I have always been very strict when it comes to sleep for my kids. We sleep trained them when they were 4 mos old - and if they wake and cry in the middle of htie night we never go in. As a result my kids have always been able to put themselves back to sleep. They have never slept very late - but I could easily adhere to the rule - no one leaves their rooms until 6AM.
Until now...
My son will be 2 next week and starting about a month ago would cry out @ 5:30AM, but then fall back asleep. However for the past week - he won't stop crying. He will cry until 6AM. Then each day he starts waking earlier and earlier. Today is was 4:15AM and he never went back to sleep. I called the doctor and he said it is probably a separation thing that he will outgrow and in the meantime we should walk into the room and ask him to go back to sleep and then leave. We did that a few nights ago and it seems to be backfiring (which is why we NEVER would walk in there in the first place) I am at a total loss.
We are tired and he is waking up our 5 year old too.
Suggestions?
Personally I've noticed that sometime around 2 sleep patterns begin to change. He may need to go to bed earlier or later, or he may need a longer or shorter nap (probably shorter nap with earlier bedtime).
just want to point out that i never slept trained my two year old, we co sleep (gasp) and she is fully able to put herself to sleep and back to sleep. I really dont know what they write in these books that make people think they have to leave a 4 month old baby to cry in order to learn how to go back to sleep! sorry you were fed this insanity and i hope you are able to make sleep less stressful for your child so you two can get a good nights sleep
He is growing and might not need as much sleep as he used to. Try putting him to bed later, at least 30 minutes for a few weeks until his biorhythm is changed. See if it makes a difference.
my son will do this every once in awhile, he turned 2 in dec, so they're close in age. if it's too early, like 4:15a (wth?!), i'd go in there tell him it's still 'nite-'nite time, maybe open the front door or a window & show it's still dark out, maybe give him juice then lay him back down. honestly, it was a good try but it never worked! lol
only thing that seemed to work, was just the passage of a week or so. i put him to bed later & that didn't work either. so finally, i gave up, i just let him get up and play like he wanted to (egads!) and i laid on the couch & conked back out, well, asleep w/one eye open. this waking up early seriously only lasts a little while then just like that - it stops!
idk girl, good luck in whatever happens. i've been tired since i gave birth though, and i figure i just will be forever! :)
Mine does this sometimes too. It is exhausting... while I am on the other end of the sleep continuum and have not been as strict, I have found that if we put him down EARLIER it can help. I would often go in and rub his back and say "it's ok" or "go back to bed" and calm him down enough to not be hysterical and make sure he wasn't feverish or poopy, then leave... and he would go back to bed. Sometimes, I'd hold him until he fell back asleep which was usually in about 2 minutes... How many naps/how long of a nap does he take? Is he sleeping too much during the day? Could he be getting his molars and when he's up he can't go to sleep b/c it hurts?
How many naps is he taking during the day? If two, try to bring him down to one a day. Your five-year-old, may have been different at that age, so the CIO method might not work the same with him. Try a light snack before bedtime that might hold him over for a while longer. Maybe give him a small toy and let him know its too early and lay him back down. He could also be teething; two year teeth can be a bear. My son had night terrors around that age but he was waking up around two am. These are all I can think of. Hopefully you will figure it out, it stinks to be a tired Momma.
Mine too, it's weird. I think mine is waking because of growth spurt, molars coming in, daddy being noisey early in the morning, and separation anxiety. Usually she is a super great sleeper and when she wakes up she goes back to sleep, but it's been for about a month now.
My suggestions wont be helpful because I don't have the same rules or restrictions as you do with this. I give her some water and we cuddle for a few minutes and she goes back to sleep.
Good Luck.
I say that he is probably scared or getting molars or wanting your attention. My philosophy is that "everything goes in phases" it will pass. But in the meantime, be empathic and hold him or even dare I say let him lay with you. They are only little once. Waking up with your 2 yo saying "I wuv you mommy" is the best!!!
My first thought is: is he sleeping too long at nap time, so that he's more able to fight going back to sleep at night?
