tips to stop 2 1/2 yr old from calling out for us at night twice a night?

[nzbabies]

Ds (2 and a half)has always been a crap sleeper but now we have a newborn I am reeaaally hoping he will grow out of this soon - however, anyone got any ideas to help him grow out of it now?!
He often wakes up and cries or he will just call out our names and we have to go in and comfort him or he will start crying(I usually stroke his hand.) Sometimes he calls us back a few times more. He is in his own room in a cot. We slept in the same room until three months ago but he would wake up even then, two or three times, just for me to shush him, cuddle him or give him water. Do you think I could bribe him to not call for us?!! Any other ideas?
thanks! Its annoying because my newborn wakes up less than him but she is starting to get woken by him now!

[notyummy]

We have a rabbit clock/nightlight which we started using when dd was about that age. Rule is no calling for us whilst the rabbit is asleep. Can sing quietly and talk to soft topys etc until you drift off to sleep ....look at the rabbit...he's asleep like you etc etc. We used stickers in the morning everytime dd stayed in bed (or at least in her room!) until the rabbit woke up. She is now 2.11 and the rabbit still rules in this house (although she is now dry at night, so she is allowed to get up and go to the potty in the bathroom as long as she goe strsight back to bed)

[nzbabies]

thanks for your replies. I might try something like the rabbit clock and stickers.

[Annya]

Hi,
I would second choklit, after two and half years of night bottles - and yes, getting worse not better - we explained to our son that that night there would be no more feeds cos he was a big boy, not a baby etc. I was amazed when he pretty much accepted it that first night, two wakings but no crying when he didn't get some milk. On night 3 he slept thru - probably only the fourth time ever.

I guess at that age they can really understand quite a bit.

Stay firm and maybe leave him a no spill cup of water?

[tommypickles]

This is what I recently wrote in reply to someones else's post.


I recently had 3 weeks of night time waking with my nearly 4 year old after he had a bad dream the first night. It took a while to realise what would work. But once I had the idea it took literally 2 nights to get back into some kind of a sleep routine. OK so after the first few nights after the nightmare he wasn't quite so scared of bed anymore, but had become reliant on the attention/reassurance that I would give him when he woke at night. He was routinely waking at 11.30pm and 3.00am, and lots of nights at anytime in between too. I would have to sit on his bed or get in it until he went back to sleep, then he would sometimes wake again as I was leaving. Anyway, what you have to do is get them back into a routine where they get themselves off to sleep without you being in the room, then if and when they wake in the night they're not expecting you to be there. I took him up the first night I decided to do this, and I had explained to him during the day that I would leave him while he was still awake, and I read a story to him, when he started to drop off I woke him up and said OK mummy is going now, night night. He started to get up and make a fuss, but I said it's OK, mummy will be just outside your door, like I explained to you earlier. He stood at his door for a minute and watched, I told him I was just collecting the washing from the other bedrooms. He was quite happy that I was still there. I kept saying, it's OK mummys still here. He went off to sleep by himself, I was amazed! He did wake that night and I had to stand on the landing for 1 hour at 3.00am, but it's about the long term effect not just getting sleep that one night. He again got himself back to sleep at 4.00am by himself. The next night I did the same at bedtime, he was asleep in 2 mins, and the same last night. He is currently sleeping from about 8.30pm to 5.20am, which is much improved from a couple of weeks ago, but on the past 2 nights he seems to be sleeping for a few mins longer each morning, which hopefully over time will return to normal. It's just a bout giving them the confidence to be on their own again. They seem to be quite happy to know that you're there outside the door, but actually they're not relying on you to get them to sleep. You may get a few tears, we did the first night, but when you see the right moment, tell them that you'll stay just outside the room. My son, I think, thought well if she's not going to sit on my bed, then I'd better take whatever I can get, and went for the idea of me being outside. Now each night, he says, you gonna stay next to your room, or are you gonna get the washing.