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Original poster

I can't keep my toddler in bed...

18 replies

bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:06

I wonder if anyone can help. I've 2 DS - 22months and 5 months old. ds1 has always been a bad sleeper but did improve when we put him into a bed but now he wakes a 4am and just keeps getting out of bed and screaming, waking the whole household. We put him back to bed but unless we sit with him he just keeps getting up. My day is very long and hectic and I'm just treading water most of the time - any suggestions????

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Lmccrean · 11/12/2005 18:17

is he scared? maybe the darkness or stillness gets him?

dd was scared of drafts coming in (as in " we will just close the window/door to stop the drafts coming in"-my mum to her) and the poor thing thought drafts were some kinda monster!

Lmccrean · 11/12/2005 18:18

and does he go back to sleep after he gets up at 4?

Original poster
bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:20

Sometimes he goes back to sleep but not often. I do sometimes think he scared as it's quite a high pitched scream...

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ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta · 11/12/2005 18:22

Move him into your bedroom for a while? Or go in and lie down near him when he is scared (put a mattress on the floor so you can rest / sleep instead of sitting). I know this may not be your perfect state of affairs but has to be better than everyone getting up at 4 am and your son being so upset?

Original poster
bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:23

...we used to keep the landing light on but never seemed to make a difference. I've heard of people putting stairgates across their door to keep them in but I'm not sure - is it a bit mean?

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Twiglett · 11/12/2005 18:31

leave a nightlight on

do rapid return .. every time he gets out of bed put him back in bed, calm him down and then leave .. every time ... should take up to a week to retrain him but you have to be consistent

if that fails, try gaffer tape

sallyhollyberry · 11/12/2005 18:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:34

do I have to wait until he goes the sleep?

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Original poster
bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:35

You'll have to excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between nightmares and terrors?

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Twiglett · 11/12/2005 18:36

no .. you could just pop him back and leave or you could just wait until he calms down .. up to you or whatever works for you

I don't think a stairgate is cruel btw

Tamba · 11/12/2005 18:36

Ive just put my 19 month old in a cot - 2 mins later he is screaming at the door. Every night is like this. He goes to bed with a bottle of warm milk. I will go and put him back in his cot and then he will get up and do the same thing again. Sometimes he will lie in ds1s bed but not often. Eventually he will fall asleep on the bedroom floor.

Ds1 is 3 and when i put him to bed - when ds2 has gone off as they share a room, he will be up and down too, he will put the lights on and wake up his brother, he is able to open the door and they will both run around the landing. No matter what i do they still do this. They will eventually fall asleep on the landing floor and i will have to carry them back to bed.

Ds2 will wake up whilst im moving him and the whole thing will start again. If one or the other wakes in the night they wake there brother up and they run around the landing, there is a stair gate at the top of the landing, on the bedroom door and on the bathroom door but ds1 will climb over and then drag his brother over. They trash the bathroom and end up soaking wet.

I give up!!! No advice but lots of empathy.

Twiglett · 11/12/2005 18:37

nightmares they wake up and realise you're there

night terrors they're still asleep and don't realise you're there but could be sitting up with eyes open

merrySOAPBOXingday · 11/12/2005 18:38

Night terrors are where they are still almost asleep when they are screaming and walking around.

They appear quite disorientated and can be very difficult to settle, unless they wake up properly first, which can be difficult.

With a nightmare they are more likely to appear fully awake and often sob rather than scream out loud.

Do either ring any bells

Original poster
bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:45

I think it might be nightmares as sometimes when I pick him up he's shaking. I will try putting him back to bed although not looking forward to it as I know he will scream - alot and of course wake his brother and we all know the rest of that story....!

Will try a nightlight again.

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Twiglett · 11/12/2005 18:46

you're obviously a model parent .. I'd have gone straight for the gaffer tape myself

Original poster
bagshaw · 11/12/2005 18:47

Thank you all for the sound advice. I will start tonight and best of luck Tamba you're problems make mine seem a lot smaller!

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Tamba · 11/12/2005 18:51

ds2 has gone quiet, hopefully he is asleep on the floor or maybe hes choked, injured himself or something like that. If i check him he'll wake up but i have to check him just incase. Its a nasty circle!

Any ideas would be so greatfully recieved, id even give you virtual hugs!!

Original poster
bagshaw · 12/12/2005 18:13

I thought I'd just let you know how the first night went. He woke at 10pm and started the getting up screaming thing and we eventually got him to sleep at 12.45 - long winded yes but I felt we did achieve something. We just kept putting him back to bed - 100's of times and gave him a nightlight. I think in the end he just wore himself out especially as he didn't get up again until 6am. The good thing was that ds2 splept through the whole thing. DS1 is really, really tired tonight so we will see what happens..

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