Help my 2 1/2 year old STILL doesn't sleep through!?

Question

we have tried everything! and when i say everything i mean everything bar sleeping pills!

she's up now at 10:30pm and if I'm lucky she'll be a sleep in an hour or so, but then she'll sleep walk and come find me and the task of getting her back to sleep will start again!

i'm amazed when mothers put their babies to sleep in their beds and say nite nite and then they have their peaceful little evening with their hubby.

my daughter wakes about 7am and napping is non existent during the day.

my whole day is consumed and i never get a moments rest apart from when im at work.

what could be wrong with her? is there a specialist i could see about the situation?

she's well developed in other areas, she's been toilet trained for nearly a year now, her speech is brilliant for her age and she's very happy.

is anyone else suffering with the same problem?

ps she wakes every 3-4 hours screaming and crying.

Answer 1

i was one of those kids that never slept! my mum was at the end of her sanity, doctors couldnt see anything wrong. in the end there was a no budge policy on a routine, i was made to go in my room for a nap, and a night time i had a story and a night lite, if i got out of bed i was put straight back in... no chat just put back in, took a few weeks but eventually it worked.

i have a child the same age who didnt fall too far from the tree, we did the same to her, broke my heart with her gettingupset, but it bloody well works!!

Answer 2

hi there

i know just what you are going though my daughter was just the same she is 3 and half but i have been able to get her in bed for 7pm every night i went to my health visitor because she was always waking in the night crying and screaming she put it down to night terrors it took a while to get her in too a routine but i now give her a bath with lavender oil (which i got from health shop) then do story time till shes ready for me to leave the room it is hard work but worth while when they sleep though!!

good look

i hope this as helped

Answer 3

i have a 3 year old and she comes into my bed in the middle of the night and sleps with me til morning... sometimes kids are like that, enjoy it because when they do get older the'll start looking thier room doors,

Answer 4

Alot of the time if a child is used to parents getting them out of bed when they wake up crying they will keep doing it instead of trying to go back to sleep. Put a baby gate in her doorway and when she cries put her right back into her bed and let her know everything is ok and that you love her and walk out. If you spend alot of time getting her back to sleep she may just be doing this to get out of being in bed. Also, ask her what is wrong when she wakes up crying. My daughter used to wake up crying and saying she was scared and we figured out that she thought she had monsters in her closet. Now daddy scares them away before she goes to bed and she's fine.

Good luck

Answer 5

I read about night terrors and what to do for that.  Its something like you need to kind of wake them up (not enough to wake them fully) and let them roll over and then they will be able to sleep throughout the night.  I'd do a little research on that.  Good Luck.

Answer 6

just keep putting her back into bed anytime she gets up she will stop it eventually ps ive had 5 kids the oldest didnt sleep the whole night for over 2 years so i can understand how you are feeling believe me it will get better x

Answer 7

My son started sleeping through the night at 12 weeks so I was pulling my hair out when my 18 month old daughter was still waking up at 1:00am EVERY night. We just had to go in, rock her for 10 minutes and she would go back to sleep but still it was driving me nuts.

Finally one night, she went to bed wearing my son's old bathrobe and she slept through the night. That was it, she was getting cold. She would kick off her blanket and didn't have the ability to pull it back up and over her. So it could be something as simple as that.

We do follow a bedtime routine. Baths. Pjs. A little tv and then books and nite nite. That helps too.

Good luck.

Answer 8

My daughter wasn't quite as bad but she didn't sleep through the night till about 2 1/2 years old.  And she would wake up crying and wouldn't want to go back to sleep.  We used  to lay in her bed with her until she fell asleep, or rock her.  I know it's hard but she will probably just grow out of it.  Some kids just don't sleep as much...as frustrating as it is!

Answer 9

My nephew (who is two in a few weeks) can go to bed at around 8pm and he can still be sitting talking away to himself at 10pm (and that is even after a "calm down time" (tea, some tv, bath, book,bottle) and then he still wakes between every 2-6hrs (varies) crying for a bottle, (there is the odd occasion he sleeps right through though) and sometimes he will wake at 7am and others he has slept until 10am! He still has an afternoon nap (between 12-3pm) depending on what time he was up although sometimes he doesn't have one at all.

I guess they just grow out of it, my mum says when i was around 2 i just stopped wanting an afternoon nap and sleeping through the night mostly, whilst my brother was having naps till around 3 1/2

So i don't think a specialist is needed, unless you think it is extremely necessary

I don't know if this helped hope so (:

Answer 10

Can't help, but my thoughts are with you.

Answer 11

What do you do when she wakes up?

Do you talk to her, sing or rock her?

If so, stop!

When she wakes, take her a drink of water, pat her back or stroke her hair gently and then leave the room.

You don't have to "get her back to sleep" you have to put her back to bed, and allow her peace and quiet so she can fall asleep.

If you put her back to bed right away, each and every time (not taking her into your bed or anything) then it should soon cure itself.

Good Luck!

Answer 12

My son did not sleep through the night until he was 4. I never left him cry and let him come into my bed every night.He is a happy child and although it's h**l when you are in the middle of it , it does end. try to relax and when it happens, it happens. Eventually she will sleep. Some kids do not need much sleep. My son only slept 3 or 4 hours at a time and only clocked up 6 or 7 in every 24. He is extremely intelligent and they say that very intelligent people don't sleep much, so try to look on the bright side!

Answer 13

Make shure she is comfortable in bed it is summer so she might be hot make shure she isen't hungery or thirsty make shure she takes her nap early in the day so she doesn't get all rested and ready and ready to go here is my advice when she gets up put her in bed right away don't let her get up out of bed eventualy she will learn no is no i think there are specialists just ask your docter and they will tell you and send you to a referal

Answer 14

First off, you said that she sleep walks. With the screaming and crying, that sounds like night terrors or nightmares.   You may want to try a nightlight and something with white noise such as a humidifier. That may ease whatever fears she has.   You also may want to see your doctor to rule out any medical problems.