Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

2-year-old still a rubbish sleeper - suggestions please!

1 reply

Rhian82 · 22/12/2010 10:19

DS is 2.2 and has never been a great sleeper. He wakes 2-3 times a night most nights, and always comes through to our room. We put him back in his bed, then at some point in the early morning that stops working (he'll wake up again five minutes later and come back through) so he stays in our bed till morning.

I can just about sleep with him there, DH can't at all so either lies there awake or goes to sleep on the sofa. DS tends to lie diagonally, kick DH in his sleep repeatedly, etc.

He also starts the day stupidly early - it normally varies between 5.30-6.30am, but in the last week we've had lots of 4-4.30am starts and we're not coping very well!

He has one nap a day, right after lunch. If we try to drop that then he's falling asleep on the sofa at 5.30pm. He goes to bed well and has a good routine, but one of us needs to stay in the room with him until he actually falls asleep.

We've tried one of those daytime clock things but he didn't seem to understand. Also, he doesn't like playing in his room alone - he'll always want to come and get us and though he's well-behaved generally, he's two and tends to put his desire to have us there above our saying he should play by himself until 7am!

Any suggestions, pretty please?!

OP posts:
mdavza · 25/12/2010 19:22

Hi there, my DS is 21 months and he's had ups and downs regarding sleep. It's a particular kind of horrible, so you have all my sympathy. And empathy.
Not much advice though, except trust your instinct, make a decision and stick with it. Easier said than done, though (coming from someone who is only now now plucking together the courage to completely wean her baby off nighttime milk...)
Putting back in bed seems to really work for some people, and Tanya Byron (she's The Times' baby expert, also a mum, I like her) told the story of a couple who had to put their toddler back 400 times one night!!! but that was it.

I would also try giving him long, long naps, like 2-3 hours, for a week or so and see if that doesn't help. At least you'll get some extra time....
Good luck and Merry Christmas!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread