Toddler Sleepless nights support thread

[Genevevex]

Hi I'm so grateful for websites like this can anyone help me my daughter is 3 in April she's quite a well behaved girl I'd say especially around other people her downfall is saying no after a packet of crisp/chocolate she wants more anyway for the past few nights when she's been tired she's had major tantrums she's just woke up about 45 minutes ago crying so I went in she looked at me started kicking me so I stood up tried ignoring her she started throwing herself about tupped her bed tupped her radiator then got out of bed n started throwing herself about all why doing a piercing scream my partner came in by this time she's getting more stressed we try picking her up cuddling her asking whats wrong she just carets on screaming her eyes went really big n she sounded like she was goin to throw up anyway all of a sudden she stopped n I managed get her back into bed n she went back to sleep its so strange and she never says whats wrong does anyone else's kids do this or does anyone have any advice please it upsets me seein her like that xx

Sounds a lot like a night terror. They are normal, but hard to deal with.

 

[Genevevex]

So glad to see that I am not alone in this.

My little boy has almost always been pretty good about sleeping through the night. When he hit about 3 months, he still got up once a night for a bottle, but by 6/7 months, he was sleeping through. Now he is 22 months, and within the last couple weeks he has started sleeping terribly! We put him to bed around 8pm, but he's been taking an hour, hour and a half before he actually falls asleep! And he's been waking up between two and three times a night lately as well. Then in the morning he is over tired because he didn't get enough sleep in the night... ug! It is just so frustrating.

The only thing I can think of is that we still give him a full sippy cup of milk before bed every night. I think we are going to slowly stop doing that over the next couple weeks... get it to where our bedtime routine consists of bath, storybook, bed (Instead of bath, storybook, milk, bed). Maybe that will help? Because he won't have to have milk everytime he wakes himself up? Grasping at straws here...

 

[BUGaBOO]

Hey guys
Last time I wrote on this forum was last year

My daughter Isla is now 18 months and is still not sleeping well - as in, is up several times a night every single night

This has gotten 10 times harder to deal with since I've started a new job and my husband has started working overnight shifts

It's just so hard and I nearly collapsed from exhaustion at work on Friday after 3 consecutive nights of maybe 2-3 hours sleep per night.
Isla has SPD and tends to wake up screaming really high pitched (she is also high needs and was colicky/had reflux and ties as a baby)

The worst thing is every baby around me sounds to be a good sleeper

 

[AnneD]

Hi BUGaBOO, I remember you! Sorry to hear things are still so tough, you must be beyond exhausted by now. (Sorry to ask stupid questions, what's SPD?) Poor Isla, it sounds like she's got a tough deal.

I sometimes feel that every other baby is a good sleeper. We had 15 wake-ups last night, two of them lasted absolute ages. I've no idea why.

 

[BUGaBOO]

I am beyond exhausted

SPD is sensory processing disorder, she is over sensitive to stimulation and tends to meltdown when she can't process something and she has problems 'transitioning' so screams and fights when we have to dress her, change her nappy, put her in and take her out of the car seat, when she is falling asleep and when she wakes up

So yeah, our days are pretty stressful, she has a very piercing, loud and shrill scream too so my nerves are pretty worn

I don't understand, when my mum takes her overnight she always sleeps really well. We've analyzed both settings and the aren't much different so not sure what we can do

 

[AnneD]

It must be so hard for both you (and your husband) and for Isla, my heart goes out to you!

I can't imagine why she'd sleep better for your mum, that must be so frustrating.

is there anything they can do for spd at all - any sort of therapy? (Sorry, I'm sure you've tried everything, I just know nothing about it.)

 

[staralfur]

I just noticed this thread!

My LO has been, for the past couple of months, waking up in the middle of the night about twice a week. And not just waking up, but waking up staying up for HOURS. Usually 3-4hr. It's so friggin' exhausting and I have no idea what the issue is. I thought maybe she might need to drop her nap, but she's still totally exhausted by 12/1pm and happy to nap for an hour or two. She goes to bed around the same time every night and not much deviates in her schedule. I just don't know what's going on.

