OT: Toddler Sleep Issues

[cwnhokie]

I hope you guys don't mind me posting this here, but you are so helpful with everything. And it's not entirely off topic because he didn't sleep at Disney either.

My DS 2.5 is driving me crazy and I am getting to the end of my rope. I have read tons of articles on sleep but none seem to really help or fit the problem. He has never been a good sleeper. The odd thing is he goes down for naps and at night fine, he just won't stay there. He wakes up asking for something to drink ( he drinks constantly all day and all night, I give him half juice half water in a sippy cup and he usually wakes up wanting more), or just screaming, or just wanting to be up. When he was younger I attempted to make him cry it out, but he would cry for 2 hours or more and wake up my other son. When we got back from Disney I put the boys in the same room thinking some company would help. It did for about 5 nights and I thought I found the cure, but then he started getting up again and progressively staying up longer. I never know when I go to sleep if I'll stay asleep. He's up more nights a week then he sleeps straight through. He naps really well, usually 1-3 hours. I've tried keeping him up or waking him up early from naps, but that usually just makes him worse at night. It seems like there was always some stage we have been going through that interrupted his sleep, ear infections, vacations, moving to the toddler bed, giving up the pacifier, etc. I really don't know what to do, but something surely has to give. I know this is off topic, but if anyone has any advice or another website or message board to go to, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[FSUGrad97]

What time does he take his nap? The reason that I am asking is that if my DD takes a long nap too late in the day, she will be up and down all night. Another thought, what about putting a sippy next to his bed where he can reach it?

My DD is 19 months and her sleep schedule is a little off, so I can definately understand where you're coming from. Hang in there!

 

[WendyinNC]

Have you tried letting him sleep with you. Some say this is good and some say this is bad. But, I say do what works. I have three and they are all different. They are 5, 6 and 9 so they sleep well now. But sometimes DS5 wants to sleep with me and sometimes DD 6 wants to put her sleeping bag in my room. Maybe if Mommy is near he'll sleep better.

 

[pinkdiamonds1007]

SAME EXACT issues with our dd when most of her life..until just recently. We finnally got to the point where we said..NO MORE NAPS at all..b/c she just wasn't tired if she got a nap at all that day...so we are now really strict about getting her up at 7 am every am...and play all day no naps, if I need quiet time, or she needs to just relax, i will put in a movie, and she can relax with that..then I put her to bed * in our room, she slept with us most of her life...so that was another issue too, but now we moved her bed into our room, its on an opposite wall, so that she can see us, but is not right on top of us, this is fine with me...AS LONG AS SHE SLEEPS! lol*, anyway..so we brush our teeth, read the books, sing the tickle song, and now she goes right to sleep no problem at 8 pm. And sleeps through the night. I can even get up and go hang out with my husband for a few hours before I crash and can count on her to sleep through the night..something i could have never done before.
If she is obstinant now..which is a rare occasion b/c she is so tired...i figure something is really wrong..and I will hold her and sing her an extra song. But then lay her right back in her own bed, and sit next to her in a chair until she falls asleep. I think routine as far as sleep goes is the most important, so we have found. Once their internal clocks are set, nature does the rest.

I really hope that helps, I know how terriable it can be to not sleep! Good Luck..

 

[ZanneMarie]

There is a book called 'Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems' I cannot remember the author but it is relatively well known. Some people hate it some love it. I found it informational in general (sleep patterns etc.) and I used *some* of the techniques that are suggested. I did what I felt comfy with and even a little beyond occasionally and had good results for our issues. We did not deal with the same problems as you are but I did find it helpful. I have suggested it to several others over the years, and like I said earlier, some have found it very helpful and others have hated the ideas. HTH a little.

 

[newtowdw1]

Not trying to be alarmist, but I would have him thoroughly checked by a pediatrician. Our family doc always asks about sleep issues. That and the constant thirst are raising red flags for me.

Insomnia runs in my family. Both kids have it. Try to teach him that he needs to be quiet at night. Give him a night light and let him have access to his books. Sometimes you just can't sleep. But that doesn't mean that the rest of the family is miserable. DD would come to our room, climb in bed for about 20 mins, then I'd send her back. She still does sometimes. DS simply lies in bed, crooning to himself.

He's at the age to learn to be considerate. Cuddle him for a few minutes the first time each night (if you want) then take him back to bed. Teach him to visualize a pleasant scene in his head (we use our favorite picnic spot, introduce flowers, butterflies, but nothing exciting or really fun, like a puppy!).
If he comes to you again, take him back, but don't cuddle or talk. It may take a week, but if you're really consistent it will get better. In the future, you'll suffer spells, but won't be so persistent. I personally want my children to be as independent as possible, so value them learning to sleep in their own beds.

We also got DD a CD player when she was really little and many lullaby CDs. These helped enormously. We also got her a special friend for bedtime. Many times I think she is lonely. Her Peter Rabbit helps.

I would not necessarily cut out naps. Both of mine get MORE hyper the more tired they are. Well rested is always better. My DD will STILL take naps sometimes. At least teach him to go to his room and spend an hour or so quietly. Everyone here needs private, quiet time. Teach him to spend quiet time in bed. If he's an insomniac it's better to learn to cope young. But do talk to a doctor.

 

[trudster]

I found this website invaluable when DD was younger for sleep probs etc.
http://www.askdrsears.com/
I think somebody else posted about the naps - I would try reducing or cutting those out for a few days, see if it helps.