Posted by Danny on September 16, 2008 at 08:19:12:My 3 1/2 year old has inconsistent sleep patterns yet we are extremely consistent in our sleep routine. We put her down at the same time, read the same number of books, etc. 1-3 nights per week, my daughter will go down immediately and stay in her room sleeping 9-11 hours straight with no movement. 4-6 nights per week, she will struggle to go down initially, immediately coming out of her room when we leave claiming fear, thirst, bad dreams, or "I'm just not tired." She is rarely visually upset (no crying or wimpering) and is just matter of fact about the situation. I go into her room, rub her back for 2 minutes and leave. 90% of those times she stays in her room without another sound.
3-5 nights a week she will awake around 3:00am and come out of her room claiming an inability to sleep or some other minor excuse. 95% of those times I go into her room and rub her back for 2 minutes and she stays the rest of the night in her room quietly, presumably sleeping.
Is this sleep pattern unhealthy? Is this sleep pattern unusual? Is there a "cure?" Am I handling the situation in a healthy way? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
- Re: 3 1/2 Year Old Sleep Patters Sandman 22:59 9/16/08 (0)