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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Toddlers
3 yr. old waking every hour of the night.



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mother4




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 12:08 am
My kids in general do not sleep much.
This kid is 3 and gave up his nap looong time ago. (probably before he was 2)
Anyways, I keep him busy the whole day, he is very active inside & outside.
I put him around 9:30/10:00 to bed and he wakes up EVERY single. bingle, night - starting about 12:00, 1:00, 2:00 sometimes crying 1/2 hr. in between.
I checked EVERYTHING. pinworms, ears, throat, fever....and nothing.
I also tried just letting him cry.
I tried changing beds/ putting him in crib. upstairs, downstairs, etc.
He squirms and throws himself around crying loudly.
By day he unbelievably acts normal and is not cranky.
He wakes up early.
How is this possible??? Anyone else have this? I'm at wits end what to do - to get this boy to sleep and give me at least 3 hr. stretch of quiet.
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bnm




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 12:54 am
he needs a sleep study. Something dosn't add up here. is this a recent development or is this ongoing? was there ever a time he slept for longer streches?
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muffinsmommy




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 5:47 am
Did you actually give him pinworm medication? You said that you checked everything, but in many cases - you won't actually see the pinworms.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 5:51 am
If it possibly is worms, try to give him a spoonful of pumpkin seeds a day. If thats the problem, it helps, if not- they are healthy and not harmful.
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mother4




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 9:08 am
If he will actually eat the pumpkin seeds. I don't think he will like it, but it can't hurt to try.
I checked for the pinworms myself in middle of night (with flashlight) and did the stick test from the doctor (sticky swab test for eggs), so that is ruled out.........
Something really doesn't add up here - how does the kid function by day???
Where do I do a sleep study? Although none of my kids are big sleepers, this one is beyond normal...
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oliveoil




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 9:13 am
Is he sleeping alone? What if you put him in your room/bed for the night? Would that help?
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mother4




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 9:16 am
As a baby, he also had times he would wake up at night and be awake. I was too exhausted and there were times my husband had to stay up, or I would just have to let him cry.
Over the months, I realized that by putting him in later to bed, I had more chance of getting him and myself some sleep. But lately, he wakes up regardless of how late he goes. And screams and cries. My baby under him (nursing 1 yr. old) wakes up even less (1-2x night) And there's heavy noise machine blocking out all that noise!!!!!!!
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mother4




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 9:23 am
He sleeps with brothers and goes very happily, albeit a long time before he will fall asleep.
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amother
Tan


 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 9:34 am
You must get a sleep study and go to an ENT to rule out inner ear/sinus issues that make it hard to sleep.

Also you have to decide if this is behavorial.

I have kids who are bad sleepers. One has sleep apnea. The other needed some coaching about not waking up Mommies in the night. I sat him down quietly during the day and told him that when its dark outside we sleep. I gave him toys in his bed and did not respond when he came to me even though I was awake. I kept my eyes closed and my ears open. The next day I gave him my shpiel again. After a week he gave up and stayed in bed.

There are children who have bad dreams. This is a huge, almost unsolvable problem, but reassuring them in the day and giving them tips on how to self soothe helps them grow out of it.

But go get the child a sleep study. Start with your dr and ask him if you need an ENT to write the script. Sleep apnea is real. Some symptoms: never falling into a deep sleep, squirming a lot during sleep, falling asleep in a car seat. slightly hyper behavior during the day (some people describe it as mild ADD, actually studies showing children medicated for ADD really were suffering from sleep apnea)
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sneakermom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 9:59 am
The fact that he isn't behaving tired during the day makes it seem like he is a kid with a low need for sleep. But waking every hour doesn't sound normal. It seems he is not really getting deep rem sleep, keeps waking up before that happens.

A sleep study might tell you more. In the meanwhile try the behavioral route and see if it helps.
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 10:41 am
My 3 year old wakes constantly during the night until I put her in my bed. Then she sleeps like a dream (while I do not). I'm too tired to fight it these days.
(She goes to bed at 6:00\7:00, she starts waking at 10:00 and 11:00 - I take her to the bathroom then and then put her back into her bed - she is dry through the night. sometime around 12:00\1:00 she shows up at my door crying to come in. If I take her back to her bed she does this continuously through the night. Once she is in my bed she sleeps soundly)
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Orchid




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 8:57 pm
mother4 wrote:
As a baby, he also had times he would wake up at night and be awake. I was too exhausted and there were times my husband had to stay up, or I would just have to let him cry.
Over the months, I realized that by putting him in later to bed, I had more chance of getting him and myself some sleep. But lately, he wakes up regardless of how late he goes. And screams and cries. My baby under him (nursing 1 yr. old) wakes up even less (1-2x night) And there's heavy noise machine blocking out all that noise!!!!!!!


