Help!! Toddler waking in the night since arrival of dd2!!

[Freya]

Can anyone help? I'm at my wits end, my almost 3 yr old is waking every night at 3.30am since around the time dd2 was born at the end of July. Prior to that she has sleptvthrough since she was 8 months old.

Initially I thought it was a development thing with her being aware she has bad and good dreams etc. Then I thought perhaps it was an anxiety related thing because of the arrival of dd2, & she needed reassurance I'm still there for her (daddy isn't called out for, it's mummy). So I've been going in, stoking hair, telling her I love her, tucking her in and putting on a musical light show fir her to drift off to. It usually works. I tried asking her to look after a new cuddly toy because "she needs to show him how to sleep". Tonight I've had to go in three times since 3.30am and my dd2 is due to wake at 4.30 for next feed! Plus I think in coming down with a bug she's just had and feel generally just rotten tonight.

I now don't want to analyse it, I need it to stop because I'm already bf a baby through the entire night and I'm exhausted with having the extra wake up calls in between or at the same time as night feeds

What can I do?

 

[TennisGal]

Hi, we had this for a couple of weeks with Lizzie...she was v unsettled at night. What happened is DH went in, and we did the Super Nanny approach. First time, cuddles and 'bed time now, gorgeous girl'...second time...'bed time'....third time, just laid her down, stroked her hair and left the room. Took a few goes, but she was soon sleeping well again. Also took us a while to try this approach, DH was camped on her floor for a few days, until we realised it just wasn't feasible! My HV actually suggested one of the reasons we were getting shouted in was that Lizzie was looking for consistency in how we treated her, so loving but firm was exactly the right tone. She is sleeping through again now...don't worry, it does come back. Totally sympathise, though, it does take you to a new level of tiredness previously unknown to mankind!!

 

[Lightworker]

How about if DH goes instead of you? Some children, after they've been ill, and with new changes take a while to settle.

When LO was born, my DH just used to get into bed with DD1, to give her that extra reassurance. Slowly she needed him less, and now he will do it if she wakes in the night unsettled, wait for her to drift off, then come back into our bed. x

 

[sparkle_1979]

yes I have a 4 week old and my 2 yr old has started waking zzzzzzzzzzzzz she previously never woke. I just go in and tell her to go back to sleep and give her a kiss, I dont make too much fuss and quickly kiss her cover her up and leave, she will cry for a few mins before going back to sleep x

 

[moomin_troll]

zanes got up afew times during the night and when he does i ask where he wants to sleep and he sometimes ends up in bed with me.

i also co sleep with corey too so i had lots of baby cuddles those nights lol

id also send in ur oh, and he can say no mummy is sleeping and then when lo realises shes not gettin u she might stop waking

 

[RachA]

Prior to dd being born we decided that my hubby would go into ds as i'd be feeding dd throughout the night when she was born. After dd was born ds started waking 3 or 4 times through the night. hubby always went and and settled him back down - it was always very low key and few words were used. It took about 14 months after dd was born before he stopped waking up at all. I think your daughter probably just wants reassurance.

As Tennisgal suggested - try the super nanny approach - pretty much what we did and i think it works