2.2 dd sleep gone to pot

[mrsmoomoopoopoo]

My dd is 2.2 yrs old and is normally a great sleeper.
Her normal routine is bath at 6.45 and then in bed for 7.15. We put her in toddler bed awake and she gets herself off to sleep in about 15 minutes and wakes anything from 6.30- 7.30am the next morning.

BUT.....for the past week her sleep has been awful. She is waking several times in the night, getting out of bed and standing at her gate shouting for us. We've had to sit with her each night until she falls asleep otherwise she gets straight out of bed and it is taking her about an hour to fall asleep. Then she's up every couple of hours and they only way to get her back to sleep is if we go lay with her in her bed until she falls back off.

I've tried explaining to her that getting out of bed is naughty and that she must stay in bed but clearly it's not working.

She has been in her toddler bed for 6 months now so it's not as if she's only just learnt that she can get out of bed.

We think she is scared which is why she is getting out of bed. We've put a night light in her room but that's not helping.

What do we do?

I'm worried that if we continue sitting with her until she goes to sleep that she will become reliant on us. But if we don't she would just be up all night.

And then how do we stop her from getting out of bed throughout the night?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I wouldn’t tell her getting out of bed is naughty as it’s not. She’s only tiny and obviously needs you there. Have you tried a groclock? Don’t know if she’d be too young for that. Does she have a nightlight?

If you think she is scared do you have other children? Does she have an older sibling she could temporarily share a room with? Or maybe get her a special teddy to look after her at night? As a child I was terrified of sleeping in my own room, scared of the dark, nightmares etc. I shared a room with my older brother for a while and then went into my own room and had a b g teddy that "looked after me" at night (I still have him ). These things really helped.

big teddy

I thought about a groclock but do think she is a little too young yet.

She is an only child and we got her s teddy that plays lullabys which she loves but the novelty seems to have worn off now. She has a night light.

Op I'm in the same predicament but my DD is older and this has been going on for what feels like months, we'll probably close to a year.

It started with a nightmare as I heard her screaming in her room in the middle of the night. She lept into my arms as soon as I walked in, she was terrified. She slept with us and has ran into our room ever since pretty much every night.

We have a 12 week old too so I'm exhausted.

Have tried reward chart, big teddy, talking to her to ask what's scary, resettling her in her bed which takes ages. When she's in our bed she's very unsettled and I hardly sleep as I'm up every two hours with DD2.

We're moving house next month so the plan is to put both girls in together (even though DD2 will be too young imo but DH wants to give it a go) to see if having a room mate will help. I don't think it will. She screams and bangs on the door if we try and walk out while she's awake.

I get the most sleep by giving in and letting her sleep in our bed but often get kicked in the head. It's awful and I feel your pain.

Watching with interest. Both DCs slept as babies. Then they stopped going to bed on their own and we have to lay with both before they drop off.

Super nannny style perhaps, keep putting her back to bed? This is hard though and we haven't tried it yet.

Last night we tried the putting her back to bed routine and it seemed to work.

We settled her in bed then left her room and she instantly got out and stood at her bedroom door crying/ shouting for us.

We waited 10 mins and then dad went up didn't look or speak to her and just put her back in bed.
Again she got out straight out but this time we left her for 15 minutes.
Then dad went up again and put her back in bed. This time she stayed and went to sleep.
She was shattered though as she napped early (11-12).
She didn't wake up in the night which is good (or maybe she did but she didn't get out of bed) but she did wake at 5.15 this morning!

We are going to stick with this routine for a week and see how it goes.

I'm also going to (try) get her to nap earlier than normal and only let her have 1 hour.

Oh dear last night was the worst!

So the night started off pretty good. We did the same routine as the night before. She went into bed at 7.30pm and within 40mins she was asleep in her bed. She did get out of bed 3 times within that 40 mins but dad just went up and put her back in bed (no talking or eye contact).

THEN at 11.15pm she woke and got out of bed, stood at her door shouting for us.
It took us until 2.30am to get her to go to sleep!!
We did the same routine as we did at bedtime as I think we need to be consistent but it didn't seem to work this time.
I only let her nap for one hour yesterday and she was awake for 1.30pm so she was definitely ready for bed by 7.30.

I just don't know what to do.
We will stick at it for the next 5 nights as we need to see this routine out but do you think what we are doing is right?

She doesn't seem scared anymore as she's not upset when she wakes she just stands shouting mummy and daddy.

Thanks

There’s a massive vocabulary development leap around this time. Any huge brain development can cause sleep regression. It’s not naughtiness. Another phase which will pass. Just something to ride out.

Child sleep isn’t like adult sleep, by the way. She may need more daytime sleep to be tired at night rather than less.

Thanks for replying Tittygolightly.

Yeah I no it's a developmental phase and it will pass, it's just knowing how best to deal with it.

Maybe I will let her nap longer then.
I've always found with dd the more she sleeps, the better she sleeps.

Thanks

I’m here too with my 2 1/2 year old! Aaarrrgh! I feel your pain. After two weeks of school holidays and being out of routine has meant that sleep has totally changed, he has started having a nap again which he’d stopped, he’s not tired till 8.30 ish every night, getting up early and waking in the night wanting me, it’s hard.

