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7 year old Night Time Trouble

7 year old Night Time Trouble           reply
25/02/2014 12:35 - Behaviour / Discipline
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Help! My (Almost) 7 year old wakes every night about 1.30/2am. Says she is ´scared´. Then will not go back asleep for hours.
I have tried everything, reward charts, new nightlight, cd player for her room so she can play music quietly at night, dreamcatcher, new bedside light, I leave her door & mine wide open so she can see me at night... I have done it all. I bring her back to bed, we turn on her music, she says she is fine now, kisses etc then 20 minutes later she is standing beside my bed again. I have also gone down the route of punishments- no treats, no playing on ipad, early bed, no swimming etc.
She can do this from 1.30am to 5.30am and its of course starting to affect her behaviour in school, and TBH my health & sanity!!
She splits her nights 50/50 between my house & her daddys house and has done for 2 years now. She never wakes at night in his house just in mine!!
I am at the end of my rope with her. Short of locking her into her room what can I do?? I accept that she seems to be in a bad habit of coming in to me the second she wakes up, and furthermore she obviously cant or doesn´t want to lie there & settle back to sleep (although I feel she is not even trying).
Any suggestions at all what I can do? I have a 3 year old and he has just moved into a cot bed, I am terrified that he will pick up on her behaviour- if he started messing at night too I would be in John of Gods for sure as I work full time and I just cant cope as it is with the sleep depravation.

Is the only option to give in & let her sleep with me?
I´d really like to avoid this as I value my privacy & I am a light sleeper so I don´t sleep well with her in my bed (however clearly I am not sleeping well anyway at the minute!!)

Help!!!




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