JUST AN UPDATE TO HELP WITH ADVICE: My son has had a regular bedtime of 8:30 since he was an infant (only interruption has been the holidays each year), he does not get to play himself tired just before bedtime and, in fact, he is read to for 30 minutes and then placed in bed for sleep, we have tried allowing him to scream but when I finally go in because I think something is wrong I find his room completely torn apart...even his bookshelf, and finally he has music he listens to while he is going to sleep.
So to the start of the request: Any recommendations for helping my 2 year old sleep through the night? My son has always been a good sleeper, but the last couple weeks he hasn’t slept through the night but maybe once. He wakes up every 1.5 to 2 hours starting at 2:00 am. Needless to say the whole family is exhausted during the day because of this.
We moved him to a toddler bed a couple months ago because he was sneaking out of his crib and playing in his room. Then his routine was to wake up, turn on his bedroom light and play in his room until he got tired and then put himself to bed. Now his routine is to wake up, cry until he can hear us coming to put him back to bed, then knock on the door and scream until we come back in.
I do not want to caudle this behavior because I am sure it will only get worse, but my husband needs his sleep since he works 14 hours a day at his own business and I run my business out of our home.
The situation is also getting to the point that over the weekend I took Tylenol PM to get some sleep while my husband woke up with our son. I am not a believer in medicating when not needed, but I don't know how else to get some sleep.
Good news!!! We are both sleeping through the night again! Thank you, everyone, for all your suggestions and help. It seems our little man is having some decision issues and was "deciding" he wasn't ready for bed even though we would be exhausted. We left our night time routine intact and simply gave him a few books to look at in his bed. We leave the light on for him to read by himself for 15 minutes after we have read together and then go turn the light out for him. 4 out of the 6 nights we have done this he has already been asleep in his bed when we go to turn out the light.
Again, thank you!
I really don't have any advice...I just wanted to add my son(20mo) is doing the exact same thing...like around 2am he will get up every 1.5hr after...i was reading about this the only I could find is to minimize their day time nap..so i am going t otry that, good luck...i completely understand the fatigue i work full time and my husband is full time military...Good Luck :)
My son is also 2 and we have recently been having the same problem. I think what happened with him is that he was sick for a week with croup and kept waking up and crying. I would go rock him back to sleep because I didn't want him to keep crying because it made him cough more. I think he got used to this and that's why he was waking after he got well. This is what I did with him, maybe it will help. When he woke up I would go in his room, pat his back, cover him up and whisper that he needed to go back to sleep. Then I would leave the room. If he kept crying I would wait 5 minutes and then repeat the process, only this time waiting 10 minutes, each time adding 5 minutes. He eventually would go back to sleep. I did this one night and he has slept straight through the past 3 nights. It's worth a try, I know how hard it is to miss out on sleep! Good luck!
Congrats for not giving your son the Tylenol PM:-) Good Luck and hopefully sweet dreams!
Small children use behavior to tell us when things are wrong or when their needs aren't being met. Sometimes they do this in ways that are really annoying for us, but it's because they are only small children and aren't very good at figuring out what's wrong and putting it into words.
As annoying as it is for us, it's good that they do this because the alternative is for them to just grow up unhappy since they can't usually fix their own problems at 2. :)
It's true that ignoring him, confining him better and punishing him may stop the behavior. But that will be because he learns that his needs don't matter and it's hopeless. A lot of the suggestions here will WORK but that's the reason they'll work, which is a pretty high price to pay.
It will be more work for you in the short term, but I really recommend figuring out WHY he's waking up and acting so upset and needy in the night. Is something stressing him out during the day? Has he outgrown his need for as much sleep as before so he's simply wide awake during the night? Is he feeling like he's not getting enough time with you and even bad attention is okay just to have you near? Is he having night terrors?
