So two and a half years on dd2 is still not sleeping through. I really am desperate for some solutions for this.

[Slubberdegullion]

I normally don't do 'please help me' threads here, but to be perfectly honest DH and I are really at the end of our tethers. We have 1 -2 hours of hour nights sleep missing because of dd2 and her antics.

Virtually every night (she'll maybe sleep through once or twice a month) she is up and awake, we can set our clocks to it, 2.30am and she's off.

Usually it's just yelling for me. I'll go in and put her into bed (no eyecontact/talking etc). Then I try to leave her.

So she will commence one of the following
a) nudity and/or pooing
b) mucking about in her room (bouncing on the bed, chucking toys about, taking clothes out of drawers etc). There is now a stair gate on her bedroom door so she can't get out.
c) The usual one. Screeching. Ear piercing screeching.

One or all of the above goes on for 1 to 2 hours. Every night.

I have run out of energy and ideas on what to do.

We end up going in several times to either redress her, or get her off the chest of drawers. I regularly (to my great shame) completely loose the plot with her. This is of course a waste of time but at 3.15 I just do not have any patience left.

I'm sorry, this is very long. Writing it down has helped. Telling me what to do will be even better.

TIA

It does sound like a control thing so please deal with it now so she still isn't doing it when she is 5 like my friends dd is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If it was me I would probably also try using sedative drugs administered about 10pm to try and break the 2.30pm cycle - phenergen or piriton???? That is me though!

One of mine is a horrendous sleeper but it was not a control thing with her and an osteopathic course has finally sorted it out just wish I'd done it sooner!

Is it Christopher Green (Toddler Taming) that recommends pharaceutical assistance with sleep training? Haven't really considered that (apart from the 'I wish someone would invent a toddler knock out gas hand grenade that I could just lob in there').

The timing of her waking is so set in stone I really think it's hard wired in to her sleep pattern. She really does just need to learn to settle herself back again (and cut out the hour and a half of play time).

Issy, dd1 has a MrBunny clock (all hail to MrBunny, sorted out her awful early morning waking). dd2 without a doubt would spend 2 or 3 night manically putting him to sleep, and waking him up until he broke. She has a bloody good go at dd1's given half a chance.

I would def recommend going to a cranial osteopath they will be able to tell you after the first appt whether they can help or not. Like you say with it being such a hardwired habit it's tricky (hence me shouting DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Wake her at 10pm for 2 hours so she at least sleeps 12-7 unbroken?

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Oh blimey, cranial osteopathy. DH will do a massive traditional medcine shudder. I've got to the point where I just don't care anymore and I really will do anything...but DH, erm, he will take some convincing.
Maybe if I make him get up every night to her in the holidays, and then suggest it......

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We gave up and co-slept early on with dd1 as she was such a poor sleeper right up to the age of 2.6 or so - waking several times a night every night without fail.

Then inexplicably, she just became a good sleeper - dont know what happened at all, and now at nearly 4 can sleep through anything. So sometimes change CAN just happen it seems.

A framed picture fell off her wall the other night - huge crash, glass shattered everywhere, REALLY loud, and she slept right through the whole thing, including us coming into her room and cleaning it all up.

Just don't tell dh, take her see if it makes a difference and then if it does tell him where abouts do you live I've used 3 different ones (on for each child!) and am happy to recommend if you're in the right area.

MellowMa .

I am sorely tempted to go on the 'my baby isn't sleeping through at 5 months' threads and shout Pah Amateurs.

But I don't as we need to stick together so the children don't break us.

Caragirl, near Chester

I'm in the SE I can ask my osteopath if she can recommend anyone but won't see her for 2 weeks plus may be unlikely to due to the distance although it may well be a small world!

Thanks anyway . May do yellow pages if the starchart/sleep book combo +/- drugs doesn't work.

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Sometimes cranial will speed up what would happen naturally but who can put a price on them sleeping better 6 months or 2 years quicker!

One other thing which I don't think anyone has mentioned... it can help if you buy one new/cheapo soft toy, get her to pick it out. Talk about how it is the 'sleep' toy. Go on and on and ON about how it will be there to keep her company at night, but it needs lots of sleep and if she wakes it up in the night, you may have to take it away. (I am a passionate advocate of reiterating everything to the point of extreme boredom with toddlers.)

Give her an array of coping mechanisms for when she wakes up at night. Tell her you don't want to be woken up, neither do the neigbours (both DCs impressed when I said the babies next door needed lots of sleep). Say if she wakes up she is to cuddle the sleep toy, turn over, suck thumb, whatever, use potty, whatever... but not to make a noise.

If she manages it, big it up massively, ring grandparents etc. Positive reinforcement.

Agree with star charts, again let her pick stickers, talk about what she has to do to get them on her chart...

Another thought, has she got a nightlight?
Around 2.5 dd went funny (she'd slept in the pitch-dark till then). A nightlight sorted her out.

Sorry for the essay, I feel your pain

Mellow, do come back and tell me what it was like/ if it worked.

MyEye.
Tick to night light.

She already has a beloved and revolting rabbit that is permanently stuffed up a nostril at night. I like the idea of telling her mee-mee needs lots of sleep, mee-mee is tired etc etc. She would get that.

I mean I do really feel your pain we only just got dd sorted out in the summer she is now 4!!!!!!!!!!!!! However she just used to wake randomly (although sometimes 3 or 4 times per night several days on the trot) but when we told her it was nightime and go back to bed she would, still killed me though!

Off to visit my Dad. Thank you all again for the suggestions.

Slubber - and indeed popsy - I wrote a piece on sleep with v nice Sleep Lady a while back (Issy and others supplied cases, in fact) CAT me if you'd like a copy, there just MIGHT be something useful in it...