Help me get 2.2 yr dd to sleep all night after illness

[mum23girlys]

Hi not sure how to deal with my youngest dd. Since New Year she has had a virus, 2 ear infections, her 2 year molars and a bout of tonsilitis. She's always been a good sleeper unless teething or ill. However since her last ear infection cleared up she has been waking around 11 or 12 at night and will scream till I go to her. She can then be awake for anything up to 5 hours!!!!

I've tried leaving her for a bit but she just gets really worked up and as we live in a terrace house I don't want to piss off the neighbours. I also struggle to leave her cry but my dh argues that we should. I've tried giving her cuddles, a drink, calpol or nurofen, reading stories, doing the bedtime routine from scratch. I've even cuddled her to sleep but the second I put her back in cot she screams.

I'm at the end of my tether and am averaging 2-3 hours sleep a night. Starting to want to hit my dh as he is still in bed now. 1pm! He does shifts but was home last night for 12. Just feel it wouldn't kill him to help or let me have a half hour break. I've 2 school age dds also so have to be out house for 8am

Someone please help

Can you not co-sleep? It was the only way I got some sleep with my DDs....they're 4 and 8 now and neither co sleeps anymore...but really, it helps so much.

Oh and get DH up now! 12 hours is far too much sleep!

Been trying to get him up since we came back from toddlers. Sure he'll appear soon as he has to leave for work in an hour. Drives me mad!

Tried cosleeping but she just thumps about the bed. If she's ill she'll cuddle in and sleep great but when she's well she ends up all over the bed and won't settle. Thanks for the idea though. Just don't know what to do. Last night she had my older girls up during the night and they were both exhausted this morning

Go back to the docs just to rule out further ear trouble. Ears are funny things and infections can come back very quickly and hang around.

If she's waking and crying the whole time she may be in pain. Or it could just be teething and her age.

Thanks Mrs Mushroom. I think I'll do that. I took her back to docs on Friday as I wasn't convinced it had cleared up. Doc said other ear was slightly red but didn't want to give her more antibiotics as he felt she should fight it off. She's already on regular preventative antibiotics for her kidneys and i think he just didn't want to give her more unnecessarily. Think I'll take your advice and go back though as the night wakening and screaming when lying down are definitely signs of sore ears.

Thanks for your help. Think I'm just doubting myself though lack of sleep

What is going on with her kidneys? Could they be giving her pain? When she wakes, does she want to play? Or is she upset?

At first when she wakes she is upset. Kind of inconsolable. She isn't always fully awake but will be screaming as if in pain. Once I've calmed her down she just wants to play. I thought maybe as she'd already had about 5 hours sleep she'd maybe just taken the edge off her tiredness.

She first got taken into hospital at 12 weeks old with a urine infection. She's had lots of scans and tests which have shown one of her kidneys is only functioning 40%. It also has leaky valves which means waste doesn't always get pumped put so she's prone to infections. The antibiotics are to prevent infection and have worked pretty well so far. I don't think she has an infection tho as the urine has a very distinct smell when infected.

She's a poor soul. Got a Dr appt this afternoon now though so hopefully they can help her. This all started 48 hours after she finished her course of med for ear infection though