What does he say when you come in the middle of the night? What's he asking for? If it's attention then I'd make a big effort to give him more attention during the day. Since he's acting so angry, he may be reacting to something that's stressing him out like a change in the family or being scared because he's becoming a "big boy" in other ways (toilet training, for instance) and he's not sure he's ready to give up being a baby.
Children gradually need less and less sleep as they grow, and his bedtime may be too early for him now, or he may have outgrown his need for an afternoon nap. He may need either a later bedtime or an earlier wake time.
For now, I'd try keeping him up a little later and then doing your bedtime routine, which sounds really good. The way I see it, the options that would meet his needs AND yours are:
1. Tell him that mommy needs sleep at night and if he wakes up it's okay to do these things, and give him a few options. You might want to keep a small basket by the bed of wordless books, a favorite toy, a pad and pencil, etc. Let him know that he can play quietly with the lamp on until he gets sleepy again.
2. Go to him when he wakes, dim the lights and calmly tell him it's time for sleeping. Gently but firmly put him in his bed if needed and don't engage him in arguing or discussing it. Just repeat that it's sleepy time. Sit with him to keep him company and tell him you'll stay as long as he lies quietly with his eyes closed. This will only work if he honestly is sleepy, but if that's the case then he should be out again pretty quickly. I've had to do this with my daughter and I just bring a good book or magazine and read while I sit with her.
3. Let him sleep with you or on the floor by your bed. Plenty of people disapprove of this but it can be a God-send for sleepy parents and kids who feel like they need more of mommy or daddy than they're getting.
I think if you work harder at reconnecting with him during the day that things will get easier during the night. It's important to figure out if the main problem is that he doesn't need as much sleep or if it's something psychological, because that will determine what will fix things.
I do feel for you. I've BTDT with 3 kids and now have a baby that does a good job of keeping me from sleep.
The other thing to keep in mind is something that helped me get through an awful lot of sleep deprivation over the years-- remember "This too shall pass." :) Good luck!
Oh..Yes...I had this same problem not too long ago. My son is 20 months old and was doing the same thing. I also have him in a toddler bed. Does your have rails on it?? That always helps because it makes them feel more secure. I will try to give you some advice that I got that has seemed to help. The advice I got was to roll up some blankets and put them around him to make it so he can't move around as much. The more they move around the more they will probably wake up. Then I was told to use a radio and turn it on real low. I am not sure which of those things have worked but he is sleeping through the night now. He did still go through a period where he was crying and also banging on the door but as long as there is not anything in their room to harm them then let him cry it out. I am quite happy now that I can get some sleep. He does not wake up now until 7:30 and sometimes he will sleep past 8!!! I hope some of this helps a little.
I am a married mom with two wonderful little boys...20 months old and 5 months old.....
We've had that problem with our 18 month old. As hard as its been we've finally had to let him scream it out. We don't let him cry if there is something wrong (he has different screams), but if he's just plain mad we let him go. My husband works long hours as well, but we felt we had to get a handle on the problem. He does pretty well now, but wakes up every now and then. Hope it helps.
you need to get "good night sleep tight" by the sleep lady! My 10 month old wasn't sleeping and my sister suggested this book because it helped her. It has been about two weeks since I got the book, and my baby is sleeping for 2 naps a day and through the night for 11 hours! He has been doing it for a week! it has been a lifesaver! good luck!
Just before going to bed give him some hot cereal or such to eat. I think they get a little low blood sugar and then have "bad dreams".
Also, give him a flashlight to scare away anything frightening so that he feels in control. Keep the night light on.
It is about this age that they have a big jump in speech development and the part of the brain that deals with speech is also the part that doesn't always understand dreams.
Try to help him by calming him down, but I wouldn't bring him into your bed or you'll have a heck of a time getting him to go back to his bed.
Hope this helps.
Try the Delta Sleep System, it is a CD you can buy on line! I swear by this!
