LoveToKnow Kids:AllComments

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NawNaw, The first step is to place the child in her own bed. Then, you can work on establishing a bedtime routine and firm responses to her wakefulness.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My 22 month old granddaughter and her Dad are living with us. They share a bed and most nights she will go to bed pretty easy but wakes up crying almost every night. Last night she was awake for almost 3 hours calling for her 10 year old Uncle who was asleep down the hall. She wakes up frequently at night and cries but not like last night. Any suggesstions?

-- Contributed by: NawNaw

Carol, You don't say how you respond when he wakes up, but your response could make a big difference in how you handle this problem. Don't get up with him, and instead, call out to him to go back to sleep. Try to keep it as low-key as possible. If you do think that he needs to use the potty, try limiting his liquid intake after supper.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My 3 year old has been waking up during the night I would say for the last 4 months at exactly the same time every night(4am-5am) as if programmed and stays awake. I was wondering if he gets the urge to need to potty? Eventhough he does not tell us and I do diaper him at night. I know that us as adults get that urge in the middle of the night and if we give in we will automatically wake up at the same time every night too. This would be my only conclusion to what is waking my son up.....?

-- Contributed by: Carol

Nicole, Sounds like you are in a battle of wills with your little guy right now, but if you stick to a routine and don't let him dictate your reactions, you'll win. Sounds like you're doing the right thing, so try to hang on a little longer and see what happens. -Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

I have a 18 month old whom has done really well sleep wise aside from normal things like teething and sickness, the last two and half weeks we have been battleing night wakings, it started off just night time but now has gone to naps too, we are up several times a night screaming and will only sleep if I hold him, as far as naps, they are non existant the last three days....I let him scream for an hour and half today and an hour yesterday....he has pretty much lost his voice....How long is to long to let him cry for naps and will he outgrow this? I feel like such a bad Mom, I really don't know how much more I can take.

-- Contributed by: Nicole

Amy, You're just going to have to be strong enough not to go into his room and give him his bottle. He needs to get used to settling himself back to sleep.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

my 2year old is in a toddler bed, recently he woke up screaming! I think he had a bad dream. since then we bought a night light and he is happy however now when he wakes he gets up and wants a bottle and Mommy...I gave in because as a child i had bad nightmares and am very sensitive about the issue...how do i now break this habit? he goes to bed good at 8pm and wakes at 4am then back to sleep only with me till 7am.

-- Contributed by: amy

Anna, You might want to try putting him back into his crib, although I hesitate to tell you this since he is able to climb out. Waiting another few months might make all the difference in the world, especially when he is old enough to reason with and to establish consequences for. If you do opt to keep him in his big boy bed, you'll need to continue putting him back in his bed, firmly telling him to stay there, and leaving the room. Each time he gets out, you'll need to put him back in his bed and tell him to stay there. You've really got to establish the fact that you are the boss, however...not him. -Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My 22 month son has always been a great sleeper. He has had a sleep schedule and we have stuck to it from when he was 2 months. 2 weeks ago he climbed over his crib a few times managing to hurt himself, not severely but enough to scare him. We then decided on a big boy bed which of course he chose. since then neither baby or us have slept. He gets out of bed and cryes hysterically for us to get him running around all over the room. This also happens during day nap. He has become exhausted and very irritable since he has been getting very little sleep. It seems he has become obsessed with the idea that we will leave the room after he has gone to sleep, so he wakes up to fing us not there. We don't want to put him in our bed but we don't want to sleep on the floor next to him, so we decided to put him back in his crib making certain alterations that will keep him safe from climbing out. The question is how do we handle another change in our little ones life? do we let him cry it out? pls comment

-- Contributed by: Anna

Jenni, Unless there is some physical problem, she should be able to sleep all night. It sounds as if she doesn't know how to settle herself back down. Don't rush to her when she cries. Instead, wait a few minutes and if she starts crying harder, call out to her, but don't let her see you. Eventually, when she realizes you aren't going to come into her room, she should begin to settle herself back to sleep. This may take several nights, however. Good luck!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My daughter is 15 months and she has never slept throught the night. I have a tight bedtime schedule and the act of falling asleep is fine. She is up at least twice the night crying and I am not sure why. Help?

