Toddler playing at 2am...

[thelittlestbadger]

Since Christmas my 18mo DD has been waking up at between 12 and 2. She calls for a hug and a drink but is then awake and wants to play. DH and I have ended up taking it in turns to dose in the chair in her room until she is sufficiently tired to go back to sleep.

If she doesn't play she screams, whether cuddled or not, and that can go on for an hour or so... We've tried bringing her in with us and she won't have it - just starts crawling round our bed and our room which is a lot less safe than hers is so one of us has to be awak to concentrate.

Has anyone else found this? Is there any sensible thing to do which preferably doesn't involve controlled crying?

gulp. sounds rough. have you tried pulling her into your bed?

We tried pulling her into our bed last night and cuddling her tight until she hit DH on the face (not intentionally) climbed over to his bedside table, grabbed a book and started hitting him with the book saying 'Daddy read it'!

When mine did this I used to get up with them. Make myself a cup of tea, watch a pre-recorded film, dim lighting and let them potter until tired again. Then they'd snuggle up to me and fall asleep. I'd put them back to bed and go back to bed myself.

I found it much easier to accept that I'd be up for around 2hrs then back to bed than feeling resentful and impatient with a toddler who was obviously awake.

Has she got toys in her cot?
My DD goes through nocturnal phases but tends to play by herself. If she has something to do, might yours just entertain herself and go back off to sleep?

She has a few toys in her cot although not many and could probably have a few more although she'd need to have a light on a bit to play.

We've been getting up and sitting with her but I'm now pregnant again and DH is ill so sleep is very precious - to us at any rate!