Toddler Has Trouble Staying Asleep

Hi J.! Well you must be exhausted and I do not have too much experience with this. My daughter is two and 1 month but I was just reading that most times it is a stress thing. I know you said that nothing has changed but I would continue to see if there is anything that is causing any stress in the day time. Also I have noticed that my daughter has phases and they usually last a couple of weeks and then they pass what ever the phase is. Good luck

B.

As difficult as it is going to be, you have to stand your ground and stop giving in to his request. Make him go
back to bed and just cry it out. Once he figures out that you are not going to give in to his demands, he will go back to sleep and stop making them. You might need to buy
some ear plugs at your local Wal-Mart store in the meantime.

He's demanding. That's the problem right there. He's testing to see who's in control & when you put him in the stroller, you're telling him he is. Tonight, tell him that you're not putting him in the stroller, it's time for him to be in his bed instead. You'll go for a walk in the morning but for now it's bedtime not stroller time.
You'll be tired cuz he'll either fuss or cry all night long most likely. It might take a few days, but be strong. I'm reading this great book about natural consequences parenting. B doesn't happen until A is completed-your B is him going in his stroller & your A is him sleeping in his bed w/o a fuss. If you tell him that he can walk in the morning but he gets out of bed again to demand a walk, put him back in bed & let him know there will be no stroller walk after all because since he's not doing what you're asking of him, you're not going to do what he's demanding of you. Offer to let him sleep w/a t-shirt of yours or Dad's, maybe he's just lonely. I used to joke that my one son came in for status checks during the night-he just wanted to make sure we were still there, he had no real problem. I'd kiss him, tuck him back in & go back to my bed.
This approach isn't mean, just letting him know that when he's willing to work with you, you'll be willing to work with him again. Hopefully it'll set the tone for future power struggles-they won't be as frequent as in other houses, or not at all, since you've told him so young that you'll be making the rules.
Good luck!
Oh & when you get tired because you've been up all night, he lays down for a nap. However you usually do naps, do it the same way, but let him know that you're so tired from the late nights lately that you'll be taking at least 1 nap a day-maybe 2. He needs to lay there as well.

My opinion is two fold...1) If he wants to go for a stroller ride as part of his night routine, then do it...just not at 9 pm. 2) Put him to bed earlier (like the previous post states around 7:30-8 pm). My own toddler goes to bed around 8:00 max of 8:30. If I put him to bed later, then he wakes up earlier. Strange I know, but that's how it works.

So your schedule should look something like this:
6:30-7:00 go for a walk
7:30 head for bed, do your regular night stuff. PJ's, Books,etc.
8:00-8:30 lights out. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, be firm. Let him know that you already had your walk and now it's time to sleep. This may take a few days to a month.
My own little guy did not sleep through the night until he was about 2 1/2. He was not allowed to cry up until he was 15 months. So it took another year to convince him to sleep through the night. But now he does great, I have been firm, but loving. It's hard for kids this age to understand who's boss. And why on somethings they get their way and on other things they don't. So he is trying to figure out who's boss on what part of life. And night times, Mommy's boss! And don't let him forget it (in a firm, loving way!)

Mine too! It is completely normal for toddlers to start random wakings. I won't play games with my son, like letting him out to go see daddy or for milk, but I will give him water and hug him and tell him I love him.

If he hasn't already gotten his two-year molars, he may be cutting them now. That was waking up my daughter a bit recently.

I agree with the previous post, your toddler is testing you! I also believe that you are putting your son to bed way too late. My daughter is almost three and she goes to bed between 7:30-8pm. We never hear a peep from her. There is a possibility that he is waking at that hour because he is overly tired. He has figured out that if you put him in the stroller than he can fall back asleep. I'd try putting him to bed earlier and leave him if he wakes. He'll protest but you know he is safe and after a few days he'll go back to his good sleep again. Good Luck!

I have to say that this really made me laugh. It just sounds so funny. I can't believe some of the stuff kids come up with! :)

My question is - how do you get him to sleep in the first place? Does he go on his own or are you walking him in his stroller? Everyone wakes up several times a night, and if all is okay, we go back to sleep never realizing we woke up. If he is being helped to sleep, when he wakes up, he might be looking for the same comfort.

My daughter would never sleep all night in her own bed, but was really excited that she was going to start going to school. I told her she could not start school if she was not sleeping in her own bed. It took a few weeks, but it worked. My point may be that you have already started giving in, so it may be harder to stop.

Good luck. It stinks to be up all night with a toddler. Thanks again for the laugh.

The best advice I ever got was "Begin as you mean to continue." Which to me meant that I should never start doing anything with my kids that I did not want to keep doing. You said he demanded to be taken for a walk and you did it. Now when he wakes during the night he thinks he needs to be taken for a walk to go back to sleep. At 2 years old he is starting to have his own strong will and when you give into it then he is learning what is acceptable in your home. He thinks, now, that walks in the middle of the night are acceptable. I'm guessing they aren't. When he wakes tell him it's nighttime and he should be sleeping. Then do what YOU are willing to in order to help him get back to sleep. (For me, I was willing to lay down with my son on his bed -- mostly because I could sleep then too). During the day talk about what is acceptable at night. Remind him that nighttime is for sleeping and we need sleep to be healthy and happy.
And check to see if he is teething. I've noticed my daughter's sleep patterns get severely interrupted when teething.