2 Year Olds Sleeping Habits

I found this article online this morning. I realize not all techniques will work with all families, but I thought there were some great ideas in here.
http://www.babycenter.in/toddler/sleep/habits24to36months/

At 26 months, I think kids are going to test their limits. It's important to be firm & consistant, but also understanding enough to know this is a phase. I'm amazed at how quickly my daughter goes through her phases. Granted, we go through 2-3 weeks of craziness each time, but she eventually moves on to something else.

It is a phase. My son did the same thing. He would wake up and crawl in bed with my husband and I....that was a big no no in our book. I sleep naked, so for him to do that got on my nerves. I would just send him back to bed. My thought is, if you cater to what they want, they realize that they are just going to get it in the end, that's another reason why I wouldn't do that. My daughter is 13 months now and she about drives me crazy on a daily basis with wanting to be held. She acts like she cannot live if I do not pick her up, I am busy...I'm a stay at home mom, so I let her cry. It's a tantrum she throws, but I deal with it (cotton balls help). As far as your son goes, if he needs changed - then change him, if not I would not give him anything because you are just giving him the will to get up every night knowing your are going to do what he asks.

We had similar issues with our daughter at the same age. She is now 8 and we did survive!! It does simply become a habit like you said. What finally worked for us was to put a basket of new toys in front of her doorway. (toys from the dollar store or the like and that are packaged so your child can't play with them until they are "earned".) Anway, the basket at the doorway stopped our daughter from coming to our room. she knew that if she made the choice to stay in her room and go back to bed then she would be rewarded in the morning with a new toy of her choice. It was amazing how this process worked for us! We started with the basket of toys elsewhere in the house but, it really clicked when we put it in her doorway so, it was a visible reminder at night. As time went on, we extended the time to more nights to receive a toy adn eventually it was phased out. I would give it a good 8 weeks to solidify a new habit. Then if there's another phase along the way, you can always pull the basket back out! :) Good luck!

Try E. Pantley's book - The No Cry Sleep Solution - really helped us. We now read him a couple books, turn out the lights, sing a couple songs, put him in bed tell him "night night, mommy loves you, go to sleep" and we don't hear from him again until morning! It's great. Good luck!

K., Trust your instincts...it probably is becoming a habit. It sounds to me like he doesn't know how to get himself back to sleep. Everybody wakes up a little when they roll over but we go back to sleep. Your son wakes up and since he can't read the clock he doesn't realize whats happening; he thinks its time to get up. So you explain it to him in words he understands. Say something like, 'if you wake up and its still dark out that means its still night time and you need to go back to sleep. We'll see each other in the morning.' Give him a drink of water before bed as part of the bedtime ritual and forget the drink in the middle of the night. He has started to depend on you to fall back to sleep. If he cries, walk in his room, don't say anything, no cheerful smiles, check to make sure he is not wet and pat him on the back and walk out. This way you know he is ok. Then if he is still crying, let him cry for 10 minutes and go back in and do the same routine. My son NEVER cried for 10 minutes.NEVER. He always stopped before that. But it was hard for me to let him cry and I always looked at the clock, set the timer, OK if he doesn't stop crying in 10 minutes I'll go get him. I never had to go get him. Good luck. I hope this helps. K. L.

Hi K.!
I am one year younger than you, although I only have one child (5 yo) so I know how you feel ; p
I have a different philosophy of parenting as the last reply, so take whatever seems right to you and leave the rest. I think it's very important to establish trust in the first year or two of life, so I always picked up my daughter when she was crying. I don't believe in letting them cry. But you have to know your self and your child, too, and if you feel it is better at times to let them cry then you should follow your own instinct. Just be sure it's what you think is best for the CHILD, not just for your own convenience.
I agree that giving your son what he wants will make the habit more engrained. However, if there is truly a NEED then he should be given it. For diapers, I would put on cream before bed and not worry about that. If he's hungry, give him something bland but filling (plain toast for example), definitely not something he feels is a treat. You could also just make it a habit to put a snack and cup of water next to his bed, to serve himself.
I've read not to make eye contact or say anything if possible. You could try going in there and just saying people need to sleep at night and Mommy is tired, so go back to sleep. You could pat him then (without looking at him) or just go back in your room, and if he cries still try again in a few minutes.
When my daughter was about 2 we moved, and we took that opportunity to transition her to a bed (actually we used a futon mattress on the floor at first) and her own room.
When they are older than 3 I feel then you've already established trust and you can explain to them why you are making them stay in their own bed, etc. Then it is a little different as far as letting them cry. Again, just my philosophy (for more on the subject you can read "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears).
Hang in there, it WILL get better!
Hope this helped,
Lynn