2 year old not sleeping through the night

[Lea24]

I have a 2 year old who will not sleep through the night. We have stopped daytime sleep as he would not go to bed until around 11pm if had a sleep. Not sure if this is affecting his sleep during the night or not. Please any advice of what to try next as would be nice to get a full night sleep.

How many times does he wake and what's happening when he wakes? What do you do when you go into his room?

Also how old is 2? Just turned two or closer to three? What time is bedtime and morning wake up and how many wake up in between?

Do they slept through if they're with you?

My daughter is 3 and doesn't sleep through in her own bed but generally will if she's with us

You are getting close to the point where you can explain they don't need to sleep, but they do need to let everyone else sleep.
Rules in this house: unless there was a big problem, you had to stay quietly in your bed and rest (not sleep, rest) until 6am.
DS1 was about 3.5 when we didn't see him over night at all (well, very occasionally, but not an issue). He's significantly older than that now, and I'm pretty sure he still doesn't sleep through - I often hear him if I'm awake in the middle of the night. But he's up now - cooking me breakfast - and we've never had an issue waking him for school.
Hold on. Its rough (exceedingly rough in some cases) but in the grand scheme of things it's a really short time. and then you hit peri and are awake by your own brain

Is he more 2 or towards 3? Is he getting enough food during the day to be able to sleep through?

Thank you for all replies he is 31 month old so closer to 3. Bedtime is around 6:30 if he doesn't have a sleep in the day time and then around 6:30 am get up. He generally wakes at least twice in the night asking for milk still if don't give it he screams the house down so then disturbs everyone else so difficult.

Could he have a bit bigger dinner/snack? My DD wakes up at night asking for milk if she hasn't eaten enough during the day.

Thank you for all replies he is 31 month old so closer to 3. Bedtime is around 6:30 if he doesn't have a sleep in the day time and then around 6:30 am get up. He generally wakes at least twice in the night asking for milk still, if don't give it he screams the house down so then disturbs everyone else so difficult. Upto the point of us going bed when he wakes can generally go in his room give dummy and comforter and he will settle again most nights until during the night. He stays in with my husband at the moment we have been trying different ways he settles a bit better but is still waking in the night.

@Lea24

6:30-6:30 is great. The couple of wake-ups you can train out of him. That's a total muck-about at nearly 3 years old.

I wouldn't even offer water as a substitute for milk as I would if I was sleep training a one year old. Tell him no milk and don't cave to screaming, or leave a spill proof water bottle in with him and tell him he can drink from that if he's thirsty. You need to train him out of this nonsense.

No still doesn't sleep through if with us. We have been trying this for a while now to see if would help as he wouldn't stay in his own bed.

Yes, agree with this too. He needs a filling supper closer to bedtime. Porridge or weetabix with full fat or even gold-top milk. Mash a banana in the porridge. That will help him sleep through.

Don't start bringing him into your bed at nearly 3. Sleep train him and stand firm. Make sure he's full before bed and then don't put up with nonsense through the night.

Thank you for your help will give these things a try today and see how things go.

When you say milk, are we talking breast, bottle of cup?

I reckon it's worth trying to figure out of its hunger, thirst or comfort hes after.

It's a bottle he asks for been trying to get him onto a cup of milk before going to bed but he not taking to that very well.

Yeh it's a comfort thing. Fill his belly before bed and swap the comfort for something else. Favourite teddy or something like that?

You'll need to tell him there's no milk at night anymore and that he can have one cup (cup, not bottle) before bed and that's it. Then stick to it hard.

You really do sound awful. The child is only 3yo what is wrong with you??

Excuse me? I'm offering the OP some practical advice. I have a child the same age as she does who sleeps through because I (kindly) don't put up with bedtime shenanigans. There comes a time when you have to be firm but fair with children.

My child is currently unwell and night times are completely disrupted. He is getting milk in the night if he wants some and he is being cuddled and rocked again in the rocking chair because he's quite sick.

Calm yourself right down, and if you have better advice for the OP then give it. My advice will result in everyone getting sleep and a nearly 3 year old not drinking from a bottle anymore and screaming and disrupting everyone's sleep. I wish nothing but luck to the OP. Her sleep matters more than her nearly 3 year old's reliance on a bottle. I know she'll be able to do it if she stays strong.

I agree with a really filling snack before bed like weetabix and a banana. Then leave a spill free sippy cup of water in his room and don’t give into demands for milk. Not just because of the sleep disruption but it contains natural sugars and it will be rotting his teeth and bottles are the worst for that too because it washes over the teeth in a way that it doesn’t from an open cup. Also, DS was dry at night before 3- he would have had no chance of that if chugging loads of milk in the middle of the night. So there are loads of reasons why it has to stop. You can do it- hold firm and yes the first few nights will be tough but it should hopefully have him realise it’s not worth waking when he knows there’s no milk on offer, and it’s just so much better for his health and development too. Good luck!

A really good way to get rid of bottles which we found with our nearly 3 year old was to say that now he’s nearly 3 we are going to get rid of the bottles, and as a special treat for doing that he will get to choose a toy.

we tried and failed to get rid of the bottles for almost 2 years (from 1-3) but when we tried this it worked straight away.

we planted the seed about a week before, just explaining what would happen and asking him if he’d like to go to the toy shop and choose a toy.

the day came around and we made sure to explain it again, then he was so happy to go and choose a toy and hasn’t asked for a bottle since.

im sure bribery is not an approved method for parenting but it really works sometimes!