2yo suddenly won't go to bed/waking apparently terrified in night

[emsyj]

DD has always been good at going to bed and has a routine of toast & drink, bath, storytime, bed. She normally happily gets into bed and says good night when the story is over. But a few nights ago, she woke in the night terrified of something and sobbing uncontrollably - this now seems to be a recurring theme. To add to it, she won't go to bed any more - she just clings to me or DH and sobs. I literally can't put her down.

Last night she didn't go to sleep until DH went to bed with her at 10.30pm. This evening she finally said she would go to sleep in our bed, but won't go in her own - so she's asleep in our bed.

Where has this come from? Is she scared of something?? Is it a phase??

I'm going back to work next week so timing could not be worse .

My dd1 went through this phase. She also kept asking me to sit with her and stay with her. Once I checked she didn't need anything else I just kept reassuring her she was a big girl etc. and then leaving her to it. There were a few years but after a few days they stopped again and she went back to going to bed easily. All v bizarre. We also did stickers for a while as a reward for going to bed nicely.

Thanks for your reply - I really hope this isn't the start of years of bedtime horrors. I'm expecting DC2 after Christmas so I am going to have some tough night times to come .

I'm not doing very well at leaving DD to it - she was really wailing and coughing/fake puking, she is really distressed at bedtime at the moment. She's not usually a dramatic/whiney child which makes it doubly upsetting as I feel there must be something really wrong with her.

Night terrors are really common around 2, 2 1/2. They do go away on their own, often as easily as they started, but they are a feet pita in the interim. Dd2 had night terrors for 6 months and then they disappeared. I think it ties in with the developmental stage surrounding imagination, so common for imaginary friends to appear as night terrors disappear.

We just accepted that it would take at least an hour to settle her every night, tbh. And dealt with the night terrors when they came - although tbh, there's not much you can do, just reassure and try to settle, they don't really hear you.

I know some folks had some luck with waking before the night terrors would usually start, or at lease rouse and resettle, which warded them off in some cases.

It is just a phase though. Six months and it'll be gone.

Reet, not feet.

Am feeling your pain I think we are going through the same although DD is only 21 months.

We seem to be going through something similar here and have been for about 2 months on and off. DD is 2.6 and wants me to stay with her after stories and lights out, and bedtime is therefore taking ages.

I bought her a little battery-operated night light which she holds on to - her peshal (special) light as she calls it - and this has helped a bit. She sometimes looks at her little books or plays with her toys but sometimes just wont settle at all. No matter what time I start the bedtime routine, she often doesn't get to sleep until 9.30-10pm We moved her to a bed in the middle of this thinking it would help, but it hasn't really made much difference... I am tempted to cut out her nap, but she really seems to still need it.

I don't know if you have found this, but DD is often better when DH puts her to bed - but then I think that is because he won't stand for her crap doesn't give in to her as easily as I do

DH is away tonight and I knew she was going to play up. She wouldn't let me leave her room and when I did she insisted I leave her door wide open, which she hasn't done before. I never close it tight, usually ajar, but tonight she wanted it wide open but wouldn't say why!!
Combined with all this, we are still having poo issues to some degree and just when I thought she was asleep this evening, she called out to say she'd done a poo.

I feel your pain and I hope madwomanintheattic is right and that it will pass soon enough (not sure I can take 6 months of it though, I need my evenings back!

sorry I should have explained that the poo issues are because she has just potty trained - she sometimes holds onto her poo in the day and does it at bedtime - so she was out of bed and had done it in her potty.

I could have written your post, OP. my DD is 2.3 and for last two weeks she's been awful to settle to bed and waking in the night crying. I wasn't sure if it's night terrors or imminent change she's sensing - due baby 2 in a couple of weeks and moving house at the weekend. But I'm wondering if it could be night terrors, looking at the replies here.

I guess the only remedy is lots of patience and cuddles? She seems to be preoccupied with flies and snails and other things "getting her" at the moment.

For us, too, it couldn't be worse timing :(