Why is my 2yr old still waking up at night?

hopeful34 · October 2012

OMG i am so exhausted. He sleeps all night prob 2-3 nights a week. On those days he is also up at 5am. Other days he is up 2-3 times a night. He cries, i go down to his room lay him down and lay on the floor. he usually goes back quickly but then is up an hour or so later. It's getting to be quite annoying. Is it still teeth???? He doesn't have them all but he doesn't seem to be having any issues of teething. My DD sleeps all night every night and usually have to wake her in the morning. I'd love to get him sleeping the same way...any suggestions?? Anyone else dealing with this?

jmjb2008 · October 2012

YES. She's actually on my bedroom floor right now because she came in around 3am. I know that's not the best thing to do, but I'm 8 months pregnant and can't lay by her bed anymore so I compromised so she's at least getting sleep.

Sorry I don't have any answers. Just that you are not alone!

MamatoA2010 · October 2012

You are certainly NOT alone! DD is almost 3 and still wakes at night occassionally. Sorry I don't have any answers either but know that you have company Big Smile

Worcbride · October 2012

DD is almost 4 1/2 and still wakes up. I dont have any answers either but you're not alone!

Angela814 · October 2012

DD1 didn't start STTN until she turned 5. DD2 still wakes once a night (every night) at 2 years. She comes into bed with us after she first wakes. The times DH tries to put her back to sleep in her crib, she wakes more. We tried everything with DD1, and nothing worked until she was ready. I read different sleep books, and they all said that it's normal for some kids to still wake up at night at this age.

This is from the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers:
Toddlers wake up:
3 or more times a night (4%)
2 x a night (5%)
1 x a night (38%)

Preschoolers:
3 or more times a night (2%)
2 x a night (3%)
1 x a night (31%)

It is perfectly natural, absolutely normal, and totally expected for your toddler or preschooler to wake up in the night and need your help to fall back asleep. Sleeping all through the night, every night, without needing a parent's assistance is like learning to walk or talk or drink from a cup - all kids get there, but they do so at their own speed, a little at a time, and in their own unique way. I promise I won't leave you dangling there, just because something is normal doesn't mean you have to simply live with it until things change on their own.

DD1 was in a twin bed at 2 years, so she just came and climbed into our bed when she woke up. Some nights she didn't even wake me up. I figured since it wasn't really hurting our sleep, that it wasn't worth "fixing." I don't know what we'll do with DD2 since she won't be able to sleep with us in 6 months when we have a newborn too.

megann831 · October 2012

my dr is really on me about DD's sleeping. He has told me she needs to go to bed with out music or anything so she learns to fall asleep completely on her own. We still use a seahorse that plays music for about 10 min, but that's it. She is still in our bed 95% of the nights by 3 am. When I explained to him that she breaks the lock of the door handle and can climb over the gate, he suggested putting a lock on the outside of the door. It really doesn't bother me badly enough to listen to screaming for hours, so I'm just going to share my bed for now.

Angela814 · October 2012

megann831:
my dr is really on me about DD's sleeping. He has told me she needs to go to bed with out music or anything so she learns to fall asleep completely on her own. We still use a seahorse that plays music for about 10 min, but that's it. She is still in our bed 95% of the nights by 3 am. When I explained to him that she breaks the lock of the door handle and can climb over the gate, he suggested putting a lock on the outside of the door. It really doesn't bother me badly enough to listen to screaming for hours, so I'm just going to share my bed for now.

I don't understand why doctors even care about sleep. Unless DC is behind in milestones, thus possibly not getting enough sleep, then it's really none of their concern.

My 6 yo has a CD of lullaby music that she listens to at bedtime every night. She falls asleep listening to it and then sleeps all night long. I don't think music is the problem. I think most kids want to be close to their parents at night, which is completely normal. They're ready to sleep on their own when they're ready, not when someone else tells them they should be.

anvloveskme · October 2012

DD is 2 yrs 3 months and still wakes up on occasion - last night she woke up around 3:45 am and I just brought her to bed with us. She only does this about 1 x month and will generally fall back asleep (luckily).

rlyttle · October 2012

I'm a mean Mommy, but I would just stop going in when he cries. He knows you are going to come in and sleep on the floor and he loves that. My DS wakes up only about once a week during the night, but I would never go in there unless it was a hurt cry or very unusual. Usually I can just ell he woke up and he quickly goes back to sleep. He needs to know ow to get back to sleep without you running in there every time. It might suck at first, but he will soon realize that nobody is coming in, so he might as well just go back to sleep. I know it sounds harsh, but you need to sleep train him for everyone's good.

Dreamsicle23 · October 2012

rlyttle:
I'm a mean Mommy, but I would just stop going in when he cries. He knows you are going to come in and sleep on the floor and he loves that. My DS wakes up only about once a week during the night, but I would never go in there unless it was a hurt cry or very unusual. Usually I can just ell he woke up and he quickly goes back to sleep. He needs to know ow to get back to sleep without you running in there every time. It might suck at first, but he will soon realize that nobody is coming in, so he might as well just go back to sleep. I know it sounds harsh, but you need to sleep train him for everyone's good.

This, this, this!!! Couldn't agree more.

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