Sleep Problems with 2 Year Old Daughter. Please Help Me Figure This Out!

Updated on April 15, 2011
T.C. asks from Aubrey, TX
5 answers

Okay how do I keep this short. My two year old was goin to bed on her own. I would do our bedtime routine say I'd be back to check on you, walk out and she'd be fine. I'd come back and she'd be sleep. Then one day it just stopped working. She wanted me in the room with her. So we tried cry it out and by day 9 she was running out of bed after me. It became a physical struggle so we went back to point one. I tried the supernanny method of sittin with my head down in the middle of the room and working to the door. This was fine and I'm to the door but still can't leave until she's sleep. Part 2 to the problem is that she wakes in the night trying to figure out where I went. Yelling and screaming. Waking everyone. So I admit sometimes o just bring her in our bed. Bad I know. But I was desperate for rest. So if she wakes I can lay in her room and she'll lay back down bit she'll wake in a few hours and wake back up looking for me. What to do?! I can deal with one of these issues bit not both together. At school she lays down for nap with no assistance but not at home. Does she need more of my attention in the evening? Any advice is sooo appreciated. And all she wants is me not hubby at night. I take her up for bath at 7:10 we are in bed and reading by 7:30. She normally wakes bwn 6:30-7. Still takes a 2 hour nap at school.

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So What Happened?

So this is where we are now. We started putting her to bed a little later or rather starting her bedtime routine later and opened her bedroom door and she falls a sleep with no issues! Yay! But she still is waking 2x night! If its not one thing it's something else! lol! thanks for your help!

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L.W.

answers from Cincinnati on

around 2 years old (you can see one of my questions about her waking up TOO early) we had to push her bedtime back to 8 or 830. She also started to do similar things (screaming when we left and/or waking periodically) in the middle of the night. What worked for us is we said "oh Haley did you want to take a book in bed with you to read?" We also put her in her crib and taught her how to say the good night prayer (its like of like adding onto the normal routine... and HOLY MOLY it worked..never cried again (in about 3 months) we also have an aquarium in her crib that acts like a nightlight and plays music so she could look at her book and go softly to bed on her own..Her wakings in the middle of the night ignored unless I could tell she was really UP..and she was up and was scared. I went in and held her in the rocking for 3 mins and then I put her back to bed, with her book and we prayed again..that only happend once.
we are transitioning her to a twin bed this weekend. My plan is to start talking about the Easter bunny and if she sleeps in her bed ALL night the easter bunny will leave a treat in the morning....so if she sleeps, I plan on having a few jelly beans lead to a trail and at the end is a plastic egg with candy...she will only get 1 per day, every day (if she sleeps good) until Easter(and then she wont be overloaded with Candy ON the actual Easter day). ...that may be an idea for your 2 year old...mine is 28 months old now)

3 moms found this helpful
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L.D.

answers from Dallas on

That happened at our house, too. My two year old, one day, just started refusing to stay in bed. This is what I remember (?) that we did.

I did all of the regular bed time routine, and also said something like, Its time for bed, you will stay in bed, lay down, lay still, and go to sleep.

I also let my son pick a toy or book to bring to bed.

If he got out of bed, i kept silently putting him back in - he kept getting up and running out and crying and he would get hysterical, and I kept putting him back in. I gave him a sippy cup of water and that helped calm him down. I think we had about 3-4 nights like this, and they were awful.

We also made a rule, If you come out one time, hallway light goes off. If you come out two times, door is shut because he HATES that. He wants the light on and the door open.

If my son wakes in the night, and does not go back to sleep - I (or my husband) get in his bed. This might happen @ 1-3 times a month. It might be a couple of nights in a row, and then not again for weeks and weeks.

Also @ two, my son started wanting just me. If my husband came in to get him, or give him his water, or do something for him, he would scream "NOOOO DADDY! NOOOOO! I want mommy!" If my husband did not leave, he would get hysterical. This lasted just for a few weeks to a month. (and no, my husband is not a child molestor...)

I'm not sure if any of this is helpful - I dont think I would use what we did as a model for good parenting, but I wanted to share so you would know that you are not the only one.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Boston on

Hey, get the book "The No-Cry Sleep Solution." My friend recommended it when I had my daughter 2 months ago (when she was born) so when we were ready to put her on a schedule later, we'd already have the info ready. We actually use the sleep solution now to help her fall asleep in her crib on her own each night. We don't have her on a schedule, just use the technique to help her fall alseep on her own in her crib. Before she'd sleep for 20 minutes and wake up crying and continue that until we broke down and put her into bed with us.

IT WORKED THE FIRST NIGHT WE TRIED IT! It took my husband and I about an hour to get her to fall alseep but she spent the mos tof the night in her crib. The second night, she spent in her crib the whole night. And there was no crying involved. It. Was. Awesome.

I found my copy on Amazon.com

Good Luck!!!

1 mom found this helpful

A.D.

answers from Norfolk on

My son went through this shortly after turning 2, and it was a sudden fear of the dark that messed up his sleeping. A Twilight Turtle and a new night light made him excited (a little bit) about his room. it didn't stop the tantrums completely, but we just stuck with our regular routine like glue and he grew out of the sleep fighting in a couple weeks. They feel more secure when the routine doesn't change up--so just stick with it!

1 mom found this helpful
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