Sleep Survey

[katgod]

My 3 year old regulalarly wakes at 4.20 and comes in to our bedroom - usually pretty quickly settles back so not a big issue for us. I often wonder if the planes flying over are the issue. Is it a fluke that last night was one of the nights she slept through? Anyone else have a great nights sleep due to the no fly zone?

I'm a big fan of the Iceland volcano if it means another few good nights!

[ladywotlunches]

:) we also had a good nights sleep!

4.20 sounds hideous though! This week we are trialling a sticker chart so that if my 3 yo stays in his room (bar nipping to the loo) until his bunny clock wakes up, he gets a sticker. Its worked mon-fri - we'll have to wait and see what happens when the bunny has a 'lie-in' at the weekend!!

[littleEDfamily]

Our 3 year old sneaks in with us in the early hours of the morning about 50% of the time. I think she gets cold as throws off her covers in the night. She came in last night, so volcano and lack of flights doesn't seem to be correlated!

[snowboarder]

You know - yes maybe!! Second day with a post 6am waking for us! I wonder whether it's not so much that the planes wake them, but if they wake briefly around 4/5ish and hear the planes - then think it's morning....tsk who knows?!?

[helena handbasket]

Honestly the planes make me crazy! I first noticed when we moved to London and my son started to wake at..... you guessed it! 4:20. It was a shock, and also heartbreaking because I had just had six blissful post-sleep training months and was not ready to lose that success. Because of the mommy insomnia I still sometimes get, have found that even if I do manage to get junior back to sleep I lie awake listening to the roar of the jets, sometimes every 30 seconds! It sounds so close and loud that I sometimes feel they might land on our roof! I'm surprised at how many people manage to sleep through it.

And then you spend a weekend somewhere else and realize just how big a difference it makes (although in the country it's those bloody wood pigeons at the crack of dawn!)

It seems to be much worse by season, or maybe it just seems worse to wake that early and it's light out as well.

[katgod]

we had our 'visit' at 1.20 last night - but she went back to sleep and 4.20 came and went in a lovely sleepy haze. I think it is the planes. I don't hear them, but maybe I am just tune it out after 15 or so years in London. Agree with wood pigeon point tho - not sure I like them any better.

[snowboarder]

Huh. Not the planes here....last 2 mornings v early start!

[ryedalema]

I have the answer - EUREKA! Our 2.75 year old daughter had her first proper swimming lesson yesterday. She stumbled home afterwards and slept for 14 hours solid! 4pm until 6am.

WEY HEY!!

[Vik]

Sorry to go off topic but where do you take her ryedalema?

[ryedalema]

Peckham Pulse jelly babies session. It was actually our babysitter who took her (she's a lifeguard too and teaches tots to swim).

[Layla's Mum]

For anyone who is sruggling with night visits or early mornings, I've just been through a full year of broken nights and early mornings with my 2 - 3 year old. We tried absolutely everything: bribery, threats, taking toys away, sticker charts, the lot. None of it worked for more than a night or two at a time. I really feel like we've sorted it finally and I got the solution from a book I bought written by a sleep clinic.

1. Gro Sleep Clock - This clock was a revelation! It works better than the traditional 'bunny' clock because it doesn't pop up loudly (and wake the child up) at the allocated time. Instead its plugged in and the picture turns from a star to a sun in the morning. The stars count down to morning so the child can tell how close they are to morning. Its worked brilliantly with my daughter.

2. Sleep fairy - Keep a bag by the parents' bed and tell the child that the sleep fairy will leave her a little gift if she stays in her room quietly until the 'sun comes up' on the clock. This can be phased out once the child gets the hang of staying in her room all night.

3. When things go wrong - The only thing that has worked for us to deal with our daughter when she's come into our room in the night is the Supernanny style 'putting them back' approach. No talking, no engaging in any debate, no exceptions - even if its only five minutes before they are allowed to come into the room. I had to put my daughter back many many times the last time it happened with her throwing an epic tantrum, I didn't back down, I didn't respond to her, and eventually she gave up, since then she has never (touch wood) tried it again.

Hope this helps anyone who is struggling with this coz it has been bliss having full nights' sleeps again after a year of broken nights. Best of luck.