K.L.
We are still dealing with this in our almost 3 y/o on and off. Welcome to the club. I'm pregnant, too! The only thing that help me get back to sleep w/in half an hour of being woken up while pregnant is eating some protein. Take it as a cue from the baby. If I don't do that it's hours until I can sleep again. As for the waking, I think the WORST thing you can do is play music or stories at night--no offense to the other mom. You are sending mixed messages about night time and sleep and setting them up to be really fricked up if you start all that. You just need to explain that night is for sleep and that if she wakes up she needs to close her eyes and go back to sleep. It helps our child to know that she can sing songs to herself or tell herself a story or snuggle with teddy until the sleep comes. If your child has a tantrum bc you won't entertain them in the middle of the night then you do not need to feel guilty at this age about saying good night and walking out and letting them cry it out. In fact, this will tire them out and help them fall back to sleep. Longest 5 minutes of your life but well worth it as it will teach them to knock it off and go to sleep. We are still struggling bc she is now waking up screaming, as if from a bad dream. I have found that if I ignore it at first, most of the time she's not totally awake and quiets back down on her own and sleeps, other times comforting is needed. I think this is because they start to become scared of everything at this age and are more prone to nightmares. It's the opposite extreme of the fearlessness they had at 1 and will even out eventually. According to most parents I've talked to at the park, if your child is sleeping in her own bed W/O one of you in it, then you are WAY ahead of the game! Sad but true. I hope this has helped somehow. Take care!
