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seperation anxiety?

hellomommyhoodhellomommyhood
in Toddlers: 24 Months+

suddenly my 2.5 year old doesn't want to go to bed alone.  she will cry until i lay in bed with her and gets really upset when i leave.  lately she is even waking up in the middle of the night screaming for me to cuddle with her.  breaks my heart to let her cry so i always give in - she is just so cute -!!!  but i really want her to be able to sleep alone.  (and i'm zonked esp. with a baby too!!)

anyone else going through this or have any tips?

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Re: seperation anxiety?

  • Kingston54Kingston54 member
    LO sleeps in our bed so we do not have any problems with separation.  Just wanted to say not to feel guilty about cuddling with her!  She's only little for a while and chances are she won't be sleeping in your bed when she's 13 :)
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  • TiffanyBerryTiffanyBerry member
    Is she afraid of the dark?  Of the shadows she sees?  Is she cold?  Is there a strange odor or sound she might be picking up on?
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  • tyke29tyke29 member
    How long has this been going on?  We usually give things like this a week to improve on their own - the phase to run its course - before we decide on the next course of action.  For a week, I would stay with her to fall a sleep and come to her and stay with her in the night.  After that, we would try calm and comfort but leaving at a set timeframe. 
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  • shawshaw
    My 2 year old started this when he moved to a twin bed.  I gave it about two weeks, but was totally exhausted with getting up early for work.  I have been putting him to bed by 8.  We spend the following hour returning him to bed.  He cries for me....then the doggies...then about poop.  etc...I think he is stalling!?  In the middle of the night I get in bed with him.  I just don't have time to return all night long :(
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  • acaudill75acaudill75 member
    DD1 tried this a couple of months ago when we took away her nighttime milk while sick with a tummy bug. We eventually gave back the milk but not in a bottle like she was used to. So she would cry and not want us to leave, etc. At this point in the night, I am too tired to put up with much, and I was getting really frustrated with the crocodile tears. I finally figured out that if I told her I was coming back and to just close her eyes and wait for me, she would eventually fall asleep waiting. Did I feel bad about lying to her, and the thought of my little girl trusting that I would come back right away? Yes, but I got over it when she stopped making a fuss every night. Its a game now. I tell her I have to wash the dishes, which she heard fishes, and I walk out the door with her telling me to wash the yellow fish, not the blue one, or the purple, not the pink one. So much easier.
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  • monkey_pantsmonkey_pants member
    I've been going through the exact same thing with my 22-mo old for the last 2.5 weeks and I'm at my wits end already.  She used to be so good about going to sleep on her own and for us the change was very sudden.  I feel so badly for her but I'm also terrible with sleep deprivation so I'm pretty motivated to try to fix it. 
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