Am I too late to do controlled crying? My daughter is 2 yrs old.

[stt1969]

L wakes every night at about the same time 02:00 and expects her milk before settling to sleep in our bed. Feel we have made a rod for our back for so long, but now I need to sleep. She is still in a cot but is two years old and this feels as though we have missed the boat by about 1 year :(.

sorry I don't know for definite but might be worth checking out Jo Frosts books as pretty sure she does a version of controlled crying. good luck xx

There is a toddler version of the No Cry Sleep Solution. I havent read it but spotted it in library a while ago, maybe worth a try? We were in exactly the same situation as you, right down to the time she woke every night, but my daughter has suddenly stopped waking now, happened when she was about 2.3 months, just when i was about to deal with it.

2.3 years, I meant!

I think cc may be a bit harsh. If you stop the milk and stop letting her in your bed then the night wakings will almost certainly stop.

Would you consider gradual withdrawal? So go in, offer water if thirsty, say night night, and sit next to cot with no further talking. Lay her down each time she gets up without talking. Once that's working, move the chair closer to the door and out (or use a mattress and go to sleep on it yourself). It'll almost certainly involve tears and tantrums but at least she won't feel abandoned. If you're going to sit it out maybe use earplugs and mn on an iPad to keep you sane.

At that age I'd also explain what's going to happen and what reward she can expect once she manages not to wake in the night. Also make sure she's had plenty of milk/food just before bed.

Good luck

If you can get DD to stop expecting the milk, then you will probably find she doesn't wake up for it. What I did was to gradually water the milk down, just an ounce at a time. It will take a week or two, until you are down to pure water. She may decide it is not worth waking up for a bottle of water.

I agree with making sure she has had plenty of food and milk before bed.

Good luck.

I think the water idea is a good one too. I'm heading the same way, with a 1yo ds who has slept through the night only a handful of times , every other night I've brought him into our bed, just so I can get some sleep.

I hope you find a solution soon.

Not too late at all, I would offer just water, settle back to sleep and say night nights. If she cries leave for a few mins (5 to 10 to see if she can settle herself) and then repeat the above.

Keep interaction to a minimum and keep lights etc very low.

Good luck