I'm reeeeally hoping it's just a phase and there will be a time in the near future when I can go to bed confident that I won't be woken up to attend a middle of the night party.

I guess I was silly to think that her sleep problems would vanish once she was 2.

 

[rix D]

shame i know the feeling.... my 6 year old is up almost every night, I have a 2 year old and 9 months pregnant. so up sometimes all nights sorting kids out.... hang in there I have hope that it shall pass

 

[KatieB]

Sleep is just as crap here. Louis wakes me up every night at least twice, normally four times. Totally pissed off today and sick of feeling tired. Not far off 3.5 and still waking like a small baby. Broken sleep all the time.

 

[Cariad_x]

STUPID BLOODY HOT WEATHER.

Ollie has been awake since 11:30pm. It is now 2:50 am. He's sobbing because he's too hot to sleep but is knackered so I've had to move him downstairs to his pram as it'much cooler here. I'm on the sofa next to him as I don't want to leave him downstairs alone.

His sleep has been a bit up and down any way - he wakes a few times a night and seems incapable to self settling. We can't sleep train as he suffers with asthma and we were told it wasn't appropriate. I'm happy to wait it our but god I'm knackered

 

[KatieB]

Not only night wakings to deal with but now Louis has decided he's going to have a complete meltdown before going to bed the last few evenings. We had an hour of complete hysterics and 30 minutes of me cuddling him and reading stories in bed to get him calm enough to sleep. I feel so sad seeing him that upset, it's heartbreaking.

 

[lightweight]

hi all. My 20 month old doesn't seem to need as much sleep as I'd like him to! I have to make sure he doesn't have more than 2 hours nap, and definitely no sleep after 3pm otherwise he doesn't go to bed until about 10pm.

He often will go down between 7.45/8pm, but regularly wakes up at 2am ish or just after. He won't let me leave - and I've got into the habit of sleeping in the spare bed in his room, sometimes with him and sometimes without him.

I'm still breastfeeding, and he feeds before bed time and then wants milk in the middle of the night - tbh it's become an easy option as I know he generally will setlle down again, but I'm exhausted. I've had a chest infection whis isn't shifting and I just know if I could get a few nights decent sleep it would make all the difference.

The thing is, I know he can self settle as he sometimes does. I know he can sleep through as he sometimes does, and we've alwyas had a good bedtime routine, but I'm suffering now and need to try and improve it!

 

[mk8]

Hi Ladies

Ok if I join please? I have a 16 month old gorgeous boy who has started hating his cot. Arguably it is because he has outgrown it and bashes it in the middle of the night. But also because he knows he's alone and hates the bars. The past couple of weeks he has been sleeping in my bed with hubby (bad move I know) but I an defiant in buying him a new bed this weekend. We are going for a single rather than a toddler bed. Whilst I dont want to lie next to him, I am sure there will be times when I will need to and I just dont fancy cramming myself into a toddler bed with him!

Hope you are all having a good and restful night!

 

[trudie100]

So my LO is going to be 3 in march and been always been a great sleeper

He normally sleeps for 1-1.5 hours during the day, goes down at 730pm with no fuss and sleeps through until 630-7am

However this last week he's been a complete nightmare and it's all changed

He's taking ages to go off to sleep (getting in and out of bed constantly. Coming into us in the from room etc..) and even worse he's waking up in the night any time between midnight and 2-3 am.... He's coming into our room trying I think to get into our bed (which he never does) and he's coming up with all kinda excuses like 'my fingers hurting' 'my heads hurting' 'I've seen a monster' .... Just generally trying his luck

So for the last week I've been up with him 4,5,6 times a night re settling him all night and I'm knackered

Just wondering if anyone else's LOs have done something like this at his age after being a good sleeper?

Duno if it's worth mentioning he's not been having his normal day time sleep the last week either and he's been potty trained for a week now - even though he's wearing nappy pants at night - not sure if either of these things could effect his sleep?

