Does or has anyone heard of this or knows what can be done . . .

I have a 3 year old that doesn't want to sleep. She usually takes a nap at daycare each day, and they say she usually goes down easily for them, but at home at night she is a nightmare. She will stay up till midnight, sometimes 1am. I have tried the "Supernanny" methods and other methods of getting her to bed. Night time routine, bath, read a few books, lay with her in her bed with all stimulous turned off and she will laugh and sing and wiggle for hours. I would just leave here there and go to bed myself, but I can't. I can't sleep sound knowing my kid is not sleeping. I have actually dozed off and found her up and about the house at night looking for snacks in the pitch dark.

Now, my husband says this could be from his side of the family. He was diagnosed as hyperactive as a kid and even to this day he doesn't sleep well if he watches TV or is on the computer. Is this a symptom of hyperactivity that a kid won't fall asleep easily?

Yesterday she took no nap - was up at 7am and didn't go down for me till 1am. How is that possible? Anyone dealing with this too? She's killing me because I am walking around like a zombie keeping up with her.

Maybe that's something a lot of preschoolers do, because mine does something similar to that every once in a while.
He'd always been a GREAT sleeper until we switched him to a Big Boy bed. Now, he's a just a good sleeper. Because sometimes (A few nights a month?) these days, he'll lay in bed - completely in the dark with no sound & no encouragement from me - and sing and talk to himself FOR HOURS after we put him to bed.
He usually goes to bed fine (his bedtime is 8 p.m., and he wakes up between 6:30 & 7a.m. no matter when he falls asleep ....), and falls asleep pretty fast most nights. Other nights, he's a mess.
A lot of the time, nothing helps when he's in that mood. But sometimes - after he's been restless for an hour or two - I'll let him get up for "five more minutes," & we cuddle and he has some juice (in the living room). And then he goes right to sleep! But only sometimes.
I've read that some little kids have geniune insomnia-type problems, though, and maybe yours has something like that. But I really have no answer, other than possibly going to see a doctor.

My 3 year-old will have this problem if she naps. She has basically quit napping (much earlier than my first child), but if she falls asleep in the car or something during the afternoon, she has a very hard time settling down for bed - she's simply not sleepy. So the key for us to have a reasonable bedtime is to ensure that she doesn't nap during the day.
I assume you've eliminated potential dietary causes - caffeine, sugar, heavy meals close to bedtime, etc.
Here are some suggestions from askdrsears.com in the sleep FAQ section:

Our three-year-old fights going to bed. It's always a battle getting him to sleep before 10:00 p.m., and by that time I'm more tired than he is.

Parents usually need their children to go to sleep earlier than the children need to. Sleep is not a state you can force a child into. It is better to create an environment that allows sleep to overtake the child.

Be sure your child is tired. You may have to omit or shorten the afternoon nap or take it earlier.
Replace before-bed activities that rev-up a child (e.g., scary or stimulating TV, wrestling, sugary snacks) with wind-down interactions (for example, a warm bath, stories, quiet games, or a nutritious snack).
Reasonably consistent bedtimes are healthful for children of all ages, and a sanity saver for tired parents. The child over three can understand the concept of bedtime. Children under five usually can't understand actual time, but can relate time to events: "When the video is over," "After you've had your bath and a snack." Try setting the stove timer to announce bedtime. If you don't take charge of your children's bedtimes, they will often drag it out until midnight.
Bedtime routines are essential in getting children to sleep at an established hour. It should be fairly simple, for example, a snack, brush teeth and put on pajamas, a story, a prayer, and lights out. Do this every night and sleep will inevitably follow. This requires a commitment from you, but it's well worth it to know that in twenty or thirty minutes, start to finish, your child will be asleep.
Remember, children want to have fun. If it's more fun to stay up, they'll fight sleep. They don't want to miss anything. Try making bedtime special and fun -- in a quiet way.
Reserve favorite stories just for bedtime with the condition that you will tell the story only if your child is in bed at the appointed time. Alternate homemade stories with those in books. The most sleep-inducing stories are those that involve counting or repetition and lull the child to sleep.
Take your child's favorite story characters and spin a long tale: Batman and Robin went fishing, and they caught one blue fish, two red fish and three green fish. Of course, don't just count -- embellish each "catch" with the sequence of getting in the boat, getting out the bait or lures, baiting the hook, casting the line, etc. Batman and Robin will be lucky if they catch more than a half- dozen fish before the child is asleep.
A bedtime ritual conditions children to form a mental picture that sleep is soon to follow. The ritual helps them relax and get used to the idea. Before you begin the story, tell the child that he has to lie still for you to start the story. (Be sure the child is tired already.) Special bedtime rituals come with strings attached. "No backs rubbed after 9:00 o'clock." Use whatever enticement your child likes. Nighttime obedience has its rewards.
Martha notes: "We realized that one way to deal with our little night owl, Lauren, is to respect her state of unreadiness for sleep. While we try for consistent nighttime routines, sometimes Lauren just isn't tired at her usual bedtime. She's ready enough to get into bed for stories, but after four or five, I can sense that sleep is the farthest thing from her mind. She'd be happy to lie there for an hour and listen to stories, then have the light out, hear lullabies, and flop around. (I fall asleep first on those nights.) If I don't wish to spend my time that way, we get out of bed and I give her the message that she's welcome to play quietly if she stays out of trouble."

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LawMommy:
My 3 year-old will have this problem if she naps. She has basically quit napping (much earlier than my first child), but if she falls asleep in the car or something during the afternoon, she has a very hard time settling down for bed - she's simply not sleepy. So the key for us to have a reasonable bedtime is to ensure that she doesn't nap during the day.
I assume you've eliminated potential dietary causes - caffeine, sugar, heavy meals close to bedtime, etc.


- That's funny, because mine still naps most days, and he seems to sleep BETTER at night when he's napped during the day.
My sister says her kids were the same way, but all kids are different. So I guess you've got to just try everything until you find what works for yours,huh?
When did your daughter stop napping, Lawmommy?
I know most kids stop around age three or soon after, so I'm wondering when this horrible thing might also happen to us ...

My son napped until he was 4 or 4 1/2, every day like clockwork, but my daughter started, around 2 1/2 to skip days, and then by the time she was 3, she was not napping more days than she was napping (she turned 3 in November). Before I had her, I was always doubtful when moms would say their kids had stopped napping at a young age, but like you said, they're all different! I would love to have the break of a nap during the day, but I don't want to be up until 11:00 everynight facing the consequences! That's after my bedtime.

I feel your pain. I have a 4 year old that does the same thing. On the days that he goes to preschool he takes naps, but on the days that he is at home it's a struggle to get him to nap. If he does not nap, he sleeps better at night. He would stay up all night long if I would let him. It's odd because out of all three of my children he was the best sleeper as a baby. Now my 8 year old he can go to bed and within 10-15min. he is out like a light. I am just hoping that the older he gets that he will develop better sleeping habits!

So I'm not alone. Funny how kids from the same DNA and household are so different. My oldest napped through her 3's and still went to bed on time with little fuss. She is my sleep queen now, when it's bedtime she lays down and within 5 mins she is OUT! This little one will be the death of me! She is just more interested in outlasting everyone and not missing anything. Problem is, I am getting old and need my 8 to just make it through the day and she's killing me! Thanks for all the advice - I am trying a few things out like this thing (see link) for example:

http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/12/kidsleep.html

So did you get that clock? Did it work? How goes the sleep woes?