Need Sleep! - Chicago,IL

It may be the meds from the croup you gave her. My dd had it when she was almost 2 and I stopped the meds like on the 2nd day bc it wired her up so much. I then found out the best thing you can do for croup is open the window for some cool air. Amazing to me, bc it was a scary cold, and she got 4 Rx's from it! Out bout with croup left me with a newborn in bed, and a tot that thought she still had to sleep with us!
This too shall pass.....

Are you both getting up with her? My husband and I always alternated nights so at least one of us was getting sleep every other night. So for example, tonight you get up with her and your husband can stay asleep/in bed and then tomorrow night switch.

That worked the best for us for both kids and that way I always looked forward to my "sleep" night!

First, what time does your daughter go to bed for the night?I nstead of trying to put her to bed later try putting her down earlier. I know that may sound silly, but it works wonders!!! Especially with her missing out on sleep now an earlier bed time would probably help. She needs to catch up on sleep.
I would say NO LATER THAN 7PM!!!
2. Do not go to het in the middle of the night, or umtil at least 6am. The more you go to her at night, the more of a habbit it will become for her to wake herself up. If she nedds mortin or whatever for teeting give it to her before bed, and that is all. Motrin will last 12 hours.
If she was a good sleeper before, she just needs to be taught again how to sleep. I really strongly suggest putting her to bed at an earlier bedtime, and not going to her in the middle of the night. Good luck!

I had the same thing with my daughter.....
Bottom line......LET HER CRY IT OUT! Trust me she'll be back iinto the routine soon enough....6 a.m. is reasonable for a child her age...Once we let me daughter cry it out a few days in a row...We were good.

Hi M.. I am going through the exact same situation with my 21 month old. She too was sick a couple of weeks ago, but is still getting up through the night screaming. I do know for a fact my daughter is getting some new teeth so maybe that is a very likely possibility for your child too. Another thing is that my pediatrician has told me that toddlers do not wake up hungry like an infant would for a bottle. I think it would be safe to rule the hunger issue out even if you child isn't finishing dinner. I always try to make my visits to my daughters room short by giving her a drink of water, some anbesol for her gums, and a quick hug and kiss all while she is still in her crib. If she continues to cry I let her because I know there is nothing more to do for her. Also, my pediatrician stressed to me that children this age do not need to eat at night, and the more you get them up to snuggle with you they will just expect it night after night. My pediatrician also said to let my child cry because she will eventually figure out no matter how much she cries she cannot get up at night. This has always worked for her before, but it's so annoying because everytime she is sick we go through this same process. It's hard letting little ones cry it out, but they are smart and they do figure out just to go to sleep. Best of luck, and remember, this to shall pass!

I'm going to refer you to a book that saved my life with my first born and his sleep issues. HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS, HAPPY BABY by Marc Weissbluth. It's an awesome book that uses the cry it out technique but has other resources in it. Honestly, I read it.. took it's advice and my son did amazing!

Read the book HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS, HAPPY CHILD by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.

Hi M.,

I can truly relate, as I have been going through this for nearly a year. Although I have not yet not solved the problem, I can share my advice, given what has NOT worked well for me!

First and foremost, I would agree with the folks who say you need to let her cry it out. Set a time when you will go (6 is reasonable) and don't show up before then. Secondly, you may want to experiment with pushing her bedtime earlier...if she is waking up early due to being overtired, it may help. This has worked at times for my son. Finally, I would also strongly recommend the Marc Weissbluth book mentioned - "Healthy Sleep, Happy Baby" - which provides further guidance along these lines. I doubt my son would sleep at all if not for this.

If you need further encouragement on why you SHOULD let him cry it out, read on...

My son was always an early riser - on average by 6 am or so. However last winter when he turned 2, I went through something similar to you. He got sick and started getting up at 4-4:30 for a few nights. I did not implement a "cry it out plan" immediately as I thought it would get better. As a result, I have been getting up at or before 5:30 for most of the year! I thought it would improve on its own, but it did not, and now he is getting up at 4:30 because of the time change. I now realize that "cry it out" is the only thing that will work, but unfortunately it will be 10 times harder now than it would have been months ago.

So, I would urge you to act swiftly, endure a few mornings of pain and avoid losing a year of sleep!

Good luck.