No it's not my baby. It's my three year old. He has been having trouble sleeping. I have been thinking that like most frustrating things, it's just a stage. He plays, talks, has to go "pee", is "thirsty", "hungry". But it goes on and on and has only gotten worse over the last couple of weeks. Even if I ignore the the requests he can some how stay up until 11 p.m. (or later) and still get up around 7 a.m. and sometimes even gets up in the night. So I cut naps short. I cut naps out all together. I tried giving him a short nap and putting him to bed later. I tried putting him to bed earlier without a nap. Nothing was working. Nothing is working.
The fact that I don't really get to relax at night is not what has bothered me the most. It's the melt downs, tantrums, the screaming, and all the terror that has taken over my normally sweet son. I know part of it is just being three. Pushing boundaries, testing limits, practicing defiance. But it has become so extreme lately and no amount of discipline seems to have any effect on his behavior. I am getting worried that I might lose it if we don't get a break from it soon. I know he is tired. I just don't know how to fix it.
So today I implemented the nap again. I'm keeping them to an hour and half and then I am going to put him to bed earlier than we usually do. I'm worried he's been staying up because he's overly tired and maybe 8:30 is when his second wind kicks in. I don't know, but I have to believe that something will work because the little bit of sanity I have left simply won't cut it for long.
If anyone has been through this before and has advice, let me know.
About Me
- Faith
- It's interesting to look at your life, past to present, and think: "It has all led up to this...." And then wonder where it will lead to next.
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2 comments:
My son went through this at about age 3 (he's almost 6 now)not long after my daughter was born. I did eventually end up cutting out naps. by just allowing him to play in his room for "quiet time" rather than insisting that he stay in bed. If he was really tired, he'd end up falling asleep, but most days he'd stay awake. At bedtime (which was normally between 8:00 - 8:30), we tried to be as consistent and firm as we could be. We'd have him pee JUST before bed and get a sip of water, just to elimiate some of the excuses we were hearing :) Then it was lights out, door shut. Oh, and I prayed A LOT (which is HUGE because for us it was mostly a "will" thing...if he would just lay down and be quiet in his bed for more than 2 minutes he'd be out like a light)! That's not to say that it just magically got better, but over time it got back to "normal." From your post it sounds like you've probably tried this or some combination of this already - I guess my point is pray and stick with the bedtime routine you feel works the family as a whole...if he was a good sleeper before I'm sure he will be one again...all is not lost!
I have no advice. But I'm a night owl so if you need to vent at 11 feel free to call, I will probably be up, possibly with Liam, definitely avoiding being productive.
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