2 Yr Old Waking up in the Middle of the Night

She might be having night terrors, which is real common in this age. I would comfort her the best you can and make her go back to sleep in HER bed.
And also she might being doing it to just sleep with you.

My daughter went through a phase like that too. We made it through by coming in to reassure her (not holding her) about 5 min. after she started crying. Then wait 10 min. before going in again, then 15 min., adding 5 min each time before going in again. It took a week or so, but it did work. Bringing her in your bed is a hard habit to break.

On supernanny and Dr. Phil (lol) they talked about going in the first time and comforting and saying "it's okay, now go back to sleep" and then leaving. If the crying continues go in there again and don't say anything just put her back to bed or pat her back and walk out. Keep doing that but make it longer in between going in there and making the time you're in there less and less. You comfort by talking the first time but after that you don't say another word. It really worked for us. Be totally 100% consistent and the habit should stop. It worked for me after 2-3 nights of doing this and the first night was the worst but after that it wasn't as bad. Good luck!

Good Morning L.,

When 2 year old's wake up screaming and crying for absolutely no reason in the middle of night, as you've described, these are what are called "night terrors" and it is very common that this age experience these bouts. Don't worry they won't last very long, maybe about a month or so, but the little ones are delirious through them, so trying to wake them is impossible as they don't realize what they are experiencing. Rocking and cuddling them back to sleep is the best comfort. I experienced it with my son when he was a little over 2 years old and he's now 13.5. I do not look forward to reliving them with my 18 month old daughter, but it's just a stage she too, will have to go through. Good luck!

R.

My daughter just recently went through the same thing, and it is so frustrating! I eventually had to just go through a couple sleepless night sof letting ehr cry it out--based on a pediatricians advice, I went to the door every ten minutes and told her I love her and she is safe, and I will check on her in another ten minutes. It just took a couple nights, but they were definitely long ones, especially because she was used to me coming in, or taking her to my bed. Good luck.

Is it possible that she's getting molars? My 2-year-old has a really difficult time sleeping whenever she gets new teeth, but the molars were especially bad. Her second molars just came in a few weeks ago, and she was waking in the middle of the night before I could see anything. Sure enough, they started popping through her gums a few days later. If not that, is she stressed out about anything? Any new changes? Potty training?

Good luck! I know it's hard to not be getting good sleep.

My 2 YO DD#2 just did this as well. I don't believe in CIO; my DH and I would just bring her to bed with us (albeit, DH did this reluctantly at first.) She actually did this in 2 phases... the 1st phase lasted about a month, the 2nd only about 2 weeks. After bringing her to our bed, sometimes I would take her back to her bed after she fell asleep, but most of the time, I just let her sleep with us. After both times, we had no problem getting her to go back to her bed.

My theory is this... my DD#2 woke up for whatever reason- nightmare, night terror, molars coming in- I know what is going on but SHE doesn't. Heck, she's only 2. She's scared, she's upset... she doesn't know what is happening. So she needs to be comforted and to feel safe and the safest place for her is with mommy, or daddy, or both. Heck, we as adults often feel better and safer when we get a hug from a friend or family member... it's comforting. I'm not going to deny my child the physical comfort she needs and wants, especially when adults have the same needs and wants when we get upset or scared (although we as adults can sometimes rationalize what is happening to steer us away from the physical want/need... but we can do that as adults, the 2 year old hasn't learned how to do that yet.)

Again, this is my theory and the way our family works it out. You have to find what works for your family. Good luck!

My son went through this also when he was a little over two, and had been a great sleeper since he was an infant. I wasn't ever convinced that they were true night terrors because typically night terrors happen within an hour or two of going to bed, from what I've researched, and his were also happening in the early morning hours, between 3 and 5 a.m. We tried different things, often going in his room to comfort him, but not taking him out of his bed, just helping him calm down. This worked, but took a long time each night. I also brought him back to bed with me a few times, and found this was a big mistake for us. After many nights of waking and comforting, I was exhausted, so I tried it. He didn't sleep well, so I didn't sleep much at all and he also then wanted to continue to go to "Mommy's big bed." So then we had two habits to break--waking up and crying and sleeping with me. What finally worked for us was each night we talked when I put him to bed and told him that if he woke up, I wasn't coming in, but he could have Baby Tad sing him to sleep (a stuffed frog that plays music that he's been sleeping with since he turned one). Music has always been very calming for him and he often used Baby Tad to initially get to sleep at naptime and bedtime. The first few nights, he cried when he woke up, but I resisted the urge to go comfort him, and sure enough, within a few minutes, he was pushing the buttons on Baby Tad and I could hear the music. Within about a week, he was waking up and would only cry for a brief moment before having Baby Tad sing.

We are currently dealing with a similar situation with my 17 month old, who wakes and cries when she has a cold and gets congested. When she was a little younger, we'd go in and hold her and rock her and then put her back to bed and she'd go to sleep. This time, she will not let us put her back to bed--she just screams. I guess at this age, they quickly learn that crying equals Mommy coming in and spending time rocking them, so let's keep doing it. We finally had to just let her cry, because about 4 nights into this routine, she decided that she had had enough sleep by 1 am and just wanted us to rock her all night. Last night I told her when we put her to bed that Mommy wasn't coming in, so she'd have to put herself back to sleep, and thankfully she did not wake up at all. Maybe her cold is better or maybe she understood me.

Each child is different and what works for one may not work for another, so best of luck finding what works for you. Just remember that at this age, they learn very quickly!

Why is bringing her into bed a bad habit? It seems to me that if she knows that you will respond to her and give her comfort and physical closeness when she is upset and scared you are establishing a wonderful habit of asking for what she needs and knowing that she can trust the people who love her. When I wake up at two in the morning scared and sad, I am so glad to have my husband in bed beside me. When my children wake scared and sad (ages 6 and 8), I'm happy to have them crawl in beside us. It's a stage; it won't last forever, enjoy her being close while she is still so tiny.

L.,

I agree with Rose. I don't believe that taking your child to bed with you is a "bad habit." I am totally 100 percent letting a child cry it out. If this is a new behavior for her, comfort her through it. I think Moms have the tendency to panic whenever their child does something new that may interfere with the parent's immediate needs. However, I think that's part of being a compassionate and caring parent-being there for your child when he or she is struggling. Your daughter won't do this forever, so I would do what feels right to you. If that means taking her to bed with you, I'd do that. She won't be sleeping with you forever, especially if she's been used to sleeping by herself up to now. Follow your gut, not supernanny's or Dr. Phil's. This is your kid and you know what is the right thing to do for her. My kids come to bed with me when they are frightened, and I would never dream of letting them cry alone when I can comfort them.

Take Care,

A.

If she's waking up and she's always been a good sleeper, there is a reason. It could be teething (2 year molars), night terrors, nightmares, etc... I wouldn't let a child cry who has a reason to be crying and needs you just cry. She needs to know that you are there for her. I have found that when things like this happen, it is a phase that doesn't last long. You can find out a lot of information on night terrors and nightmares on www.askdrsears.com. Good luck!

The same thing happened with my son. He was a great sleeper so it really freaked me out when this happened. A lot of people I talked to suggested that he was having night terrors but, we just let him sleep with us for a few months and we just now got him back in his bed. He is good about the transition of staying in his room. It takes two nights of us just walking him back. Because we knew this we took the chance of letting him sleep with us. It has since all stopped. I think if they truly were night terrors it would have continued in our bed.