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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Help with sleeping

17 replies

nicola8159 · 13/01/2009 21:19

Hi has anyone got an advise my little boy is 2 and a nightmare to get to up? Has any got any tips.
Please help Nicola

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

fryalot · 13/01/2009 21:24

what exactly is he doing?

Need more info before we can give advice I think...

Mimia · 13/01/2009 21:27

I could swop him with my 2 year old 5am girl if you like

Squonk is right, could you give alittle more information? What time is he going to bed, time getting up and what does he do that is nightmarish?

Original poster

nicola8159 · 13/01/2009 21:28

Well i take him to bed read him story and then put in his bed. Then he just keeps getting out and messing around? It takes hours sometimes. He just screams and has tantrums if we come down stairs. Its such hard work.

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Original poster

nicola8159 · 13/01/2009 21:30

he goes to bed between 7.30 / 8 but still wakes loads in the night. Lays in late

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fryalot · 13/01/2009 21:31

well... we had this with dd2 and you're right, it is a nightmare!

What we did with her, one of us went to bed with her, read her a story and got her settled in bed, then we either got in bed with her, or sat at the side of the bed and read a book till she dropped off.

Occasionally she tries to mess about, but she knows now that she's not going to be allowed to get out of bed again and she does settle a lot quicker than if we leave her to settle herself.

It's not for everyone, but we have found that we can normally get her to sleep within half an hour or so, which is a lot less time out of our evening than when she's up and down all night (sometimes for HOURS)

If he's still having a nap during the day, he may of course, not be particularly tired, so you might want to think about dropping that nap if he's having one.

smellen · 13/01/2009 21:31

Nightlight?

Reward chart (bit young, but if he is good with language he might understand the principle)?

Telling him you'll be back to check on him in 5mns, then 10, then 15... (until he's asleep).

Florescent stars on the ceiling (worked for ours)?

Keep him in a grobag and a cot?

Play a CD of soft music to distract him (set to switch off after 10mns)

HTH.

smellen · 13/01/2009 21:33

BTW, How do you react to his screams and tantrums? Is there any chance he is getting attention when you deal with him that might reinforce the behaviour?

If you're not already doing it, you could try returning him to his bed without making eye-contact or entering into any conversation with him, just repeating "good night, sleep tight" or whatever you agree beforehand.

fryalot · 13/01/2009 21:33

As for laying in late in the morning, is this a problem for you? If not, then let him sleep, I think it's better not to disturb them unless you have to.

Is there a reason that he's waking up in the night? Any noises from your house or next door that could be disturbing him? Is he having a nightmare?

What does he want when he wakes up? Are you giving him a drink or anything when he wakes up? If so, stop doing this and after a night or two, he'll soon realise it's not worth waking up if he's not going to get anything?

Does he sleep better if he's in with you? We let dd2 crawl into our bed when she wakes up because we like our sleep too much to get up and re-settle her in her own bed.

Original poster

nicola8159 · 13/01/2009 21:35

No he is in his bed which is a fire engine which i think is a big problem i think he just thinks its a big game. I sit with him for ages but he just keeps fighting it. He has a night light on all night

OP posts:

fryalot · 13/01/2009 21:36

what happens if you turn the night light off?

bristols · 13/01/2009 21:37

We have had the same trouble here but seem to have cracked it now (fingers crossed).

We cut out DS's afternoon nap so he's really tired when he goes to bed. If he gets out, we just keep putting him back until he stops. We don't talk to him or switch any lights on, just put him back. At first we had to do this for forty or so times (!) but now he goes to bed ok.

Now we just have to get him to stay there all night, but that's another story.....

Original poster

nicola8159 · 13/01/2009 21:41

hi i do try no eye contact and conversation buts its really hard. When he wakes in the night he comes and gets in our bed and sleeps fine.
Some mornings i have to work so i have to wake him up but if not i let him sleep in.
He does mind the light off when he is a sleep. but wont go to be without light off. I might try a normal bed just with bed guards and not his fire engine,

OP posts:

smellen · 13/01/2009 21:42

I suppose he would be too young to understand a threatened consequence of a return to cot life, but you could always put the cot in his room and continue to use it until he gets into the habit of sleeping at bedtime, then try the bed again when he is more ready for it.

Original poster

nicola8159 · 13/01/2009 21:43

yeah i have tired but he climbs out and hurts himself

OP posts:

smellen · 13/01/2009 21:45

could you try a grobag & the cot?

DS1 was not a climber, so we were lucky. Think DS2 might be a different matter...

However, think that bristols has probably got the best idea, if you can cope with 40 "rapid returns"!

Mimia · 13/01/2009 21:51

We have this my my DD (except that she gets up at 5am!) and I have to say I vote for squonk's approach.

bristols · 14/01/2009 21:16

Smellen, it was a killer when we were doing it but worth it in the end. DH and I used to sit on our bed reading, taking it in turns to take him back.

I have to say, though, that I think it was cutting out the daytime nap which really made the difference.

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