My 2 year old dd2 won't go to sleep unless I sit with her.

[enid]

I'm sure there have been umpteen threads on this but..my 2 year old has suddenly started to wake in the night and won't go back to sleep unless I sit with her. I have done it for a couple of nights now and last night had to sit for nearly an hour (4am - 5am ) until she was asleep enough to tiptoe out. She woke again at 7am crying for me - I don't mind the time, obviously, but it worries me that she now needs me in her room to feel safe. I also have to sit with her at 7pm to make sure she goes off.

Any tips/advice - how long should I do it for? The trouble with leaving her to cry is a) it wakes poor dd1 up b)she keeps it up for an hour at least and c) I hate it!!

Hiya - my dd was exactly the same as this at the same age. I used to have to get up and go and sit on her bed for ages until she drifted off - and quite often just as i was creeping out she'd wake up again. Sometimes i'd just fall asleep on her bed!! Unfortunately nothing really worked to stop it - i guess she just grew out of it. I know that doesnt help much but if anything lets you know that there is hope!!

Yes...I was rather dreading that this was a phase and no magic way to get through it...how long did it go on for, can you remember?

I wish she had a cosy bed, unfortunately she is still in a cot and there is one hard, uncomfy chair in there...

I forgot - does she nap in the day? I stopped dd having any sleep in the day and by, say, 8pm i'd put her to bed totally worn out! I also got a vd from a baby mag which you can get online, I put in on in her room now when she goes up to bed and it has an amazing calming influence on her and sends her right off!! I have tried to make a copy but it's copyright protected (spoilsports!) but you can get it online - i'll find the link and come back to you.....

a vd??

I was thinking about a soothing nightlight or something. She has a tiny nightlight that doesnt really illuminate the room much or a dimmer that 'buzzes' and is quite bright - she asked me to turn it off last night!

I think it went on for a while - i remember sitting for ages next to her cot as well. Although now she's over it i had pretty much forgotten all about the sleepless nights with my arm draped over the cot - soooo uncomfortable!!

lol sorry - a cd!!!!

ages - oh bloody hell

have a look here Scroll down to the sleepytime twin cd - i think my cd was a free sample of this one and i swear by it!!! Might be worth a try

Oh my god - it hasnt got a song called - ahem- pookydoodle puppy on it has it?

not on my one ...... why am i suddenly having a strange flashback feeling....... whats pookydoodle puppy?

ds1 has had the odd phase of this but I'm afraid I have no tolerance for broken sleep and after a few nights would do cc - i.e. ignore protest cries and go in every 5 mins or so to reassure. I've never had longer than about 40 mins total crying (with visits) and it generally takes only one night to break the habit.

I got a free cd from somewhere and it had a song called pookydoodle puppy that dd1 LOVED - anyway we lost it and I cant remember what the cd was, always wanted to find it.

elliott - ooohhhhhhhhhhhh I think if it goes on this week I might try at the weekend.......heeeeeeelllllllllppppppppp

just after I'd managed to get DD to sleep in her own bed rather than ours for the first time in weeks (see previous thread about this) by sitting with her until she falls asleep I read this.

AAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH............

mp - its hideous. I really should go to bed as I know I am going to be up half the night...

Can i join the club? DD is 2 too, i've put her on a matress on the floor instead of cot now, much more comfortable for me!!

Can't remember who else here on mumsnet, was doing the same, and we both had the plan to slowly start sitting further and further away, until eventually we are in the doorway, then the hall and then master going to sleep alone. Would love to know how that person is getting on (sorry can't remember name). Because my dd has got wise to this and now won't settle unless she is touching me (too clever for my liking!) And i am so afraid of ruining the whole thing as its taken me 2 years to get her to not need bf or bottle to go to sleep with.

AAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Unfortunately we still do that with DS (4). Trying to reason with him - tonight I asked wouldn't he like to me a big boy and go to sleep by himself. He replied "Mummy I'm only 4, when I'm 5 I will do it "
How can you be cross ???!

Unfortunately we still do that with DS (4). Trying to reason with him - tonight I asked wouldn't he like to me a big boy and go to sleep by himself. He replied "Mummy I'm only 4, when I'm 5 I will be able to do it "
How can you be cross ???!

OOps don't know what happened there !

OMG do you have any other children?

I cannot do this for another two years. Especially if i have another baby. Please please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do it fine now, cos i tell myself in a few more months she'll understand more and let me leave her.

No just the one. He doesn't usually take long to go to sleep. Its probably our own fault as we haven't really done much to discourage it

now I REALLY don't know what to do. put her in our bed and she'll go to sleep happily on her own, but always wakes up to come in back in after we've moved her during the night, or sit with her for an hour to get her to sleep in her own (and then last night she fell out anyway and ended up in ours halfway through the night)

My brain can't work out which is the lesser of two evils here - if I wasn't preggers I'd be hitting the hard stuff at this stage.....