Baby Sleep Problem,dear Moms Need Advice

If there is just water in the sippy cup... you can actually just leave the sippy cup in the crib/bed with him.

Or he may be going through a growth-spurt...2 years old they do this.
Or he may be having some molars coming in... this causes pain/teething.
Or is he possibly sick? When sick, kids get more clingy.

ALSO, at this age, they start to have "night-mares".. and perhaps "night-terrors". These are 2 different things, but are developmental based. Look it up online.

ALSO, kids at this age begin to get afraid of the dark.... night time fears. which is also normal and developmental based. So they want to be with/near the parent. They truly get scared... for real. Their imaginations are so active at this age.. and we can't just stop their minds or imaginations.

At this age, they go through a LOT of changes... developmentally. Its not easy for them either. And, they may still feel some separation-anxiety.... not only babies get this. Toddlers too. But it is manifested and expressed differently in an older child.

Maybe, try putting him on the floor, on a mattress.... in your room. If you don't want to co-sleep with him in your bed.

Can he talk or express to you, why he cries?

At this age... its not easy, for parent or child.
The poor fella... he sounds like maybe he is afraid of the dark or having night-mares. This does wake them. Both my kids, from that age, would start to have nightmares... or fear of the dark... and they'd wake... so I comforted them...

Also try making sure that before bed, he does calm things... not anything hyper or hyper TV or anything. Just quiet calm things... before bed. Give him a cup of milk before bed too... it calms children and even adults before sleep. Some kids also, really need to wind-down before bed, otherwise they have a hard time sleeping.

As he gets a bit older... he will get better about sleeping.

A good book is: "What To Expect: The Toddler Years." You can find it anywhere or on www.amazon.com

All the best,
Susan

Susan gave you some GREAT tips!

This is normal! Your child is NOT trying to manipulate you or trying to gain power...those are adult words for adult ideas.

Have you considered that your son may be dreaming or have night terrors? My toddler will go through this too and most of the time he isn't even wake really, just seems like it.

Also, keep in mind, toddlers are human. We all go through periods of sleep issues and need support.

How about a mattress on the floor where you can lie with him to help soothe him and then go back to bed...or stay with him. It is okay to sleep with your child on occasion or as they need it. Trust me, your son won't be 19 years old and sleeping in your bed.

Molars were so hard on my son..his other teeth weren't, but molars were.

You can give him some chamomile tea before bedtime too...that might help with any anxiety he may be having.

It is tiring, but your son is learning a lot about relationships and trust now...if he needs you and you are there for him, he learns trust and security...if he needs you and you let him cry, he will learn that people aren't always there for him. Tough lesson at age 2...I'd prefer my children learn this when they are older and have some skills to cope with that.

Hang in mama, this too shall pass.

W.

Sounds like it is time for a big boy bed. You can start by taking his crib apart and putting his crib mattress on the floor. Make a big deal about it and have a "big boy party." If he still freaks out at bedtime you can stay with him for the first week or so until he falls asleep. Just do not pay attention to his cries, and if he gets out of bed put him back in and don't make eye contact. He will get the idea and start falling asleep on his own without you. Goodluck!

It sounds to me like a power struggle is going on in your house!! You need to be very firm but loving with your son. You might want to go to your local library and check out the book "Solve Your Childs Sleep Problems" by Richard Ferber. He has some really great ideas that helped me a LOT when I was going through the same thing with my youngest daughter many years ago. You said something about food...are you feeding him at night? That could be adding to your problem, if he is learning to EXPECT to be fed throughout the night. A 2 year old should be able to make it all night long without any feedings.
Good luck!!

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books/0071444912.php

i have a coupke books i would read to my lil boy, the characters took water to bed with them. I started pointed that out to my lil boy when he was really lil, "Dopey took water to bed", we read the story every night and i would point that out to him, he got it and accepted it after awhile. My boy is 5 now and still sleeps with me. so i can't help you there. he is more secure there and i feel safer with him with me ( his room is one otherside of house, i just can't handle the thought of a fire seperating us), but we keep telling him when he turns 6, he has to start sleeping by himself, we mite get him a neat new bed to make it more exciting, IKEA has some relatively inexpensive cool bed. Good luck :)