Pleas help...3 year old sleep related.

My DS just turned 3. He has rarely slept through the night since birth.

He used to snore and choke in his sleep, until we had his tonsils out at 2 1/2. We thought that afterwards, he would sleep through the night. Nope! He is worse than a newborn. He wakes several times an hour alllllllll night and then is up for the day abouy 5:30 am.

We have been sleep deprived for so long, it's killing us. I can fall asleep while stopped at a light. It is terrible.

We have a strict routine that we have followed since birth. Dinner, play, bath, books, bed- at 7 pm. He takes a while to fall asleep. But he is in his room, alone. We have a safety gate at the door, his furniture is bolted to walls, drawers have child proof latches, closets have locks and window has a safety look.

He is safe, so that is not an issue.

WHen he was first sleeping last night, I watched him. He moves and twitches and cries out non-stop. Could it be some type of siezure brought on by sleep? He was grimacing like he was in pain...It was creepy. I have never watched him sleep, I just say my good nights and leave.

He cries out several times an hour, flails around and fall out of toddler bed alll night long. He is soooo noisy that even when he is alseep, I cannot sleep because he is so loud. Our room is across hall.

What can we do??? I can't take it anymore. The Ped suggested locking him in with a hook and eye lock. I am getting to that point??? We cannot function like this. The last night I had of uninterrupted sleep was when I was in hospital, the first night after c-section!!!!

Re: Pleas help...3 year old sleep related.

I don't have much advice, but maybe he has a sleep disorder? It's possible for children to have sleep apnea so I would look into getting him evaluated for that. It sounds like it's been really rough, hope you're able to find some answers

Re: Pleas help...3 year old sleep related.

I have no advice. I would discuss it again with the pediatrician and see if an evaluation for a sleep disorder can provide more insight.

Does/Did he nap? Were they the same kind of sleep patterns you experience at night?

If you go in to help him does he express what is wrong/what he is feeling?

Re: Pleas help...3 year old sleep related.

My 5 year old niece has sleep apnea. She had her tonsils and adenoids taken out and it just brought about other problems that he had that they thought were only being caused by the tonsils/adenoids.

I would honestly look further into a sleep study of some kind. If he is flailing in his sleep adn that noisy in his sleep, I would say that there must be a reason for it.

And, once a month, can you get someone to sleep over? An aunt, grandparent, bestfriend, etc? And you and DH can rent a cheap hotel room and just SLEEP uninterupted? Man, Mommas need their rest!

Re: Pleas help...3 year old sleep related.

Sorry you are going through this. I don't have any sleep advice, but as far as the lick is concerned, we have a child proof door knob for our 3 year old. Granted we Also have a video monitor so we can see what's going on, but he can't get out on his own. I know some people don't like the idea of the lock but we've never thought any differently.
Good luck!

Re: Pleas help...3 year old sleep related.

I agree with PP, their are some sleep clinics for children, maybe that would help. It doesn't sound like nocturnal epilepsy or any seziur disorder.
I don't know how you are functioning! Big hugs!