# 4 year old not sleeping through - help!



## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

Hi 

I'm hoping you can help as i am at a complete loss and this is beginning to really effect us all in a negative way.

My 4 yo DS has never been a great sleeper and this year (up to when dd was born) he would wake once every 2-3 weeks and be awake for up to 2.5 hours.  He would call for me for either a wee, his light, a drink, to come into our bed or a cuddle and then i would leave him and after about 30 mins he would call again and this would continue for the time it took him to go back to sleep.  We tried leaving him to cry it out but this wouldn't make the time any shorter.  Since DD was born, he is now doing this very, very frequently - eg last week 4 nights in a row.  The only difference is that since using a Groclock and some stern words, he maybe just calls for one thing now or just comes straight to our room.  Sometimes he will fall straight to sleep but other times he will try to sleep but can't for what feels like hours.  I try not to let him sleep in our bed, but eg last night i had DD on me as she was being a nightmare and i couldn't move (during the week DH sleeps in the other room so doesn't help with all this).  When i can i take him back to his room but the calling for me and/or my bed just carries on.

He also started school this term and i worry how the sleep deprivation he must have at times, is going to effect this.  Equally this has probably got something to do with the problem!

I am getting completely exhausted and i feel that this is really spoiling all our lives for various reasons at the moment.  I just wondered if you had any ideas on how to help, and also if you think that he should see a doctor (i'm not sure what they would do though).

Thanks for listening.
Kate


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