If your child was a night waker into toddlerhood, when did they finally sleep?

[minipie]

DD has always been a difficult sleeper. She seems to need very little sleep and sleeps very lightly.

Now at 20 months, she goes to sleep ok and naps ok (for an hour) but will wake in the night any time there is anything at all wrong ie any teething (even a little), if she has any vestige of a cold, if she is too hot, too cold, etc. So we are woken most nights, sometimes several times.

I am now pg with DC2 (amazed we managed to find the energy ) and am obviously hoping she may be past this by the time DC2 arrives. She will be about 2 yrs 4 or 5 months at that point.

So... If your toddler was still regularly waking in the night, when did they finally start to sleep through reliably? And did you do anything that you think helped?

Thanks

Hi mini, yes I had a very wakeful dd right into toddlerhood. She would always wake just as your dd does, if anything was even remotely wrong. She can still be a little unreliable now at 2 years 6 months but I did find that when she got to about 2 years or maybe just over that she began to sleep better and more reliably through the night.

I have always worked to make bedtime a happy and peaceful time, something to be enjoyed (if possible) e.g. Bedtime story, cuddle, songs before/ on her bed etc. this all seemed to click with her at around this age. Another thing that I think helps is a Gro clock. She knows when it's blue it's sleep time and when it's orange it's time to wake. Anytime I go into her in between I gently tell her it's still 'blue' so sleepy time and she's happy to go back off.

I have also made sure that whilst I have always gone to dd if she needs me in the night, I have left her to try and self settle first alone and if I have needed to go in I have made the visit brief, quiet and low key.

Luckily this coincided with my dd2 being born when dd1 was 2 years 2 months.

Hope some of this this might help.

Ds was about 2 and a half

About 2.5. Pretty bombproof 7-7 sleeper by 3. Just developmental I think.

Ds was a nightmare until about 20 months when we took a bold move to put him in a single bed - he had ended up in with us every night. He then slept through since then about 6 out of 7 nights. Not totally reliable but so much better!

Thanks all! ok so 2-2.5, not too bad ...

hmm, pondering a bed now andcake! do we dare....

Just wondering, did this coincide with them being weaned off breast milk?

Not for me, dd already weaned at this point.

DS had no breastfeeds at night from about 7 months, no milk at all in the night from 9 months, and was weaned off breastfeeding entirely at around a year. His night waking wasn't related to hunger/feeding.

Watching with interest as my 3 years 1 month old still wakes up several times a night... Always has done. And I seriously don't know why, most of the time he just comes into our bedroom and says "Mummy, put me back in my bed"; and I'm like why do you have to get up in the first place?!
-If it's any consolation to you, my 7m old baby already sleeps better than him

Ds2 always went to sleep well, but often woke in the night for a variety of reasons, mostly 'aching legs'

He is 7 next month, and although MUCH better, still wakes at least twice a week.

2.5 ish, very reliable almost every night by 2 and 9m. We still bf but cut back on night feeds to zero or one about 2 and 3m. Not sure related in a massive way... Have a feeling it would have happened anyway once all teeth through.

So many people told me 2.5 for the pesky sleeper type. Of course some will take longer but I reckon 2.5 is the time to look forward to.

2.2 and still bf before bed. Just stopped waking every night all of a sudden. After waking EVERY NIGHT.

He was totally different from my first, who started sleeping through some nights from ten months then eventually it was every night before turning two.

No breastmilk since about 1 yr here, sleep has been unrelated to food.

thanks... mostly 2-2.5 ish then, with a few unlucky exceptions.

separate but related question - does having dc2 tend to cause dc1 sleep to get worse

Miniple - no, my DS1 has always been a great sleeper and having DS2 (with all his nightly shenanigans) has not impacted on DS1's sleep at all. Similarly, having DS3 has not influenced DS2's sleep - he still gets up just as much as he used to before DS3 It's not gotten any worse though.

So when they were not breastfed and woke up, what did you do or give them?

My DD wakes up every 2 hours at least at night, I plan to take her off breast milk (go cold turkey), she is 14 months. I'm just worried, what will happen now when she wakes up?

Water/dummy/cuddle/patting/sshing

Shine yep, water and cuddle/stroking.

We did have a magic month or so after we stopped the night feeds (at about 7/8 months, using CC) when she often slept through. Then teething and winter colds/bugs kicked in and haven't stopped since I can't do CC when I know she's ill or in pain so I cuddle instead.

In your shoes though Shine I'd be inclined to try CC for a bit...

My DD slept through the night at 15 months when we night weaned. Previously she had been up 8x a night for comfort. We couldn't do CIO but my husband went into to her instead - when she realised she was getting no milk she started sleeping 8 hours straight. Here's our method - mydaughterwontsleep.com/2014/02/06/is-breast-best-when-it-comes-to-sleep-apparently-not/

Also putting my DD in a bed at 17 months helped her - she felt the cot was a cage and was happier to sleep on a mattress on the floor - you'd think she'd wander around but she didn't!! mydaughterwontsleep.com/2014/04/10/is-the-cot-a-cage/

We also had great success with homeopathy for teething and bach flower remedies for separation anxiety. There's loads of info on this on my blog if your interested. Good luck!!

DS is 4, he sleeps through about 50% of the time at most now, until 6 months ago he never slept through

err, about 3.5, and starting school nursery (at childcare nursery already). Sorry. He still wakes about 5.10 every morning [yawn]

Arrival of DS2 made no difference. DS2 also slept like a dream compared to DS1. So DS2 and I had the spare bedroom. DH had the baby monitor linked to DS1. I got more sleep bf the newborn ;)

Both DCs slept through regularly from about 2.5-3yo but starting school was what ultimately sorted sleep out for us.

[havent-slept-well-for-seven-years-emoticon]

I think I preferred this thread when all the replies said 2-2.5

oh please, oh please let DC2 be a sleeper...

I think we will have to try DD in a bed at some point (her cot is convertible anyway) and see what happens.

Ds1was well over 3 - there's a reason why theres a 5 year gap between my boys! I have to say I didn't believe people who said their children slept. Ds2 thankfully sleeps.