Nearly 2 year old won't stay in own cot - help!

[Flickflickyflick]

Hi Mummies,

I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice.

My youngest daughter is coming up for 2 and sleep for her is a nightmare. Most of the time she goes down without a fuss, but every night without fail she wakes up and won't settle again, so she ends up in my bed.

A bit of background before I am judged and hauled over the coals for that - my husband and I split up at the start of last year, so I am staying with my parents for a while (actually due to move out next month - hurrah!) so she is in the room with me. The reason I put her in with me in the night if she won't settle is so that she doesn't wake my eldest (7) or my Dad who still works.

I have tried everything to keep her in her cot but I imagine she's got used to coming in with me now, which is not going to bode well when we move, as I don't think my partner will be too happy with '3 in a bed!'

I know she's not cold as it's warm in the house and she has a duvet (not that she stays under it), it's not the same time every night so there's no external noise waking her (unless it's my snoring? 😳) so I really don't know what wakes her.

I dropped her daytime nap early on because if she sleeps in the day she just will not go down at all - she has to be super tired to go to bed in the evening without a fuss. And even then sometimes she wakes before I even go to bed and I end up going up there just to put her in with me to stop her from screaming the house down!

Any advice on this would be much appreciated. When we move out, she'll be in a room with her big sister - so I dread to think what is going to happen then. I am not naive enough to think that'll cure everything!

Thanks ladies. Please help a sleep depraved desperate Mummy! Xxx

At this age you are going to get lots and lots of protest screaming no matter how you solve this.

A toddler sleeping bag might be a good idea so that she stays warm

In your room, is the cot next to your bed? If not, she might feel more comforted by your presence when she's in the cot if it is next to you and you can reach in. If it's already next to you, the only thing I can think of really is biting the bullet and just insisting.

She's going to scream and shout about that, so the next thing to consider is when/where to have this battle. If the screaming can't be tolerated in your parents house, waiting until you are in the new place might be an idea. Better still would be to make alternate arrangements for your eldest when you first move in. Maybe let eldest sleep on a camped in your room, or sleep over at grandparents for a week while you tackle youngest settling in her own cot in her own room all night.

Sorry no advice here flicky but i just wanted to come on & say i have exactly the same problem with my DD she is 21 months coming up & wont stay in her cot.