HELP! Come and talk to me about sleep training!

[laurenamium]

So as not to drip feed, I've posted on here before about DDs sleeping. She was waking up every few hours and drinking at least a bottle of water. I cooled her room right down and she began waking less often and drinking less (thank you those that helped!) and was self settling.

In the last few weeks she seems to have completely lost her self settling skills. Instead she is waking every few hours, standing up and having a meltdown. Refusing to lie down, throwing her "cuddy" etc. She can have a few a night and its taking her an hour and a half on average to give in and go back to sleep.

She turned 2 last week. Has anyone got any advice or tips as to what to do? I really don't want to bring her into my bed. I haven't taken the sides off her cot yet thankfully!

You might actually find that taking the sides off the cot helps - sounds like classic symptoms of being done with the cot. Put a stairgate across her door and leave her to it.

Really? I thought she would just rattle the gate instead! We are both very tired today. 3 tantrums last night

She probably will for a bit, but the transition has to come at some point. You can make a big deal of buying her new big girl bed etc.

Hmm, watching with interest as we are in the same boat. DS is 22m and was sleeping through but is now arsing around in his cot for up to 2 hours before going to sleep. We were planning on taking the side off over the Christmas break as we have 2 weeks off but then he started doing this so we didn't. Bit scared he will just play all night, he won't sleep anywhere where he is free to roam!!

Two year olds can go in a bed.
A good start is to make the bedroom a lovely place to be, use interesting lighting and make it magical with led fairy lights. Talk to her about going into a big girls bed and how great it is going to be.
Start the bedtime routine with some supper of fromage frais instead of drinking milk from a bottle or cup. Take her up for a bath, as it produces a cosy calming effect that lasts 20mins. Straight into her bed now, settle her down and only give her comforter when she lies down as a reward. Start to read a bedtime story, sit nearby but not touching her so she cuddles her teddies instead of you.
For the first time stay in the room until she is asleep. If she wakes, go in calmly and take teddy away, wait outside the door for 1-2 mins. then go back and give teddy as a reward for getting back in bed.
Works a treat! Try it

For goodness' sake, Cheshire, stop banging on about fairy lights!

I'm afraid it's a myth that baths help to settle children. What you actually get after a bath is a raised body temperature and heightened stimulation that takes about half an hour to come down from.

There would also be no digestive difference between fromage frais and a cup of milk after supper.

It's also pretty rotten to deny a child its comforter and use it only as a reward.

Thanks zuleika and cheshire. I have a sneaking feeling that she has started to do this because she is going to bed overtired. She definitely sleeps better on a night if she has a small nap either just before or just after lunch generally. And the last week or so while I have been off work (I'm a childminder) she's had time off playgroups etc and so dropped her nap. I woke up this morning and spent the day doing as close to what I would normally when working (meal times, activities etc) and she has definitely been better in the day. She also had a nap, so ill see tonight if my theory works! If not ill be trying the cot bed side! I put a baby gate on her door before Christmas so there wasn't too much change ready for cot sides. I had planned to do it after Christmas!

She has a really good bedtime routine, with a full hour winding down time with just me and her before bed and its always worked really well! She did use to have fairy lights cheshire but I got sick of the bulbs going so she has a groclock lamp thing instead now! She doesn't like the dark

I'm with Zuleika - Cheshire, you have to stop with these fairy lights. I thought you were joking when you mentioned this on the first thread but I've read about 5 of them today!

I don't think you need a hugely detailed routine set out by any 'experts' and if she has been able to settle down in the evening before, you were probably doing the right thing.

My DD was the same at around 2 years old. Converting the cot into a bed made a huge difference. She felt very special and grown up so I think you might like to consider this.

Good luck!