GL:)
Leave him. Get him a nightlight and unscrew his lightbulb. Enough is enough. Of course, first, rule out any medical issues. Kids test their sleep routine every once in awhile as they grow. YOu need to be stern and absolute in the fact that it's bedtime and he has to sleep. He'll cry for a few days, but then he'll get it. The longer you let him continue to do this, the harder it will be to get him back on track.
I agree with most of the responses. STAND FIRM. Bedtime is bedtime. Let him cry it out(pick a time when you can lose a few hours of sleep, like the weekend.) If he makes a mess in the room, he can help clean it up, and if it continues, take it all out. Only leave the bed and dresser. No toys to play with at 3 am. If he turns on the light, take/loosen the bulb. If necessary, get a good sturdy baby gate, and remove the door from its hinges to stop the knocking. He will learn quickly that you mean business. You could also go with the reward system. Every night he stays in bed, he gets a special treat. Good luck.
Sometimes when stress and wacky schedules get sleep schedules mixed up I would give my kids a dose of Benadryl before bed, it not only gave them a chance to fall alseep but kept them alseep so they could get into the deeper sleep they need to keep them alseep on their own. A couple days of being consistent would get them back on schedule and they would start sleeping better.
Before I would resort to this I would make sure they were taken shorter naps if one at all during the day and make sure there was no medical reason by taking them to the doctor.
I agree with Amanda on this one. Enough is enough. First I would say that you need to be putting your son to bed, not letting him play til he puts himself to bed. He is probably beyond tired when he goes to bed. Not sure of times, as you did not state any, but I found it to be very helpful to have a bedtime. Try getting a routine bedtime for him and see if that helps. Good Luck and hang in there.
When you find the answer let me know :0). We have a 2 year old and a 1 year old in our bed, and nither sleep through the night. Our 1 year old was up since 3 am this morning. Both have cold now so we in for a ride
Hi I am a SAHM aslo with a 15 moth old boy. Just had some questions or suggestions. Did you put his bed in the same spot that his crib was, if not I would suggest that because the child will recognize the is his part of the room to go to sleep. If you move his room around after changing beds he may not feel to safe or sure why his new bed is in a different place than his old bed. Next you can't give in to what he wants. If you keep going in there when he cries he knows you will keep coming back, so put him in bed the first time and tell him it's time to go to bed then leave, if he gets up put him back but say nothing and leave, you might have to do this a few times but eventualy he will give in and know that when you put him in bed it is time to go to sleep. You might have to do this a few nights to get it down bt it worked for us.
Hi S., I would suggest trying the crib tent. I had the same problem with our son and after three long months of it we broke down and bought the tent. It works wonders and he is still using it 5 months later at 27 mos. It was definately worth the $68. Let me know if you have any questions.
Good Luck,
A.
i keep some books and a animal flash light by my daughter bed it make cute noise hen you turn it on she know if she dose not want to sleep that her right but she is not to wake anyone eles just look at her books give it a try we also put glow in the dark stars and heart on me celling
Here are a couple things you can try.
1. Make is room more exciting. You want it a place he likes to be in. Two is young and it can be scary and he knows that Moms room is better than his. Also make sure it is lit enough for him to feel secure.
2. Is he taking 2 naps? 1 nap? How long? Sounds like he is getting too much sleep during the day. Every child has there own sleep patterns and needs. If he is not sleeping at night, you need to to cut his naps shorter or out.
3. Don't tollerate it! Don't get up and get him unless he has cried more than an hour or you can tell the cry has turned into a cry that means he is in danger. It will be hard. Put him in bed, tell him it's bed time and you will see him in the moring. (I told my daughter when the lights on outside its time to be awake and when it is dark outside we need to be sleeping.) Then when he wakes up sreaming, Let him scream. It will be hard, and he might scream 45min for the first few nights maybe even a few times, but as more time goes by, he will learn!
4. Since he use to be fine, make sure he doesn't have an ear infection, or isn't teething (That one is a big reason why the waking up habit starts again) Or anything else that might be waking him up during the night.
Hope one of these will help, let me know!
