My 27 month old daughter was formerly GREAT to put to bed--justa quick story, lights out, and we never heard a peep. All of the sudden, she is FREAKING OUT at bedtime and all night, unless I stay in the room with her. I really don't mean crying a little, I mean freaking out--the mother of all temper tantrums, screaming until she is hoarse/throwing up, banging her head on the crib etc. I have tried to ignore her and let her go back to sleep on her own, but she is a persistent gal and will not stop--after an hour or so, I give in and go in her room. I also don't think it's night terrors because she does the same thing at bedtime before she falls asleep that she does in the middle of the night. It COULD be molars, since the bottom pair are already in, but I gave her Motrin last night to see if that helped and it didn't. I, obviously, don't want to get into the habit of sleeping in her room, but we all need some sleep! Is this just a phase--should I give in for a little while? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
She's "fixed!" I don't know what was bugging her, but we bought her a Twilight Turtle and turned it on at bedtime and she went right to sleep. Maybe she just needed a little more light in her room. Thanks for all of the great responses--sometimes it is just a simple silly little fix! Oh, and by the way, I don't want anyone to think I'm a horrible Mom--I didn't let her cry continuously for over an hour--I went in her room periodically every 15 minutes or so:)
My son went through a phase where he was telling us he was scared in his room. (He'll be 3 later this month). We stocked up on some glow-sticks from the Dollar Tree and rearranged his room and all that has ended. It could be something as simple as that. Good luck!
You've already had some good advice, but perhaps it is not being afraid, but her being a normal two year old and wanting what she wants. Try letting her cry for 15 minutes; go in check on her, let her cry for 20 minutes, check, etc. Each time you go in tell her that it is now time to sleep and that you will check on her later. Don't pick her up. Just go to the door. It will probably seem like she is worse at first, but soon she will get the message that you are still there for her, but are not willing to sleep with her. I would not let her cry for an hour at a time to begin with. Also once you start something like sleeping in her room or letting her sleep with you; that is even harder to break. Our grand daughter lived with us for awhile while in a transition period and she had this same issue. It is frustrating becasue they are not able to communicate exactly waht they want or need, but if you are firm and loving about her staying in her bed and going to sleep, then you must be strong and not give in. It will work and it will pass.
I haven't gone through this yet, since my son is only 9 months old. But, she's old enough to transition out of her crib to a "big-girl" bed. Maybe she feels too confined being in a crib at the age of two. It may be frustrating her to the point that she just doesn't want to be in bed at all. Try buying her a new, twin size or toddler size bed. Then, take her shopping so she can pick out her own bedding and make her bed her own. Make a really big deal out of it. Heck, even be cheesy and throw a little "party" at home with mommy and daddy to help prepare her and get her really excited about sleeping in her own big girl bed for the first time. Anything to make her want to be in her bed, even if you make a fool of yourself wearing a party hat...lol. Things like this are a big deal at this age. This may not be the issue, but you may want to give it a try. Good luck! I hope you are able to have calm nights really soon!
K.:)
Certainly teeth would be possible. Have you ever tried a homeopathic remedy? Chamomile would be a good one and there may be others. They also have teething tablets that I feel worked wonders on my kids. It may take time as patterns may now have been formed too. I like to use soothing music as a habit weather they are upset or not, at betime and naptimes. I usually play the same one or two CD's so it is part of the routine. Hope something here is of help!
Sincerely,
K.
My son went though something like that. He would kick, scream, say his legs hurt, etc just so I would stay in his room with him. I don't know if it was nightmares that had him afraid to fall asleep or possibly growing pains. I gave him teething tablets for his molors for a few nights, tylenol for his legs for a few nights. Finially I just started to give him a few books to look at, turned a very small table light on and sat in his doorway without looking at him. If he got out of bed, I put him back in bed, without speaking or looking at him. If he talked to me in his bed, again, I didn't look or talk to him. This went on for about a week till he finially tossed in the towel and would stay in bed. Sometimes though he would get out of bed and fall asleep in the hallway between his bedroom and the livingroom!! It was his way of getting us cause he wasn't in bed but we couldn't see him either!! the sneak!!
Also, you might want to consider putting your daughter in a twin bed (toddler beds are a waste since they out grow them too fast and you have to buy more bedding for them and then again when you switch to a twin bed). She may feel too trapped in a crib or feel cagged up with the bars. My son has been in a twin since he was about 20 months and we haven't had any problem. Buy one or two of those mesh bed rails for the sides, and you don't have to worry about her falling out either!!
Good luck!!
S.
We went through a phase like this when our little boy turned 1. We switched him to a toddler bed and that fixed it. He just didn't want to sleep in the crib anymore. I hope your fix is as easy. Good Luck!
Well, first of all, children do not suddenly change their behavior that drastically at bedtime for no reason. There is a reason for it, though you may never know what that reason is. Some possibilities: nightmares which make her afraid to go to sleep without her security (you) next to her; something or someone coming into her room after she's asleep and frightening her (do you have a cat or dog?). Whatever her reason, it is clear she is terrified of being left alone once she is asleep. If it were me, I would stay with her for awhile, just until she is comfortable being left alone again while she sleeps. Look at it this way: she's not going to go off to college needing mom to sleep in her room, so it's definitely going to pass eventually. It just sounds to me like she needs extra security right now and once she feels secure again, she'll sleep alone again. You might try leaving the room short periods of time (a few seconds graduating to a few minutes) during her screaming, just to let her know you will return, you haven't left the house, and she can deduce from that perhaps that it's safe to go to sleep since Mom is always going to be there. Good luck. I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice and I hope something works for you and for her.
Has anything in her routine changes? Has anything happened in her life that can have your child so upset?
No - you must never give in. A couple of times is probably all it will take. I had this problem with my youngest and since she would cry until she threw up I thought something must be medically wrong. I took her to the DR who told me my baby was smarter than I and knew how to get what she wanted. He advised to never remove her from the bed. Clean her, change her sheet and clean any mess with her in the bed and then leave the room. It only took 2 nights of following his advice that she realized, bedtime meant bedtime and I was in charge. I was so grateful for his wonderful advice. This particular child continued to try to push my buttons all the way until she left for college which was a blessing. She now has a 17 year old who has returned all the favors to her of pushing buttons. V.
