2 Year Old Waking up a Lot at Night

My little girl was like that. We implemented a 'special treat' program! When I put her and her brother to bed I say (and have said it for a while so she says it along with me) we are going to bed, and we need to stay in bed all night, no getting up until it's light outside or Mommy comes to get you in the morning, and if you stay in bed I'll give you a special treat in the morning! She gets soooo excited and darned if it didnt work. I either get piddly little things from the dollar store (barrettes or toy watch or something), or give her a small piece of candy, like a few M&M's. She looks forward to it in the morning. She still has moments when she wakes up crying, but she doesnt come into the bedroom every single night, three times a night for no reason.

Hi C.--I have soooo been there. My almost 3 year old didn't sleep through the night until 11 months and, when she transitioned to a big girl bed, began popping out of bed 3-4 times a night. I tried everything(reasoning, bribing, threatening!), but what worked for me was the "silent return to bed" as described in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby--where you just pick your kid up, without saying anything or even making eye contact, and take them back to bed. I had to do this for about 5 days, up to 5 times a night, but she eventually stopped the behavior. I think the bad habit was reinforced by the attention (even negative) she was getting during the back-to-bed walks. Good luck! I know it's exhausting.--E.

Hi C...

My 2 yr old does the same thing. We broke down and let him sleep with us. We sleep better that way =) Only thing I can suggest is that you may actaually may not want to talk to her much at night when she does it , becasue it may be you talking to her and Giving her that little bit of attention she wants, ( NOT EASY ). Like my 2 yr old who now sleeps with us becasue he broke his leg and I didn't want to have him fully wake up crawling across the house. I will have to start all over again . Ok so not much advise here but I do understand the situation . LOL good luck
C.

My daughter will be two on NOv 30th and started doing the same thing the other day. When we were playing I noticed her two year old molars coming in, I think that is it with my daughter, she's not crying that they hurt, but I am thinking they are bothering her enough so that she is not sleeping as good as she normally does. Also, with the time change don't forget the sun is coming up earlier so that may be why her internal clock is waking her earlier, mine use to sleep till 8 now she's up at 7.

Hi C.,

Your daughter could be a sleepwalker. My daughter is 6yo and she doesn't do it as much as she used to but she wakes up every now and then and walks through the house or comes in my room. I can tell her to go back to bed and she will say okay but doesn't do it. She will most of the time have to use the bathroom so I have her walk to the bathroom before going back to bed. She acts as if she hears and understands me but I can tell she is still sleep. She has a dazed look on her face. She doesn't cry or anything. She inherited that from her father's side. yippee!

Anyway, you may want to keep an eye on her because that's around the age my little one started. If you can tell that she is awake and just wants to get up, then there's really nothing you can do but watch what she eats before going to bed, which I'm sure you probably already do that. If you can tell she is still asleep then take her back to her room and put her back in the bed.

HTH,
V.

My son did the same thing and then got used to it again and then we moved, so new house new bedroom it started all over again.
We have told him don't come into mommy and daddy's room until the sun comes up. Now, he doesn't always stick to that and well of course if he has a bad dream or what not he'll come in. He has slept in our bed since birth, so getting him out of that was a chore.
We also, put a calendar on his wall and told him for every night he sleeps in his bed until the sun comes up he gets a sticker. When he gets 10 stickers he can go some where fun. Like Chuck E. Cheese or Kanga Room. We pick the place before we start with the round of stickers.
It worked great and we no longer need that system.
Now we use it as incentive to going to VPK. It started out everyday he went without crying he would get a sticker, he goes now without crying but he still looks forward to getting his 10 stickers and going someplace special fun for him.
Hope this helps and good luck.

I have the same problem with my 2 1/2 year old son.....exactly so I hope you get lots of suggestions!

Kids are funny little beings. My 3 yr old was never that great a sleeper, but he used to be better than what he is now. He figured out a few months ago that daddy gets up real early one weekdays to get ready for work. And he wants more daddy time. So now he will get up before 6am regularly.
Anything from dreams, to growth spurts, to new teeth can rouse a toddler. And once their mind turns on, it's hard to turn it off. They feel like they're missing out on something if they just roll over and go back to sleep.
Your daughter probably really likes to spend time with you. And if she's up, she may as well come check on her mommy. Just try to keep in mind that she will grow up. Everything is just a different stage in life. These problems will end and new ones will emerge. Change is constant. Knowing that helps with patience and understanding. You'll find a way to deal with this situation. Good luck getting some sleep!

Normal, normal, normal. My 2 girls did that and they still do to a certain extent (6 and 4 yrs old). She is changing, growing so expect a lot more changes to come along. I tried the "big girl" conversation too, but it basically doesn't work. In hindsight, I think the best thing is to give her a sip of water/milk and then walk her back to bed and rub back, head, etc. and stay with her for a few mins. Then whisper you love her and you will come back in a few mins. to check on her. Give her a kiss, go away and come back in a few mins. (gotta keep your word) and give her another kiss. Sit again if you have to but probably she will be out by this time. Perhaps not, though. This age is rough. Just be patient. In a few years you may miss these late visits! BTW, my husband works alot too so email if you want to talk!!

I have same kind of problem with 3 and 1/2 boy. We did a sleep study, found out he has a little sleep apnea and were suggested to put him in bed with stuffed animals or other comforting items to make him feel safer when he wakes up during the night. so far we got two days good, if he woke up at least he stayed in his bed and the third day we were back to the old days, meaning waking up with his feet in my face....we're still trying to get a complete night of sleep...
Good luck
val

C.; I am also a stay at home mom with a 2 yr old son.Only difference is I am 38 and also have a 21 yr old daughter (she is married with a daughter as well, and doesn't live with me) I know everyone will tell you not to put your child in the bed with you. But that has worked for me. Also my husband is gone from early morning to late night.He usually sleeps in another room except for our date night once a week.I also found that the more I plan for him to do in a day, for ex. Toddler time @ the local libraries it's free. She may get tired of the same environment on a day to day basis, Mine does! I would love to hear back from you. Are you in the Lake County Area?
N. B.

Here's an article on Toddler sleep patterns. There's a lot of information out there if you Google Toddler Sleep or a similar phrase. Dig down in the article to find mroe links.
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/toddler/sleep/understandingsl...

The time change really affects my daughter's sleep patterns. Sometimes for up to two weeks. Also, this is the age they start dreaming. My daughter now tells me when she a good or bad dream. Teeth can also affect sleep.

btw, Tiffany had a great idea about the stickers and going somewhere special.

Good Luck ;-)

Try using a baby gate (or two if need be).
Jen