Sleeping & Behavior problems

[diane311]

Grandson is 5 years old.  Extremely smart and manipulative.  Wakes up now every night after about 4 hours of sleep and screams non-stop horrible things at his parents and wants to sleep in bed with only one of them there, doesn't matter which one.  Sometimes he will then go to sleep but recently stays awake even then and just continues to scream.  Mother is recently 8 weeks pregnant (he doesn't know yet) but is losing sleep and very upset.  Father does not help and is not consistent if he does.  I was there over night and slept with him and he slept through the night in bed with me........they have tried putting a mattress in their room so he could be int he room with him....didn't work.  He is then a real behavior problem the following day.  He will be starting 1st grade in September.   Please help....this is really out of hand.

[margypops]

He is getting mixed messages and although you all think you are helping you are in fact enabling him to behave like this , it sounds like they are giving in to him because he screams and in doing that they are rewarding the behavior, he now knows if he yells he gets what he wants ..So they have to break the cycle, he will have to yell, consistancy is the key here, take him to bed read him some nice stories, his door can be left open and a hall light on if he is afraid of the dark. If he yells ignore it, when he realises after a night or 2 its not working he will stop, may take a bit longer if he is a tough boy, noone takes him into their bed, if he comes out of his room he has to go back ,a parent takes him back ,over and over if necessary,into his own bed .Its not easy but it does work and if they start this now he will be fine once Baby arrives ..Good Luck