sleep issues - 3year old

Hello! Our situation sounds very similar to yours! I thought this time last year I would never sleep through the night nor would I ever sleep in my own bed again! I had to lie down with my dd to go to sleep and ended up sleeping with her during the night after she woke up realizing I was gone. We started a few months before she turned three telling her that once she turned 3 she would sleep like a big girl. Of course, it was not that easy. I told her that I would sleep on the floor, but not in her bed. This took a few days to work. As long as I was in the room it seemed to be okay for her. Eventually she just started to realize she could sleep without me in the bed and actually started to sleep better through the night. So you may, even though it is not as comfortable, try sleeping on the floor. This way she knows you are there, but she learns to sleep in the bed by herself. We also started a sticker chart. She earned stickers for going to sleep like a "big girl" and sleeping in her bed like a "big girl." This really seemed to help. One thing, I have always told her that if she is scared she can come to me...just because I do not want her to be afraid. She still occassionally gets out of bed, but things have been much better. I will also tell her to try staying in her bed for 5 minutes and if she is too afraid she can come get me. 9 times out of 10 she goes right back to sleep and sleeps the rest of the night! Of course we have our nights when it storms or what not that she ends up in my bed the entire night! I do not mind this at all now that she is sleeping better through the night more often than not! One other thought- do you have a nightlight or rooms nearby where you can leave lights on for her? DD kept asking for more light- we had a nightlight, but I decided to try even more light. She goes to bed with the bathroom light on and her sleep has been better with that as well! I do not see how she does it, but it works for her! I hope this helps a little! Best wishes...I know it is tiring, but it does get better!

That must be really hard...on all of you. You need more sleep and your little one does too. Waking that often at that age isn't normal, so something is going on. Do you know what her sleep habits were before she came home with you? Even though you adopted her at an early age, there could stilll be some issues that come out during her sleep...maybe bad dreams, or something. Does she tell you what causes her to wake up? I don't think there is anything wrong with your bedtime routine...it's what happens after that. She falls asleep and for some reason wakes up and needs you. Maybe she needs some kind of reassurance that you won't be gone when she wakes up?? I wish I could be of more help, but if you haven't already, ask your pediatrician what they recommend. Good luck. I hope you find a way to help her sleep better!