bedtime is a nightmare

[JennHen97]

I have a 4 year old daughter that is use to falling asleep watching a movie in her room................I tried having her fall asleep without a movie the night before last and she FREAKED..............I want her to get some good sleep because she is going to start school soon and she needs to get use to that.  I should tell you that she is really a great kid, awesome during the day.........but for the past 2 nights its been awful..........I caved both nights and put a movie on, but its gotten worse now she has to have the over head light on before we can even leave the room............otherwise she screams and cries and I am afraid of what the neighbors are thinking its like we are killing her..........nothing has changed in our lives......she does not act like this on her weekends with her daddy, but she does sleep on her own bed in he and his wifes room......I refuse to let her sleep with us..........she keeps asking like she has done it before.....I am not a mom that babies her kid..........i rocked her when she was an infant and thats it.........she has always went to bed for the most part with ease.........as long as there was a movie on........and when that movie was over (most of the time before it was over) she would fall asleep.  Now its "I don't wanna go to bed, I don't want you to go to bed.........I am scared of....(looking around the room) um...........I am scared of "stuff" can't ever tell us what exactly it is........sometimes she says she is scared of her toys and that I should take them all away.....I don't know what to do.........from what I have read a routine of just putting her in bed over and over again and starting early in the evening will help?

[JennHen97]

I am elated!!! 2 nights of no screaming or crying, she only gets to watch half a movie and we start it early after bathtime and a story!!!

[Gina04]

I just checked my notes, inbox, and notifications list and don't see anything from you.  Could you send it again please?

[JennHen97]

i sent you a message yesterday with my e- mail in it.

[Gina04]

Wasn't sure what was going on with the email address you posted.  I just saw another post by someone asking for help with something.  In that post, he lists his email but it is exactly like yours above.  I'm  think MedHelp won't let you post your email address in the comments so they change it to look like this.  If you do indeed want a copy of the ebook, you can send me a message on here.  They allow you to list email addresses in the messages.

[Gina04]

I understand your frustration and pray you find something that works for your family soon.

[JennHen97]

yes please just e-mail it to ***@****!!! and thank you so much!

[Gina04]

Habits started young take time to break.  My brother got in the habit of putting my niece in the car and going for like a half hour drive around town to get her to go to sleep when she was a baby.  At 2 or 3 years old, he was still doing it because she wouldn't go to sleep any other way.

It will be hard, but you need to skip the movie and let her learn to put herself to sleep.  It will almost certainly be a rough few days but eventually she will learn to go to sleep without the help of the movie.

I authored a parenting ebook and this is one of the things I discuss.  It would have been easier to let her learn this as an infant but now is better than later.  If you would like a FREE copy of my ebook, simply message me to let me know which email address you want it sent to.

[JennHen97]

Her dad has been married for about 8 months and has been living with his wife for a year. We have been living with my Finace' since March and never had this problem before. We moved into our new house over a month ago and she has never acted this way. Even with the movie on last night she had to have the over head light on before she would let us leave the room. I am going to start a routine and see what helps, and maybe not a whole movie but maybe a dvd with 30 minute episopdes on it and she only gets to watch one.  

[RockRose]

Jenn,  I think   the lack of consistent structure is starting to wear on her.

She has two homes.  One she sleeps with her dad and his new wife,  one she sleeps in her room with a movie but wants to sleep with you and your boyfriend.  

I think you should let her sleep with the movie.  And then when she's asleep,  turn it off.  It seems to comfort her.