sleep

[sam1368]

my 2 year old daughter has never and wiil not sleep through the night help me please i have tried everything she has a good bedtime routine,goes to bed fine at 7.00 but will wake 2 to 3 times a night

[andy-hughes]

Some children just don't need sleep - unlike their parents!

Have you tried the obvious - is she warm enough, cool enough, does she maybe need a night light to reasure her?

Does she have something to eat before she goes to bed - a lot of children sleep better with a full tummy, a bowl of ceral half an hour before bed, and a wee last thing of course, may help her to settle.

[The Tiggster]

Does she wake at the same time every night, or at different times? If she is a creature of habit & always wakes, say bang on 2am, set your alarm (tough I know) to get up an hour before her & do something like change her nappy, don't speak to her then put her straight back to sleep & calm her if needed. This done over several nights before the times she wakes should, in theory, break the habit of waking at the same time.

If it is non-habitual then the above is of no use! I would recommend reading one of Tracey Hogg - The baby whisperer books as she is very good with her methods & doesn't adopt any "cruel" methods like crying it out. You could also try putting a question on the forum website http://www.babywhisperer.com/smf/index.php

Good luck!

[tradey]

my two year old was just the same about a month ago i was really getting so tired she would wake at least 7- 8 times a night,well what ive started doing is bathing her at 6 with a bit of radox in it, getting her ready for bed giving her a drink of horlicks,but not bringing her back down stairs,putting her in bed reading two books she then goes off at 7-7.30 may wake once in the night but you can cope with that.good luck,i know what its like

[elliec]

This is a very common problem. Your daughter may now be in the habit of waking up a lot in the night. Consider your reaction to her wakefulness? Do you immediately go to her and when you do go do you turn on the light, give her food, drinks, talk to her..... All this would encourage her to continue waking in the night. Experts suggest you keep the interaction between you and your child to a minimum when they wake in the night (unless of course they're ill ) - tell her everythings alright, its still night time and she must rest (rather than sleep) - don't turn on the light or prolong the encounter. Then go back to bed.

You may need to try the 5,10,15 minute approach, also recommended by experts. When she wakes, go to her straight away. If she crys out again, wait 5 minutes (or less if thats too long for you) before you go in. Next time wait 10 minutes and so on.... It may require several nights of this, but it does work.

Also if your daughter can comprehend enough try to explain to her during the day the need for rest and sleep and encourage her to try to put herself back to sleep without waking anyone else in the house. Some children immediately want a parent the moment they wake instead of learning to turn over and go back to sleep. This is a stage in a child's development that is important. You could encourage her by a sticker chart - "only woke mumy twice in the night, only once, not at all" and some prize if she goes a whole night without disturbing you.

Also emphasise that it doesn't matter if she can't sleep. She must rest and may listen to a tape instead without disturbing other people.

Its tough when you have to deal with sleep deprivation, so don't expect too much of yourself and remeber lots of rewards for yourself too.

[rachaelersk]

Oh my god i have the same problem with my 2 year old and feel like i will never sleep fully again. Have recently put her cot near me so when she gets up i just put my hand through the bar and she settles holding me until i can gradually take it away. Many of my friends say this is not the answer but i cannot cope any more with getting out of bed lots in the night for ages at a time. I just wanted to say that you are not alone and its nice to know there are other people out there like you and I.