https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:49:39 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881499 Sat, 20 Apr 2019 01:58:16 +0000 lamariniere 2881499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This may be a dumb question, but you didn’t mention it, do they have a nightlight? Maybe she’s scared if she wakes up in the dark? And then she would be able to see her blanket, lovey, water bottle, or whatever if she needs them in the night. My 8yo needed a nightlight until just recently. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881404 Fri, 19 Apr 2019 09:01:55 +0000 jennlin821 2881404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If DD1 is open to it, would you consider having them sleep in the same bed? Get ride of the bunk beds, and get a double or queen bed for them to share? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881373 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 21:07:03 +0000 ALV91711 2881373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: ya, that is early and disruptive. Has DD1 complained? I’d probably most want to protect her sleep. I have no great ideas but hopefully you get some and can get things sorted out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881362 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 19:07:18 +0000 erinbaderin 2881362@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Would an ok to wake clock work? Set it for, like, 3am and tell her that that’s when she’s allowed to come into your room? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881357 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 17:59:27 +0000 wrkbrk 2881357@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I may be a bad parent but I’d totally let them work it out and not intervene unless your older child complains or comes to you for help. If it’s a week of the little one snuggling with the older one until the phase passes or your older DD convinces her to knock it off - eh. That’s nothing in the scheme of things! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881353 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 16:58:40 +0000 Foodnerd81 2881353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: have you tried heavy bribery? The way we finally got my the 4.5 year old to stop waking us up at night was buying her a whole new pink and purple unicorn comforter set. She had to stay in her bed until her clock lit up without waking us for a week straight- if she came out that restarted the count. It took a couple weeks but she broke the habit and was so excited for the comforter (which btw I was going to buy anyway). </p> <p>But her issue really wasn’t that she was scared. She just got in the habit of waking up and couldn’t fall right back to sleep so wanted cuddles and attention. She has never been used to sleeping in our bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881318 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 11:56:46 +0000 Anagram 2881318@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ALV91711: Yeah, I actually totally don't care about her coming to our bed--the issue was that she suddenly started waking up around 11 pm or sometimes even earlier, and on weekends we would still be awake watching movies (or even the occasional "adult time") and I don't want her moving to our bed that early.</p> <p>Floor space is tight in our room. There's no space on either side of our bed and we have winged foot stools at the foot of our bed. I think she craves sleeping up against someone, not just being in the same room. We may give it another week and see what happens. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881312 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 11:24:54 +0000 ALV91711 2881312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know you want her to sleep in her own bed but maybe a halfway solution for now if you have room is a floor bed next to you. Then if she is scared she can be close to you and not wake up her sister. </p> <p>DS1 crawled into our bed early mornings until he was 4.5ish. It wouldn’t be every night but we let him when he wanted because it was the easy route. I can understand wanting her to stay in her own bed though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881287 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:55:50 +0000 Anagram 2881287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: maybe? But it's pretty warm here lately and she has a lot of covers and usually kicks them off from being sweaty. I think she's scared because she's not used to sleeping alone and is going through a "scared" phase in general--she asks us to go with her to the bathroom, even when we are sitting right there in the living room. We live in a small place, but if she has to go to her room for something, she'll ask one of us to go with her, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881279 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:27:13 +0000 jennlin821 2881279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wonder if 'scared' actually means cold? It sounds like she sleeps better when there is someone warm to cuddle with. Could you look into getting a bigger doll or one of those microwave heating pads?<br /> A quick google search found these: <a href="https://www.mainewarmers.com/product-category/maine-warmers/ccwarmers/" rel="nofollow">https://www.mainewarmers.com/product-category/maine-warmers/ccwarmers/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881273 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:12:04 +0000 Anagram 2881273@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>And edited to add: DD2 also asked DD1 to come to her bed 2 nights ago, but that time it was already 5:50 in the morning, so neither one of them ever went back to sleep and everyone was tired. But DD2 did make it in her bed all night long until 5:50 am. So it's an improvement in HER sleep, but she woke DD1 up more than an hour before she would typically wake. So it's win/lose. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-pre-schooler-sleep-issue-cutenot-cute#post-2881272 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:09:17 +0000 Anagram 2881272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My girls share a room, and they have bunk beds. My 3.5 year old has woken up at some point and come to our bed basically every single night since she was 18 months old and moved into a bed. We have never tried to change the behavior because we all get more sleep that way (she used to just walk to our room and ninja her way into bed and we would keep sleeping). Since she starts out the night in her own bed, and naps in her bed, we've never experienced the downsides of co-sleeping, like where parents feel like they have to go to bed at the same time as their kids or whatever.</p> <p>However, recently she was starting to wake up earlier and earlier and ask to go to our bed, even if we were still awake. So I decided it was time to work on getting her to stay in her own bed. So the last 2 weeks, we've talked up staying in her own bed a lot and offered a reward. We also talked about the "Sleep fairy" and how the sleep fairy will come and give a small token if kids stay in their bed all night. Well, this has resulted in DD2 waking in the night and screaming for us, instead of coming to us. Sometimes 3-4 times a night. Since she shared a room with DD1, sometimes she wakes her up when she screams for us. So now we're all getting less sleep and it's worse than before. But we have persevered.</p> <p>We have talked a lot about only calling for mommy/daddy in an emergency (have to throw up, have to pee), and not for little things like wants us to hand us her water (it's right next to her bed) or wants us to put her covers back on (she can pull them up herself). </p> <p>So this brings us to our latest phase--DD2 seems to have understood not calling for mommy and daddy unless it's an emergency--but this has morphed into her calling for DD1 and asking HER to come to her bed because she's scared.</p> <p>At first I thought this was cute (I found DD1 sleeping on the bottom bunk with DD2 this morning), but after hearing what transpire in the night, I think it's less cute. Apparently DD2 woke DD1 up in the night and said she's scared and asked her to come sleep with her. So DD1 crawled down and got in bed with her, but then DD2 kept talking and moving around, until DD1 threatened to tell on her or go back up to her bunk if DD2 didn't go to sleep and stop talking.</p> <p>DD1 is only 5.5 years old! She's a mature personality, but I don't expect her to lose sleep to parent DD2 in the night. The crazy thing is, we live in a very small place and I've been sleeping with both doors open, so I can hear DD2 if she wakes up--and I didn't hear any of this. Normally, I can hear them if they so much as cough. So I feel bad for DD1, but I gotta tell you....me and DH had a full night's sleep IN THE SAME BED WITH NO OTHER LITTLES, so that's pretty huge, haha.</p> <p>Anyway, should I press on and hope this is a stage and that eventually DD2 will stay in her bed by herself? Should I go back to telling her she should come get us if she needs something, and not to disturb DD1? Or tell her to call for us (which sometimes wakes up DD1 as well?) Just let them work it out, as long as we aren't disturbed? haha </p>