed, right??? Now when she wakes up, she just stands on her bed and calls and calls for us But I know the longer I let her call for us/fake cry, she'll be patrolling the house in no time, and I do NOT want that.

What do I do? It's seriously like I have a newborn in the house....at least 2x/night, every single night She does go right back to sleep, but it's still unnecessary and annoying. She hates having her diaper changed (but yet doesn't want to use the potty ) so we started telling her that if she asks for her cup at night, she's getting a diaper change too so she doesn't leak....it worked the first night....she called for us, we went it, she asked for her cup, we told her she'd need a diaper change too, so she said "never mind" and went back to sleep....next night, she didn't care about the diaper change, we changed it and she still wanted her cup.

I'd love to have the kid sleeping all night before the baby comes

Message edited 4/12/2010 8:51:01 AM.

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

what about giving her a sippy cup of water that she can keep in her bed with her at bedtime. This way she doesn't need to call you for a cup?

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

I'm finding 3 to be a very hard age for my DD. She's "regressing" in more than one way. I'm not much help because I can't figure it out either. If you do anything for her it immediately becomes a habit. i.e. give her a glass of water.

So what we did was put a plastic cup with a little water in it on her table in her room. She gets to drink it before bed. We tell her that's it there's no more water, so you have to wait until the moring to get more. She woke up a few times asking for it but we'd go in and show her the empty cup. It worked after a few times. Maybe give that a try???


ETA we did the sippy cup thing the PP mentioned. That did work. We had to take it away now that she's potty trained because too much water = accident. It also always leaked in her bed (even though they are supposedly leak proof) and she'd cry if her sheets got wet from the cup. BUT it di d work for a while.

Message edited 4/12/2010 8:55:16 AM.

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

Posted by nbc188

Posted by babydreams

what about giving her a sippy cup of water that she can keep in her bed with her at bedtime. This way she doesn't need to call you for a cup?

I guess I just don't see the point of doing it, you know? She never needed it before, it's not like she has a salty diet where she is thirsty all night, the house isn't dry...there's no reason for it....and she's a MASSIVE pee machine b/c she is a big water drinker all day....so if I left a cup in there and she did drink a lot, she'd probably pee through the diaper. Plus, wouldn't that be a big problem when she finally starts potty training (esp. night training)?

Thank you for the suggestion, not ruling it out but wish I could just break her of the cycle.

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

We're having this problem with Rylan now...it's been a few weeks so far. He calls me in and lays back down...I cover him and leave. Sometimes it's 2 or 3 times and others it's 7 or 8 times. I wouldn't mind so much if it wasn't for Xav. They're going to be sharing a room soon and I don't want Rylan waking him up. 9 times out of 10 i'm still awake so he's not waking but it's still annoying.

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

What is with this age? DS is doing this too lately. He wakes up asking for all kinds of food and drink... grapes, ice cubes, juice, sandwiches. I'm NOT starving him!!! He just dreams about food and wakes up and screams for it. I just tuck him back in and keep his cup in the fridge and give him a sip or too if he asks. The way I see it, its another phase to get through. Hang in there!

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

No advice, but i feel your pain. My DS is almost 2 and lately is up 2 and 3 times a night...I also feel like i have a newborn. My DS wakes up and wants his bottle which is even worse. I wish my doctor had told me to take the bottle away at 1 year old. Now he is sooo attached to it, and its going to be torture to get him off of it.

I am sooo tired right now!!!!!

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

I would still do CIO.

What we ended up doing was setting up the PNP in her room. We told if she got out of bed before up time (when the sun comes out), she will have to sleep in the PNP because only big girls who stay in bed get to sleep in a big girl bed.

We put her in the PNP on her 2nd or 3rd night, because she kept getting up. She protested but she slept there that one night. We left the PNP set up in her room for a few more nights and would warn her that if she got up we would have to sleep in the PNP again. We do this for naps and bedtime.

She stopped getting out of her bed after that first night and we don't have to warn her anymore. Now, she still wakes at night but she doesn't get up until the morning. I just started CIO again and the middle of the night wake sessions are improving, thank goodness.

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

DS was doing this for a while around 3.5 and someone on here suggested a reward system and I did it and he stopped. Maybe do a sticker chart and after so many stickers bring her to $1 store to pick something out. Every night I would remind him that if he didn't get up he would get a toy back (I had taken away his toys for his behavior and use that). After he realized he was in control and he actually did get a toy back he stopped.

Re: How the heck can I stop my (almost) 3-year-old from waking up SEVERAL times at night?

DS has gone through stages like this on/off over the last 4 years...My DH seems to think that it happens more frequently when he is hitting a growth spurt ( either physically or emotionally) and perhaps their dreams are becoming more vivid and waking them...It makes sense I guess ...Hope its short lived for her