And I find, paradoxically, that the earlier my toddler goes to sleep the better she sleeps!
On nights that she goes to sleep late is davka when she wakes up several times a night.

Maybe you need to completely switch this around!
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freshmom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 10:11 pm
I agree that it can be nightmares. I tried a bachflower with my daughter and it helped. Maybe try essential oils too.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 10:17 pm
Is this child nonverbal? I'm shocked that no one has mentioned actually ASKING him what's bothering him.

Even if he's not talking, he can point to things and you can play a guessing game until you figure out what's upsetting him. It might be something as easy to fix as a toy that makes a scary shadow on the wall - who knows?
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mother4




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2015, 11:38 pm
FranticFrummie wrote:
Is this child nonverbal? I'm shocked that no one has mentioned actually ASKING him what's bothering him.

Even if he's not talking, he can point to things and you can play a guessing game until you figure out what's upsetting him. It might be something as easy to fix as a toy that makes a scary shadow on the wall - who knows?

Of course he is verbal. But he is halfways in his sleep and doesn't tell me clearly. He gets quiet when I go to him - but starts again within the next 1/2 hr. I can't keep going every hr. of the night to him!! if I ignore, he will stop eventually, but then starts regardless.
I can't anymore!!
by day, he is the sweetest and promises he wont get up...

The dr. told me it may be:
he has a sleep disorder/night terrors - treated by waking him up BEFORE he gets up.
Or, give him pinworms medication even though test came back negative
Or as last resort, give him a sedative to sleep, bc he is so deprived and problem is worse.
I am ready to do all!
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2015, 1:07 am
mother4 wrote:
Of course he is verbal. But he is halfways in his sleep and doesn't tell me clearly. He gets quiet when I go to him - but starts again within the next 1/2 hr. I can't keep going every hr. of the night to him!! if I ignore, he will stop eventually, but then starts regardless.
I can't anymore!!
by day, he is the sweetest and promises he wont get up...

The dr. told me it may be:
he has a sleep disorder/night terrors - treated by waking him up BEFORE he gets up.
Or, give him pinworms medication even though test came back negative
Or as last resort, give him a sedative to sleep, bc he is so deprived and problem is worse.
I am ready to do all!


Hug I know you're at your wit's end. I hope you didn't feel like I was attacking you.

My sister's boy didn't speak until he was almost 4, and it's not unusual for boys to be late talkers, or to not speak clearly. That's the only reason I brought it up.

Have you tried giving him 1mg of melatonin, either in chews or drops, just before bed? DD has been taking 1.5mg from the time she was 5 until now (age 12) with her doctor's approval. Some kids just don't produce enough on their own. Looking back now, I wish I'd tried it earlier with her, and helped her get some better sleep habits. It would have saved us BOTH a lot of screaming and crying. At wits end
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mother4




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 29 2015, 10:27 am
Orchid wrote:
And I find, paradoxically, that the earlier my toddler goes to sleep the better she sleeps!
On nights that she goes to sleep late is davka when she wakes up several times a night.

Maybe you need to completely switch this around!


Thank You! I am glad you pointed this out- it is very true!!

To update: went to another dr. and he ruled out pinworms. He said they are night terrors, and will likely pass. I put him to sleep a little earlier, wake him to bathroom. BH so far, he is really sleeping better. In fact, he is catching up and sleeping like no tomorrow.
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israelgirl




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 29 2015, 12:39 pm
I second that he isn't sleeping enough possibly. I find that when my children are exhausted, and sleep deprived, they sleep WORSE at night. When my 3 year old naps during the day and goes to sleep consistently at the same time with the same routine (around 8 with a 2 hour nap in middle of the day) he sleeps like a dream. Some kids don't need the nap though, and then should DEF be going to sleep by 6-7 each night!!

Good luck. I'm falling asleep just thinking about how difficult this is!!! Plus you have the newborn...WOW.
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