Hi all, Ds is 3 years old and has always been a terrible sleeper.

Lately its getting worse, he doesn't want to sleep in his own bed and insists on either us sleeping in his room or he sleeping in our bed.

It is such a nightmare! He will not sleep and doesn't let us sleep either with his screaming and crying, it goes on for hours.

We have tried reward charts, and anything we can think of but nothing works.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

My bes7t advice is choose a routine and stick to it. In our house DD who is 3 has a bath after dinner at 6:30 for about twenty minutes. Watches tv orplays quietly with us until 7:30. At 7:30 it is toilet, teeth, pyjamas. We read a story, put the night light on, turn the main light off and turn her music box on which plays for 10mins. This works 99% of the time.

I would suggest a similar routine. But when it comes to lights out, sit onthe bed with DS for 10mins, then move out of the room. Tell hin you will be back in 2 mins to give him another kiss. If he stays in bed go back after 2 mins and praise him and give him a kiss.

If he does not take him by the hand back to bed without saying anything. Pop him back into bed give him kiss and tell him again that you will be in in 2 mins to give him another kiss. Do this but increase the time away until he is assleep.

We did this. We eventually moved from sitting on the bed the first night to the floor beside the bed the next night, then a little further away each night until we left the room after lights out.

Increase the time you return to give him a kiss a little every three days or so.

We still do the kissy thing at 5 mins some nights. Usually the most times we do it is 3.

Hope this helps. Be very firm and do not let him rule you. Keep the routine going. Of course you may need to modify it a little to better suit your needs.

It is going to be hell the first few nights but stick with it. Let me know how you go.