-- Contributed by: jenni

Jennifer, There are several really good suggestions in this article. Try one or all of them and see if they work.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

my 2 year old had been sleeping through the night for the last 6-8 months then all of the sudden the last week she has been waking up in the middle of the night. i am a single mom and don't know what to do to remedy the situation

-- Contributed by: jennifer

Avril, My first thought was that your daughter isn't getting enough rest during the day. If she is only taking a one hour nap all day long, she may be overly tired. Encourage her to sleep longer during her naptime, continue with your bedtime ritual, and don't give in to her demands at 4 a.m.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My 2yr old daughter has never slept through the night she has a good bedtime routine bath ,story, warm milk and soft music asleep by 8.30 and she naps for 1 hour during day. She wakes at 4.00am and seems to be looking for attention we reassure her that mam and dad are here but nothing seems to work i,ve tried letting her cry but a screaming baby at 4 in morning is hard to listen to. any tips

-- Contributed by: avril

Mariah, She needs to learn how to go to sleep by herself without the backrub, so that she knows how to settle herself back to sleep during the night. Put her in the bed, kiss her goodnight, and leave the room. This won't happen overnight, but it will happen.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My 18month old has no problem letting us know when she's ready to go to bed,usally falls asleep with in ten minutes of a back rub and some classical music, but she wakes up at least 4 times a night. And wants to be up for the day at 6:30am. I go back to school in Jan. and I'm gonna need some sleep. please help.

-- Contributed by: mariah

Colleen, You're going to have to stop picking her up. Instead, speak to her calmly and firmly, then leave the room. It may take several nights of this before she learns to settle herself down.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My daughter is just about to turn 18 months and has been sleeping throught the night since 3 months. Lately though she has been waking at midnight or 1 am crying. I go to her after letting her cry for as long as I can take and we go to the rocking chair for some cuddle time. She'll fall asleep there with me but as soon as I get her back to her crib she screams and the process begins again. I can't get her back to sleep in her crib. I'm not sure why she is waking...sometimes she is awake for hours. I'm desperate for some sleep and some help. Any guidance would be MUCH appreciated!

-- Contributed by: Colleen

Kara, This separation anxiety is a phase that your son can overcome with your help. You're going to have to be very firm and tell him to stay in his bed and go to sleep. You need to make him mind you on this as I'm sure you do on other issues. As far as the issue of pre-school goes, try to make your arrival and departure as upbeat as possible. Ask the preschool teacher to help your child interact with other students, possibly assigning a buddy for the day. Introduce your child to new activities and experiences, such as visiting a playground,children's museum, etc. While he may always be on the shy side, eventually he should be able to interact with others more freely.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My 2 year old seems to be suffering from separation anxiety. He cannot fall asleep unless someone is with him and he wakes in the night and needs someone there to fall back asleep. I have tried closing the door (this just causes him to scream hysterically). I have tried leading him back to bed (but after a while he eventually just stops leaving his room and plays with his toys in his room instead of sleeping). He also gets very upset when we take him to pre-school and he is also shy in new situations. This has been going on for 6 months now and we are all exhausted.

-- Contributed by: Kara

My 2 year old son used to sleep through the night from 2 and half months old but in the last few months he wakes up at 1am or 2am at night.Some nights he goes back to sleep about 5am and other mornings he falls back to sleep about 9.30/10.We have a routine. He gets ready for bed, brushes his teeth,sits on the potty for a short while then goes to his room and we read a story. Some nights he has a bath as well. Sometimes he has his bath in the afternoon as he seems to get quite tired around 6ish.Nothing seems to work. Its hard as i have a young teenager who needs to get lots of sleep and be up very early for school. Please help.

-- Contributed by: Ann

Lisa, Unfortunately, you'll have to break this by being firm and telling her that she must go back to sleep in her bed. This won't happen overnight, but letting her sleep with you will not solve the problem. You and your husband may have to suffer through some sleep-deprived nights until she is back in her routine. In the morning, give her lots of hugs and kisses and tell her how proud you are of her when she does stay in her bed. Good luck!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who learned early on how to put herself back to sleep at night. Now in a new home and in new toddler bed, she awakes after only sleeping two hours in the night. She screams and yells and has huge fits when I make her return to her room, and my husband who gets up early for work has gotten me to give in and let her in our bed b/c she is so loud and disturbing to him. What do I do to not battle him and her both?

-- Contributed by: Lisa

Katie, Try to practice some of the methods advised in this article and in some of these other comments. Also, check out the newly posted interview on toddler separation anxiety for more insight into your daughter's behavior. Time is on your side, Katie. This is a phase that your daughter is going through, and if you deal with her in a firm, calm, and loving manner, things should get back to normal soon. Good luck!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

I have a beautiful 23 month old little girl who has a very strong personality. She has always been a good sleeper. She would sleep three hours during the day and 12 hours at night. She never woke up during the night and she always woke up happy. Then things change as soon as my husband deployed to Iraq. All of a sudden she wouldn't go to sleep without me in the room with her and when I would leave her in her room she would throw the biggest tantrum I have ever seen. She screams bloody murder and throws things. Not only does she do these things but she climbs on things. I fear her safety.

