Anyone else have a 2 year old who just doesn't sleep?!

[november90]

Mine is 3 in January and we are expecting baby number 2 in May. He won't sleep without someone in the room, only me during the night. He is hysterical other wise and will start trashing his room. He's a super boy during the day, but this sleep issue is getting worse and I don't know what to do and keep him and his room safe!
He's in his bed now with a bed guard. Last night it took him 2 hours to go to sleep then up for an hour and now I've been up 1.5 hours with him. He has 1 morning nap a day, and he needs it! Without it he falls asleep or is extremely grumpy and worse at bedtime!
I don't. Know what to do. I feel alone and useless :( I just want to have part of my life back where I can relax at bedtime, before it all starts again with the next one!

Have you tried a double bed and then sneaking out when he’s fallen asleep?

Well I always sneak out when he's asleep but I'll be in the room over an hour every time and I just want to get over that now as it's been like this for nearly a year :(

Can anyone else do bedtimes? Could u go for a few nights and let them crack on without u there.

Yes. I have one of these - 3 this month. Came as a bit of a shock, as DC1 is a miracle-sleeper.

I don't know what the answer is. Sorry, but you have my sympathy.

Well my mum put him to bed last night as we went to the cinema and it took an hour and a half! My husband works nights and I really struggle being in and out of a routine around his shifts so I prefer to do it myself. I just wish he would settle in his own room on his own. When he was 17 months we did control crying as a last resort and it worked but then in March this year it just all escalated again 😩

Better an hour half than all night surely? Has their been any differences to why this would be happening? Does he wear glasses?

It happens because he doesn't like being I. The room on his own. He would never ever settle on his own... that's definitely the problem. When he wakes he wants comfort, he just cannot self soothe. He doesn't wear glasses.
Tonight I sat with my back to him and he was like a tornado! Took him an hour to go to sleep :(

I have a three and a half year old. Although actually he goes to sleep quite quickly usually, but has never yet slept through. He is desperate for company in the middle of the night - preferably to be touching someone. So he climbs in with us or we climb in with him.

No advice but I sympathise. I have a 5 year old non sleeper.

Oh I remember this.
Two full years without sleeping through and longer trying to get DS to sleep in the first place.
Cut out the daytime napping is my advise.

Thank you! I feel the day time naps do need to go. We were gonna try a week of shortening it to 30 mins at around 10:20am and sees if that helps but so far tonight has been a bad one. But on the positive he's got to sleep without me tickling... just lots of screaming and I feel like he hates me :(

@november90 yes! I'm currently awake as my 18 month old has been whinging since 11pm, he's killing me! I have to be up for for weird at 5.30 and he just doesn't sleep atm! He's never been a great sleeper, had colic, then he would wake for milk but go straight back down but now all of a sudden it's scream scream scream! What the hell do we do!

I'm having a cry as my 23 month old has been full throttle sobbing and screaming for the last 75 minutes non stop. Doesn't want milk, or to be touched and also doesn't want to be left at all either. I'm at the end of my tether.

@mummabubs I feel your pain, I literally have run out of ideas! Tried everything I can think of - if anyone has any suggestions!

I’m up because my husband woke me for a very late dinner (he’s lates!) so I could go to bed and he’ll take the next shift of lying on the floor with our non sleeping DTs. He’s asleep, I can hear at least one of our kids (20 months) thumping around.

They used to be such good sleepers. Even tonight they toddled off to bed quite easily, but one woke the other at about 22.30 and they’ve been partying ever since.

We’ve ditched the daytime nap for one of them, although neither slept today, and I’m fresh out of ideas!

😩😩😩😩😩 oh god I'm sorry you're all having a rough night! I'm in the same boat. For the third time I'm sat in his room just wishing he'd sleep so I could too and I'm too tired to function! :(
Had an argument with My husband tonight because his resolution to the problem is him sitting in the room instead of me... which will give me a break yes but it's just not gonna change the problem and he doesn't understand that and it irritates me! I know I sound awful but this is just getting to me so much now! I don't know what to do :(

@november90 my LB is now screaming his heart out but if we bring him in our room he plays ! He does occasionally keep grabbing his bits and crying so I'm worried he is in pain, he's had calpol/milk / cuddles/ stroked his head - lost now :(

I feel you Mummys. It took me from 1am-2.30am to get my 2.5 year old back to sleep. I bitterly regret not sleep training her when she was little. Back to work soon and between her a 6mo DS, I think I shall become a zombie

Well it's nice to have people to talk to at this time because it feels so lonely otherwise! My son is now up for the 5th time so we are at an all time low. I've been awake since 2:30am and I just feel like I'm not gonna go back to sleep tonight :( I don't know why we're having such a bad night but the good news is he's gone without demanding tickles which is good I suppose....
I'm almost tempted to put his tv on with some relaxing sensory video for when he goes to sleep but I'm not sure this is a good idea or not...

I know how you feel. It's not for everyone but we ended up doing controlled crying with DS every time his sleep / going to sleep got bad as it's the only thing that works bar sleeping with him, and he won't come and sleep in our king bed, one of us has to squash up against the wall in the single bed in his room with him! The last lot of controlled crying was just before he was 2 in July, he was a dream until last month when his sleep got patchy again and we struggled at bedtime. We dropped his naps completely and he's currently a dream (touch wood). No naps makes it a long tiring day but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. He tends to have a quiet hour or so where we read or watch TV in the afternoon. That and controlled crying if you can bear it is my only advice. Good luck

If it’s any consolation, I had one of those, and he’s now 21 and sleeps like a baby!
It may be old fashioned, but have you tried using some kind of background or white noise to get them to settle? Obvs on a low volume.
Just a thought....

I have not forgotten the bone numbing tiredness. It was torture

I bitterly regret not sleep training her when she was little

This is me too. Almost 2, has 'slept through' maybe 3 times. Still cuddled to sleep because we're mugs. And then multiple wake ups a night where she needs someone there to fall back asleep.

Thank you everyone! I bf my son to sleep until he was 17 months old and then his sleep got shockingly bad so o had to resort to co troll crying and it worked and we had about 6 months of great sleeping! Then he got ear infection after ear Infection and his sleep catapulted. He's now in his bed and I'm scared about leaving him to cry and I know he'll start lashing out in temper! I just want to get this sorted before baby 2 is here in May. I feel so sorry for him, it's hard for me but for him to wake so many times crying must be awful!