Definitely a phase, it will pass. Do everything you can to get sleep is my motto, I don’t mind him coming into my bed but sometimes it’s not exactly convenient. It’s good to be reminded of their brain development affecting sleep though titty, thanks.

I’m trying to cut out the nap at nursery which I’m sure isn’t helping. I’m also a bit worried about other issues as his dad has adhd so I’m a bit wary of it being a sign of that along with other things but don’t want to label too early.

I’d keep going with your routine for a couple of weeks then see what the situation is.

I think it’s a phase. Both mine struggled with going to bed at the same age after being excellent sleepers (and are again now).
It could be separation worries, they can’t see you so don’t know if you are still there. I used to sit within sight until they fell asleep, gradually the distance got further away. I remember sitting at the top of the stairs reading a book every night for months.
Always go to her but your husband is doing the right thing with minimal discussion, you don’t want them thinking it’s story time in the middle of the night. I also remember resorting to a camp bed in the bedroom a few times so there was no wandering (it wasn’t safe in a 3 storey house with v steep stairs).
It definitely is a phase though as both kids did it at a similar age and I thought it was due to shorter nights but not true as youngest did it during winter months.

I wrote a similar post 2 days ago!

It's a phase (repeating this over and over)... we're being consistent and insistent that it's sleeptime and making him stay in bed quietly.

Our baby is teething too so it's all a bit of a nighttime nightmare in our house!!

I have a similar post about my DD who is 2.9.

I’ve given up. I now sleep on her bedroom floor as I can’t handle the lack of sleep plus being unwell with a newborn.

I’m hoping keeping her in her bed with me on the floor is a better idea than having her in our bed.

She used to be such a good sleeper but is beyond hyper all day, rarely naps and bounces around the house all night.

No gro clock, landing light, stories, baths, cuddles or CC have made a blind bit of difference.

Here’s hoping this phase passes soon.

If they sleep, they can sleep anywhere at this stage!!

I will fold myself into the toddler bed if he wants me to. He can come into our bed if he sleeps. Just sleep!!!!!

I have found my people 🙁 In the same boat with my 2.5yo DD who had always been a great sleeper. Used to pop her in the cot awake and she'd nod off by herself until 7/7.30 in the morning. For the last few weeks she has refused to even go in her cot and has been falling asleep next to me in the spare bedroom, I then put her in her cot when she is asleep. But she is wakig every night around 11pm and I have been sleeping in our spare bedroom with her.

I did this originally as I was so knackered and just needed to sleep, but now feel I have made a rod for my own back and just want to sleep in my own bed again. DD is very strong willed though and will scream and scream if she doesn't get what she wants and I can't cope with that in the middle of the night. I also think some of the issue is night terrors.

We have told her she can have a big girl bed if she starts sleeping in her room again, so DH will turn the cot into a cotbed at the weekend and I'm going to buy her a peppa duvet cover and nightlight and hope for the best! Keep telling myself it is just a phase...

I know it’s hard but please stop plonking her back in bed with no talking and all that. She is just as frustrated that she can’t sleep as you are I imagine. She’s only little and needs you, can you not just sleep with her for now or cuddle her back to sleep?

Mine definitely isn't frustrated he can't sleep. He actually rolled his eyes at me a few nights ago when I told him it was sleep time (at 10:30pm)... and he smuggled duplo to bed too!!

I’ve given up. I now sleep on her bedroom floor as I can’t handle the lack of sleep plus being unwell with a newborn.

Don’t underestimate the impact of the newborn to your child. The entire world has changed for them.

I’m hoping keeping her in her bed with me on the floor is a better idea than having her in our bed

Doesn’t sound like it!

This is definitely an age where to make the nights better you might have to play around with naps or just go through the awful stage where you cut the nap and just survive them being really grumpy and tired late afternoon..... and don't put them in a car or a buggy at that time or it will be game over.

Dd sleep is getting worse.
The putting her back in bed routine isn't working anymore. She just keeps getting back out of bed.

If we sit with her she will drift off to sleep quite quickly but as soon as you try leave her room she is instantly awake.

Last night was horrendous.
She woke at 1.30am and it took until 5am to get her to go to sleep but she only slept for half an hour and was back out of bed at 5.30 this morning.

We tried putting her back in bed every 20mins then leaving the room but that didn't work. So when it got to 4.30am I just thought I NEED her to sleep so sat with her until 5am.

I don't understand how she is functioning on so little sleep when she is used to sleeping 12 hours+ per day.
The last 4 nights she's had about 5-7 hours sleep and then only 45min nap through the day.

I just don't know what to do for best.

Why don’t you just take her into your bed and cuddle her?

I’m sure everyone, including her, would get more sleep. She clearly needs you.

Her brain won’t switch off. It’s running at a million miles an hour whilst incredible numbers of neural pathways are formed.

My husband is an insomniac. Telling him to go back to bed every 20 minutes wouldn’t make him sleep. It’s the same for your child at the moment.