Helppppp please ladies x

 

[twobecome3]

hi all. My 20 month old doesn't seem to need as much sleep as I'd like him to! I have to make sure he doesn't have more than 2 hours nap, and definitely no sleep after 3pm otherwise he doesn't go to bed until about 10pm.

He often will go down between 7.45/8pm, but regularly wakes up at 2am ish or just after. He won't let me leave - and I've got into the habit of sleeping in the spare bed in his room, sometimes with him and sometimes without him.

I'm still breastfeeding, and he feeds before bed time and then wants milk in the middle of the night - tbh it's become an easy option as I know he generally will setlle down again, but I'm exhausted. I've had a chest infection whis isn't shifting and I just know if I could get a few nights decent sleep it would make all the difference.

The thing is, I know he can self settle as he sometimes does. I know he can sleep through as he sometimes does, and we've alwyas had a good bedtime routine, but I'm suffering now and need to try and improve it!

my lo is 21 months, sounds similar to yours! had to wake her up from a nap today, 2 hours is max

im still bf as well and we bedshare, lately shes been on the boob feels like all night (teething again, maybe?? who knows) anyways I finally get free in the night and get to stretch out a bit and then shes popped up and feeling around for me .....

it sucks the no sleep and being sick on top of it, we just got over a cold that lasted ages and ages

 

[Sw33tp3a]

my LO still wakes at night around 3am to nurse then falls back to sleep either co sleeping style or i can get her into her toddler bed. she usually sleeps from 7pm - 3am 330am-7am

 

[Damita]

My 3 year old has slept through until her brother came along but the last three months have been awful if she naps awake till midnight if she doesn't nap awake 1-5am.. And now she's waking at 9:30 and didn't go back to sleep till 5! Aruuugh

 

[Scottish mum]

So my LO is going to be 3 in march and been always been a great sleeper

He normally sleeps for 1-1.5 hours during the day, goes down at 730pm with no fuss and sleeps through until 630-7am

However this last week he's been a complete nightmare and it's all changed

He's taking ages to go off to sleep (getting in and out of bed constantly. Coming into us in the from room etc..) and even worse he's waking up in the night any time between midnight and 2-3 am.... He's coming into our room trying I think to get into our bed (which he never does) and he's coming up with all kinda excuses like 'my fingers hurting' 'my heads hurting' 'I've seen a monster' .... Just generally trying his luck

So for the last week I've been up with him 4,5,6 times a night re settling him all night and I'm knackered

Just wondering if anyone else's LOs have done something like this at his age after being a good sleeper?

Duno if it's worth mentioning he's not been having his normal day time sleep the last week either and he's been potty trained for a week now - even though he's wearing nappy pants at night - not sure if either of these things could effect his sleep?

Helppppp please ladies x

I could have wrote this!!! I need help to. My lo is 3 next week and was the same bed at 7 no fuss straight to sleep even after a nap during the day. However this last week has been a nightmare!!!!

He initially tried stalling techniques like I want the potty or another story but now it's went to him having full blown tantrums and tears. We have a gate outside his room and he wi stand there howling! It's awful and we are trying to let him cry it out but he's awake for hours. Last night he didn't sleep until 10.30. We are completely shocked as always been very lucky!

Help what can we do! 😩😱😭 x

 

[Scottish mum]

Anybody? Sorry I'm despirate 😫 I wonder if it's seperation anxiety x

 

[twobecome3]

welp mine has never been a 'good' sleeper, every night I have the resettle her a few times at least. these were always a quick up and snuggle back in to sleep, lately they've been a bit more involved. she will wake up at 2 am and decide the wrong stuffed animals are in the bed and throw a fit about it, or will ask for a drink or a slice of bread or something random. we bedshare I'm not sure what I would do in your situation Scottish Mum, I'm sure its just a phase and my first thought would be to move his bed into your room for now or go lay with him maybe?? I could see not wanting to back track though so I don't know !