HELP PLEASE - 2 year old waking in the night

[NeedCoffee]

Has been doing for a few weeks, goes to bed okay usually at about 7.30 then wakes any time from 12 screaming for me, sometimes she'll be awake on and off all night. Doesn't seem to be ill, does ask for a bottle but unless I am desperate I refuse as I don't think she needs it, its more a comfort thing, she also insists on a night light, which I don't think helps to keep her asleep but if its turned off she kicks off. I can't win, any ideas?

Let her have the night light on, if gives her comfort (and more sleep for you!).

I do leave the light on, sometimes she'll play quietly, which isn't ideal but at least I can sleep and deal with her grumpiness in the morning but when she's screaming for me, taking her nappy off and waking everyone else up, thats when I'm finding it difficult as we'll both be tired the next day and I have very little patience with her, well, anyone really tbh.

my friend's DS started night terrors at this age (which might explain the night light?) - do you think it could be this? she said they were hideous things. Does your DD say why she wakes? would one of those night lights that show night time then change when it's time to get up help? think they have bunnies, or some characters or other on them. Can you do a sleep book, so picures of her getting up, her day, her bedtime routine, then a pic of her sleeping until the morning?

is she old enough to understand reward charts yet? so she gets stars for sleeping through then a pressie for a weeks worth or something?

DS has always been a crap sleeper and only I was able to settle him - both at bedtime and in the night. When I got pregnant and started wanting a laze in the bath, rather than a prolonged bedtime with him, I bought a special teddy and revived the taggies we'd bought him but had been long forgotten, and they really helped and seemed to comfort him to have something of mummys all night. DD is 6mo now and I'm still BF at bedtime, so don't always get to do his bedtime too, but on the nights DH does it, he always goes to sleep holding "special teddy and blanket off mummy". Don't know if something like this would work?

Thanks for the reply KC, Its not night terrors, she isn't scared, just seems to be trying it on.

She has a blanket and her 'baby' that she takes to bed and would take her whole toybox if I let her, she's only just turned 2 so not old enough to understand reward charts yet.

I managed to dim the light last night and she didn't wake up till 6am so an improvement-I think the light wakes her up but if she stirs and its too dark she screams. Hopefully it will continue and wasn't just a fluke, and she learns to sleep a little bit longer in the morning!