My six-year-old daughter has started waking up every night, crying and saying she cannot get to sleep. It has been going on for a few weeks. There have been no changes in her life that we can think of to bring this on.
We know she has not been particularly happy at school this year and think this is mainly due to her moving into year one and struggling with having a new teacher who is less mothering etc.
We have spoken to the school about her this year and they have done things to help her confidence, so I just don't know what else to do to help her.
Should I assume the sleep issue is connected to the school issue? Should I be strict and cross in the middle of the night or sympathetic?
HELP!!!!

Was she wake up from a bad dream? If yes, worth find out what was in the dream.

I am no expert on this, but other than school, there can always be other outside factors that affect a child's sleep.

It can be very simple thing like she might have watch something on TV which give her uneasy feeling.

Or perhaps she has heard a story which might be meaningless to other kids, but she feel scare afterwards.

Watching TV and listen to a story are all normal part of life and won't stand out.

You need to find the real source before you can help her get back to normal routine.

Thank you for your reply. I don't think it is a bad dream as I have asked her that each time. She doesn't wake up crying but just cries when she goes back to bed, saying she can't get back to sleep.
It's so hard with children this age though, because sometimes they don't know themselves what is making them feel uneasy, so it is really hard to pinpoint the problem. It may be something she has seen but I don't know how to find out, apart from keep asking her what is worrying her...

Poor you, sounds like a bit of a nightmare and interrupted nights are no doubt taking a toll on you too! Like you say children this age can find it difficult to explain their feelings or even know what the matter is themselves which makes getting to the bottom of the issue very tricky indeed! I have had similar problems in the past and after several nights of sympathy I have had to deliver some tough love! I think sometimes these things can become a habit and if they get cuddles and chats when they wake it can become quite a nice habit for them! Tough love did work for us, it's perhaps worth a try?

Another idea might be to buy a new cuddly toy and make a bit of a big deal of it being her new comfort friend for the nighttime?! Something she can cuddle when she wakes. Or I have used Worry Dolls (ttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Tobar-Set-Trouble-Dolls...334867204&sr=8-2) with my son before - you tell them your worries before you go to bed, place them under your pillow and hope for a good night's sleep. Getting his secret worries off his chest seemed to help him a little?! You could secretly listen at the door to see what she tells the dolls?

But if there is something really really bothering her these suggestions might not work - good luck would love to hear how you get on as I'm sure lots of people have been/will be in the same situation at some point too.

Best of British!

Thanks Ruby, these are great suggestions. Yes, I have been concerned that whatever the original cause was, it has now just turned into a habit...
I like the idea of the worry dolls, I remember having some of those myself years ago. I will try that one first I think and let you know how I get on.