Hello!

I need to get my daughter to sleep earlier! My daughter loves to stay up at night and she’s only 3. Most nights I’m asleep before she is. I try to wear her out during the day (playing outside and running around etc) but she still goes to sleep most nights around 9/10. She goes to daycare 2 days a week and does dancing on a Monday night and even on those nights she still doesn’t go to bed early. I get her up early (7am) in hope that she will go to bed early but she doesn’t. She hasn’t had a nap during the day for over a year and is usually in bed around 7.30. I’m really starting to struggle and it’s getting overwhelming. Does anyone have any tips that could possibly help me?


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  • Have a strict night time routine and if you already have, maybe start it earlier if possible. You can also get clocks that change colour so kids know when to start their quiet time before bed. Pack all her stimulating toys away when she is to start her quiet time and only allow her to play with toys that will make her drowsy. Good luck, I hope this helps.


  • Maybe getting her up earlier for a little while, at least until you have a new bedtime routine in place


  • I would establish a routine. Start by turning off televisions, computers etc., play some relaxing music in the background, give your daughter a warm bath, read her a short story, and then lights out. It may take a while but it’s worth sticking to the routine.


  • Routine, does not matter how old they are, including us adults it comes down to routine, bed time should be at the same time each night, and have a routine of say homework, discussion of the day, dinner, maybe bathtime, a little tv if there is something suitable that she likes to watch, then bed with lights low, and read a book or she may want to read her own book, drink of water along side the bed, and maybe a torch as sometimes kids just want the security of a torch, explain that you will do a few things then go to bed, check on her occasionally, so that she has a sense of security, she will eventually settle and go to bed without drama, I never found any success in demanding that children go to bed and being strict, I found making it a pleasant time was more successful and my kids used to ask to go to bed in the end. Can be trying for the first few weeks but don’t give up,


  • That’s scary as. My partner likes to play shooting games and it started around the time he was playing them I’m assuming some of the trouble I’ve had is due to that.


  • My daughter went through a stage of not sleeping until 2am… This was because she was scared after our car was stolen. Now she is able to sleep earlier, and sleep all night! :) She is 9yrs old.


  • I thought I would give you all an update she’s in bed by roughly 7.30 and is asleep by 8.30 usually every night by having books read to her. It’s hard to get her into bed any earlier as I’m working until 7 most nights but hopefully that will change soon. Thank you all on your advice and tips. It has helped a lot.


  • Good luck with that… My son was the same so I used to rub his back until he was asleep so that I knew he would sleep however now he is 13 and sometimes I think that I should do the same thing as he will be up until after midnight every night


  • put her to bed read a story to her,put on lullaby music and dim room is a must, keep on trying and do not give in, even if it means a few reading trips to begin. Give her a routine worth it it is true, for her as well as you. I made a tape (now would be a DVD of me reading stories for company.


  • She sounds like she might just miss out on what’s going on after she goes to bed. Try setting a bed-time 8pm max. After dinner bath and a story or two then a nice glass of warm milk. Mum and Dad may need to pop on your PJ’s too. Only lamps on in the lounge room and very low TV if it must be on. You could try no TV say it’s broken. (Un-plug from the wall.) You need to get some books from the library about bedtime there are a few good books. Read them to her. Start a wall chart and give her a reward at the end of the week for going to sleep on time. Best of luck.


  • Start a night time routine, say dinner then bath, milk, brush, story then sleep. Avoid getting them excited at night, no running around.


  • Try giving her warm milk before sleep time and make the environment calm and relaxing by putting on relaxing music.


  • She is functioning well during the day, she just does not require more sleep than she is getting. You may have little bright spark there!

    Does she play in her bedroom? If her bedroom was only her bed room she may transition from play to sleep earlier. does she have a room decorated to facilitate sleep and rest?
    Soft lighting, perhaps relaxing music? Or a sound therapy machine? Some have a heart beat as well as other sounds. I have one and I have the bet sleep to heartbeat sounds, thunder storms or rain on a roof. Spray her pillow with lavender, massage her feet with lavender oil. Good luck.


  • Try making things quiet in the house an hour before you want her to go to bed, you stay calm and quiet too. no electronic devices on in the house unless it’s a CD with nightime lullabies or something similar. Spoil her with reading a book and tell her if she isn’t in bed and quiet by half an hour before bed time she can’t listen to the story. Make a big deal about the story but read it in a whispered voice so she has to be quiet to hear you.
    Hopefully this works.
    If not maybe you need to look into the foods she is eating maybe something is setting her off…hopefully not.
    Good Luck!


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