Toddlers Not Sleeping Through the Night

I also have twin boys. When they were smaller I tried just about everything to get them to sleep through the night including me going in and laying down with them, which helped some. I finally just started letting them sleep together and it worked for the most part, one has night terrors so he still has those issues but they do sleep through the night about 95% of the time. I thought that since they were twins it could be that they just needed the closeness.

do they need to use the bathroom? Are they drinking late in the eve? When they wake you up just say you need to go back to sleep & take them in there & go out. May have to do it several times. It isn't cruel. OR fix a sleeping pad near your bed & just say you have to stay on this mat till morning. Mommy needs to sleep & so do you. No more discussion.

Sleep patterns do change. Even I don't sleep like I used to. So, you should reconsider their bed time and maybe even their pre sleep rituals. Have you talked to them about why they are afraid to go to bed? Have they become afraid of the dark? One of my kids always needed a night light, then he noticed shadow created by the night light. We talked about each fear, and eventually that worked. For awhile, he was afraid to go to sleep because he had had a nightmare. It sounds odd, but I happened to have a dreamcatcher from a recent trip to Minnesota. I explained what they did and he went right to sleep.

One thing you should definitely do is tell them if they wake up, they need to remain in their rooms, quietly. They don't HAVE to sleep, but they can NOT disturb anyone else in the family. Do this before they go to bed, not when they are already in your room. Tell them whatever consequence you use for discipline and stick to it. They have to realize they are part of a family and have obligations to the whole family. They do not have the right to disturb the sleep of others. Keep that in mind when they start fighting. Send them to their room, let them figure it out, but punish them both equally if they disturb the family.

Good luck

I think at this age it's rough because they still need a nap but are starting to get too old for it. You could try keeping them busy for several days and not letting them nap. They might sleep better at night. But a lot of the moms on here report that this can backfire and they can sleep even worse. So I guess all you can do is try and manipulate their day and see what happens.

Have you tried a radio on low or any of the white noise makers for kids? Or you could get a few cd's of relaxation music for them and put it on continuous play.

Are they potty trained by chance? I can NOT sleep if I need to go to the bathroom. Maybe try and take them to the potty when they wake you up the first time?

Suzi

We are having this issue, at least with going to bed, with our 3 year old. Are your boys still napping? Mine will still take a nap willingly, but when he does nap, he does not want to go to bed on time. He and his big sister sleep in the same room, and this disturbs her, so it was really erking me! He'd usually be relatively quiet, but come out every so often and say he just couldn't go to sleep. So this week I started putting him down for his nap much earlier than I was before, no later than 12:30, and only letting him sleep for 1-2 hrs, so he has plenty of time to get worn out again. That's worked pretty well this week. My 6 year old went through this too, waking up a lot in the middle of the night, and we did a chart with her. When she got to a star on the chart, 10 nights I think of good behavior, not getting out of bed during the night, she got to pick out a small toy at the dollar store. That worked for her. And like others have said, talking through what they're really afraid about. Good luck, it's no fun to be tired all the time!

I am having the same problem with my 2 and a half year old little girl. I got tired of going in so many times at night because she kicked off her blankets and we switched to a larger blanket that I now tuck in around her loosely. She just moved to a toddler bed. This seemed to help with the blanket issue a lot. The other times she woke up just crying, I think from bad dreams and sometimes wanting a drink of water. She now gets a sippy cup of water near her bed and I do go in when she cries to calm her down and get her back to sleep. She has only slept through the night once in the last month for us. But the larger blanket has helped and cut down the times she wakes up. Moving up the nap is a good idea and I am going to try it. I noticed she slept through the night when I got her to wear herself out around 5PM playing and running and jumping for an hour, so maybe more exercise is the key. Not sure what the best remedy is, but if you find out, please, let me know too!

Bless your heart, I'm right there with you. I have 3.5 yr old b/g twins and we have the same problem off and on. For a while I actually get to sleep through the night. Then for a while I'm up 3-4 times every night. My daughter has had a couple of nightmares and I finally gave in and use a nightlight, which has helped some. I bribe my son to stay in bed at night by taking something he enjoys the following day or rewarding when he stays in bed. My daughter has a ricebag (crazy, I know, but it works) I warm for her and as long as she stays quiet she gets to keep it. But it is difficult in the middle of the night when you wonder if they just want to sleep in bed with you or if they are really scared. I'm feelin' your pain, sister. Feel free to PM me any time to compare notes.

We had this problem for a while too and are starting it again with the younger one it seems. When my oldest was between 2-3 she had nightmares a lot. I really had to be careful with the movies that she watched. Tarzan was always a problem even though she loved the movie. The timing of when she would watch a movie would make a difference too. Some movies she could watch in the morning and be fine but not in the afternoon.