Sleep problems in children are very common. Not a week goes by that I don't get a letter from parents who want their children to go to sleep at a reasonable time in their own bed and sleep through the night so the parents can get a night's sleep. Parents, out of love and enchantment (it's pleasurable to be truly wanted by such an adorable creature) reinforce the child's behavior by allowing prolongation of the bedtime separation. But somewhere along the line parents start to resent the child's behavior and realize the child is avoiding going to bed out of desire, not need.

What to do if you have a sleep problem in your preschooler now? The first step is for the parents to read a bit about sleep and sleep disorders in children (the classic is Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems, by Richard Ferber, which you can find in the library), understand the role they are playing, and figure out ways to CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR without feeling guilty about their past behavior.

Some doctors advise keeping a sleep journal for two weeks in which they keep track of the time the child wakes up, naps, is put to bed, falls asleep, wakes up at night, what you did when child woke up, and the time you went to bed. Sometimes valuable clues are revealed, like the child does better if put to bed earlier or later.