Toddler waking lots - mum very tired!

[musica]

Our 2 and a half year old has started waking lots in the night - previously he has been an excellent sleeper, but now he wakes 2 or 3 times. He had started coming into our bed in the morning, which was fine, he just crept in, but now he seems like he wants 'permission' so he stands on his bed and shouts for us getting more and more hysterical. He invariably wakes our 7 month up who is still in our bedroom, so having settled him back to sleep, I then have to feed her to get her back to sleep. I know I am really lucky that she will sleep through if undisturbed but I really am getting tired now!

Ds is also quite anxious about 'losing' us - he says things like 'I found you' when dh comes home and if we're getting ready to go out, 'I coming too' so I wonder if he gets scared in the night that we're not there. Any thoughts/tips? Thanks.

Awww no advice really, just to say my nearly 2 and half yr old has started to be a bad sleeper too. He used to sleep through all the time but now is terrible. My ds also seems to be going through an insecure phase aswell and for no apparent reason. My dh works away but has done for several months now, so he has had no change in his routine as such.

Hopefully all 2yr olds are the same and it is just a phase. I remember dd going through a similar stage when she was 2, although she still doesnt sleep through all the time at four

Sorry this isnt much help

I think it is about this age that they begin to have very active imaginations. DD is almost 3 and has started to wake a bit, usually for a wee, then she becomes worried about things in her room, or wants to check that daddy is in bed.
Also she sometimes wakes up because she has remembered something that she is doing that day, eg today is her party, or if something is happening at nursery.
Sure it is just a stage!!!

Thanks fio2 and littlerach. Hope it is a phase - and a short one at that! I think you're right littlerach - they become more aware of possibilities and start imagining things more. fio2, I'm interested that your 2 year old is feeling insecure too. I was really worried that I had 'damaged' him in some way (in my more paranoid moments).

Hope your pregnancy is going ok littlerach.

Musica - my 3 and a bit ds has just come through(fingers crossed)a three month period of doing this, refusing to get out of bed and just shouting for us. I'm now 32 weeks pregnant and working full time, so it's been quite tough.

What worked for us, was putting a nightlight in his room and making sure his duvet didn't fall off. He had slept in a pitch black room since birth but as others have said, bad dreams really start around this time. I initially tried a small lamp with a shade, but this was too bright i think and kept him awake. I've now bought a night light that you plug into a socket and it's a lot less intrusive. Since he's been sleeping better (about the last 3 weeks) my quality of life has soooooooo improved. Good luck

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