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Sleep

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2.5 year old sleep HELP

1 reply

OneTipsyShaker · 06/01/2026 01:42

Looking for some help with my DD’s sleep.

She has always been a good sleeper (10-12 hours at night and a nap in the day) which I have been so grateful for, but since being poorly about 4 weeks ago she is now waking in the night for 3-4 hours at a time which is leaving us all on our knees. I’ve started to dread bedtimes because we’ve gone from doing the usual routine of milk, stories, songs etc to her screaming when we leave the room and needing her hand holding to fall asleep when she used to listen to a few minutes of her tonie box before dropping off.

When she wakes up in the night she is shouting that she needs a wee (she doesn’t) or that she has lost her dummies (because she has thrown them all out) and becomes absolutely hysterical. I’ve tried leaving her for a few minutes to see if she calms down on her own but she just screams more. When I go in to her, she grabs on to me and launches herself out of the cot then refuses to go back in.

I know we have had Christmas recently so her routine is a bit all over the place but we’re all just so exhausted now and this has been going on since before then. It feels more like she is suffering from separation anxiety than too much sleep but if anyone has any suggestions I’d be happy to hear!

OP posts:
endofagain · 06/01/2026 05:50

None of mine were still in a cot at 2 and a half. Is it a big cot? I wonder if it is uncomfortable.
Illness in little children always causes regression/ anxiety etc. I was always pretty laidback and had a little nest of duvets and pillows on the floor of my room. When they had a nightmare or got scared I tucked them up in the nest and we all went back to sleep. They all outgrew it. Maybe she just needs an extra bit of comfort for a while.

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