I'm at a loss of ideas here. She use to be so loving. Now, she is clingy and very anxious when I leave the room. Help!

-- Contributed by: Katie

Victoria, I went through this same problem with my son a few months ago. I found that taking away certain privileges, like his favorite TV show did the trick. At 3, your son is old enough to be reasoned with at least to some degree. When my son slept through the night without waking me up, I let him watch his show. When he didn't, the privilege was taken away. It didn't take but a couple of nights for this to work. Why don't you try this and see if it works. Let me know what happens, and if it doesn't work, we'll try a different approach. Good luck!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

both of my now 2+ yr old boys have been great sleepers. All we did was place them in their seperate cribs at bedtime, cover them up, say their prayers & walk out shutting the door. We'd check on them before we retired for the night, and wouldnt hear from them until the next morning. 3 months ago, one of them was sick & I had to wake him for medicine, temp checks, etc. Now that he has been well for some time, he crys when I leave his room from doing our bedtime routine. He asks over & over again for water, then juice. Finally after a long drawn out time of this he goes to sleep. I have tried letting him cry & cry. Nothing seems to work. He wakes all night long crying for me, I go in & tuck him in & walk out & he is ok for a while. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. We all need our sleep to stay healthy & have good attitudes the next day. Please help.

-- Contributed by: victoria

Tammy, Toddlers are pretty quick at learning how to get their parents to react, and that is what has happened with your family. You're going to have to show some tough love for the next few nights. This means that you should not pick your son up. Calmly call out to him to go back to sleep. Of course, he won't initially, but when he sees that his plan isn't working, he will give up in time. If he continues to cry, you can talk to him quietly for a minute or two from his doorway, but don't pick him up. He has to learn to settle himself back down. You don't say if he goes to sleep on his own when you first put him to bed, but if he doesn't, this could be part of the problem as well.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My Son is 16 Months old, and has gone from sleeping through to now waking up at around the same time every night (12:30). The First time this happened i was able to calm him down, he cried a bit when i left but went back to sleep. But it has now gotten worse, Every time i go into the room he wants to be picked up, and if i do get him to settle he cries when i leave and then continues to cry. After two and a half hours of no one getting sleep I had no choice but to pick up and put him in bed with us which I know is not the right option - Any advice?

-- Contributed by: Tammy

Ariana, Since your son has a specific medical condition, I don't feel comfortable offering you advice. I will say, however, that it sounds like you aren't getting the support you need from your doctors. Maybe it's time you checked out a new pediatrician. You and your son need answers. I have to think that the breathing episodes and the crying are related in some way. Now, you need to find out how, so you know the best action to take to help your child. Good luck!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My son is 3 1/2 years old and he still crys at night...we did a sleep study test on him a year ago. results came back that he stops breathing 5 to 6 times an hour...but its not severe the doctors told me. i really dont know what to do anymore

-- Contributed by: Ariana

Tara, Your husband needs to stop getting up with her. Instead, walk to the door of her room, tell her FIRMLY to go back to sleep, then leave. You'll have to do this several times the first few nights, but eventually she should get the picture that you are not going to respond in the manner she would like. She may cry, but if you firmly and calmly tell her to go back to sleep, don't pick her up, and do walk back to your room, eventually she'll see that she isn't in control, which is what this is really all about.-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

my daughter is 22 months old and she wakes up every 2 hours and their are times when she doesn"t go back to sleep until 4 hours later it is driving my husband nuts. he gets up with her all of the time and she just puts up a fight. please give us some advice on how to help her sleep.

-- Contributed by: tara

Jen, First, let him pick out a favorite toy to keep him company. Then, talk to him about how everyone in the family has his or her own room and own bed. Next, establish a bedtime routine in his room. Each time he gets out of his bed, put him back in it and firmly tell him to stay there. It may take a few nights, but eventually he'll get the idea!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

My son is 25 months old, he doesn't like to sleep in his own bed but would much rather be in our bed.How should I help him get used to sleeping in his oen bed

-- Contributed by: Jen

Our daughter had always been a really good sleeper, but at one point she got very fearful. Her nightlight didn't seem to be enough for her new fear of the dark. My husband put her lamp on a dimmer and let her keep it on low all night -- that did wonders for the problem.

-- Contributed by:
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