Terrible Two's - Saint Louis,MO

I am not so sure I would clssify this as part of the terrible twos. All of us have nights when we wake up and can not go back to sleep. Kids are no different in that respect. They dont always know how to self sooteh themselves though and this is the part that can be fustrating.

If it becomes a habit the first thing you need to do is put up a baby gate so that she can not roam the house while you are sleeping. The set certain rules.

I remember my son waking up at this age one night. He woke me up and said he was hungry and wanted an egg. I got up with him and made him an egg and some toast with milk. He ate every bite, he really was hungry, the he drifted right off to sleep again. He was not being hard to handle he was just hungry.

Find out what will soothe her and then put her back to bed. Getting up with her and putting on a DVD may encourage her to get up again, it was a special time for her to be with you and watch the movie.

As hard as it may be to let her cry, you may very well have to let her. If all of her needs have been met, she needs to go right back to bed.

Do you think she might be taking too long of a nap during the day and then maybe she doesn't need as much sleep during the night? You might want to check into her daily activities/routine with the daycare. Maybe have them keep a log for a week and see if it is associated with her nighttime wakenings. Or maybe she is weaning away from needing a daytime nap at all. I've heard some kids around this age tend not to need a nap anymore, but if she is still taking one during the day, then she may not be as tired as night. What time do you put her to bed? You could try adjusting her bedtime and pushing it back a little later so that she doesn't wake early. Wishing you a good night's rest soon...Happy New Year!

I would not allow her to watch t.v. if she wakes up at these odd hours. What I would suggest would be to have 2-3 picture books near her bed that she could see by the light of a night light. That way, she has something to occupy her without really stimulating her and keeping her up. Good luck.

Good Morning A., I definitely agree with both Minh & Sherrie.
Each Mama has a different idea of what to check for and what you might try. Definitely do not let her watch anything on TV, it stimulates them more to be awake.
You could use white noise in her room or a lullaby CD for her to wake up and listen too. Baby Einstein has the Baby Classical music, its awesome.

Our 3 1/2 yr old Gr son Corbin will lay down for his Short nap ( night time he calls his Long Nap)some days he will fall asleep & sleep 2-3 hours, others he will lay there and just rest quietly. Yesterday Papa took him shopping while I kept the baby. When they got home Corbin was weepy & whiny looking. I asked whats wrong baby. He said Nana I need a nap. Some days he is so tired he skips lunch to nap. Always sleeps through the night but gets up at 5:30-6 everyday.
If he has had a long Nap they keep him up until 8 or so.

Zane 14 months will take an hour nap in the morning around 10-11 and then again about 1 til 3-4. Every day isn't always the same. Depending on if we are home or out and about. Then it is Catnaps on the run.

What ever you try give it a week to see if it works for you. It may of just been a fluke and she will go back to sleeping through the night again. Corbin is having growing pains, in his hips for about a week he was miserable trying to sleep at night. Then two days his knees hurt. Tylenol helped with this. When I told him he was having growing pains and getting taller he decided he didn't want to get taller, wanted to stay mom & dads little Boy! :))

God Bless you A.
Happy New Year
K. Nana of 5

Hi A.,

This sounds too familiar. Both my boys did this when they were younger.

Once I made sure they were not hungry, wet clothes, other needs were met, I put them back to bed and told them it was time to sleep. It is hard to hear them cry it out but they need to learn when it is bedtime. After a couple of battles and sometimes they were battles, they got the hint. I did not allow them in my bed, I did let them watch calming shows sometimes.

Hang in there hun. It is all part of parenting.

Best Wishes,

J. H.

I definitely would not entertain her in the middle of the night. This is making it fun for her and she will continue to get up. Your best bet is to put her back into bed (firmly) and do not have any conversation/interaction with her. She will get bored and eventually fall asleep. It might take a couple of nights but it will work - we had to do that w/ my son when he was younger. Don't give up!

Well, I think I might have done pretty much what you did. Fortunately I didn't have to go to a job in the AM. My older daughter went through a period when sleep was very difficult for her. Watching her go through this, I was often reminded of myself, and the insomnia I have had at some time during every period in my life, from as early as I can remember, and as a baby when my mom would check on me and I would be lying awake in my crib, playing with my toes. My daughter also had nightmares and night terrors. We co-sleep, and she was a kicker! I have loads of sympathy for you but don't really have any advice, but to do your best, try to understand that she probably isn't trying to be difficult, and might just as much want to be able to relax as you want her to.

With my daughter, it eventually passed, and she sleeps pretty well now at 4. My younger daughter is 19 mos and so far has nothing like the sleep difficulty that her big sister had. So, keep in mind that all children are different and what works for one family might not be at all right for another.

Good luck.

This is just a suggestion, obviously. Before bed, before any drama, tell your daughter that the doctor said she be awake at night, but she can't get out of bed and she CAN"T disturb you, because the dr said you need your sleep too. If she wakes you, she will be punished, earlier to bed, no DVD, no dessert, whatever floats your boat. She can sing quietly, look at book, but she can't get out of bed and she can't wake you. Besides the whole sleep issue, you need to make sure that she starts learning that she is part of a family, the whole family matters, not just her. Right now she is becoming aware that she is an individual, she needs to learn NOW that she is also part of a family. Good luck, this too shall pass.

No TV for sure! And don't bring her to your bed unless that's where you want her to sleep. Co-sleeping works well for many, but others find they cannot sleep well because their children toss and turn or think it is play time.

Make sure she is not sick or wet, etc., and then put her back to bed. You can comfort her every 10-15 minutes if you want, but ultimately she needs to remain in her bed and fall asleep herself if that's what you want her to do all the time.

If this continues more than a few nights, she may be over or under tired. Take a look at her daily routine: does she nap more than 2 hours? Does she go to bed between 6-8 p.m. and sleep at least 11 hours? That's what a child her age needs.

It may have been just a sleepless night for her, or maybe she has something like an ear infection going on. I can always tell when my sons have an ear infection or even a cold that is making their ears ache and pop - because they wake up a lot in the night and cannot sleep well. You might check those. :^)

K.

Well I have to say I probably wouldn't have done any better...it's easier to say don't let the TV entertain them then to actually do it. I have to say that I have done it more than one time but less than 5 and the kids KNOW it is something out of the ordinary and NOT to be repeated anytime soon.

Having said that, my daughter was ALWAYS up at all times of the night when she was in her crib...I know because I had the Fisher Price Aquarium and she played it darn near all the time...and when she was older she learned where the volume control was so she could make sure I heard her too... I would find something that is soothing to her...be it music, books, etc and keep it close. Let her know that if she has problems falling asleep it is ok to play with those things but not XXXX (insert whatever you deem too entertaining or stimulating). Ideally, we would all like for the kids to go to their bed, crawl under their covers and stay there all night but that doesn't always happen...at times I've found my daughter up playing with her books only to go in her room in the morning to find her sprawled on the floor sleeping amongst those books...it didn't seem to phase her, it got her back to bed, so why should I make a fuss?

I guess all I'm saying is ultimately, you have to do what you have to do to get through each and every day. I'm not going to tell you not to use the TV (since I myself have done it) but I would certainly caution against using it on a regular basis...just like us...if they watch TV in bed it won't get them used to bed being a place where you sleep...anything can become a bad habit if you let it. I agree with looking at how long her afternoon naps are and perhaps cutting them out altogether. I know my daughter gave them up about that time...she might be a little more cranky around dinner time but my daughter is always in be by 8 and dead asleep by 8:10. :) Best of luck to you and hang in there.