2 Year Old Waking in the Night

Updated on June 17, 2010
S.M. asks from Fairfax, VA
7 answers

My son is 2 years old and the last couple of months has started waking in the night. I thought it might be because he was teething but it is happening after he has had about 7 hours of sleep. We put him to bed at 8 pm and he wakes up between 3 and 4 am most nights a week. I have put a white noise machine in his room to help him sleep better. I have tried letting him cry it out but he just gets hysterical and then none of us sleep. My husband has been going to sleep on his floor when he wakes up and my son will go right back to sleep no problem. I miss having my hubby sleep in bed with me and I feel so bad that he keeps sleeping on the floor. Is this a phase that my son will grow out of or is there something I should be doing to get him back on a good sleep schedule?

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More Answers

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

huge middle ground between CIO and your husband sleeping on the floor. resign yourself to a week or so of interrupted sleep and defeat this problem once and for all. go to him when he wakes, but do not talk, pick him up, or interact with him in any way but to sit quietly with him and rub his back or arm. if he climbs out of bed or into your lap, quietly lay him down again. over and over. when he's quiet, kiss him and leave. repeat until you're ready to gouge your own eyeballs out. it will take many repetitions, but once he understands that you are there for him but you are NOT going to sleep with him or get him up, he will start going back to sleep on his own.
khairete
S.

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M.S.

answers from Des Moines on

This sounds familiar :-) I have a 2 1/2 year old that still occasionally wakes up at night - however my other child never woke us up unless she was sick. He'll grow out of it. Will he fall back to sleep if you sit with him for a minute in his room (so maybe your hubby doesn't have to sleep on the floor :-) or some kids find comfort in stuffed animals, a pillow, or something to cuddle (although my son never did). If you (or hubby) goes in when he wakes up and explain it's still nighttime and time to go back to sleep and maybe pat his back a little bit then go back to bed he might be old enough to understand. I'd try some gentle encouragement to get him to go back to sleep on his own, but I think this will pass as most things do. Good luck!

C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

My daughter is almost three and still wakes up 1x per night. She now just comes into our room and gets into bed with us! Not sure why she wakes, but I just think some kids wake more than others and she misses us and wants to cuddle, so I do not mind!

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G.G.

answers from Washington DC on

Hello S.,
Sorry I don't have an answer but I am experiencing a similar situation with my daughter who is 2 1/2. She has also started getting very upset when it is time for us to leave her room after putting her to bed. She acts as if there is something scaring her but she is always changing what it is. If you get any good ideas send them my way. Good luck,
G.

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J.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Sorry, I don't have an answer either. I am experiencing the same thing with my 2 year old. She falls asleep on my lap everynight (I know this isn't the best thing to do). She used to sleep all night ever since she was 8 weeks old, except when she was teething. Now, she wakes up 1 - 2 times a night. Sometimes, she stands up in her crib yelling, "I peed. I peed." Sometimes, she just wants to cuddle. Sometimes, she is hungry, because she wouldn't eat anything. She usually goes to bed between 8:30 and 9:30. I am at a loss as to how to get her to sleep all night.

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C.C.

answers from Boston on

Has he started potty training?? My daughter did this at that age and I talked to her pedi and she said it was probably from her noticing the feeling that she has to pee. Maybe you should see if he has to go to the bathroom?? or if you haven't started potty training then you could start now :) just give it a try I guess .. GOOD LUCK

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S.A.

answers from New York on

Night tremors are common at this age. They start to dream. Reading a nice, pleasant story, (no t.v.) before bedtime. Then talk about somerthing fun,gentle and safe that happens in real life or somthing nice that will happen the next day. Also no fluids before bed, just a sip of water if necessary. A night light if necessary. He needs to go to bed calm and secure.He has a great Dad to go in and sleep on his floor. Most dads would not do that. Good luck, I hope you all get some sleep soon..

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