How do i keep my child from waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning wanting oatmeal and wanting oatmeal before bed?

Question

When i put my 2 yr child in the bed she has to have her baby (teddy bear) and a dish towel and a wipe, but before we do this she has to have a bowl of oatmeal, then i put her in the bed and she wants me to read to her for like an hr, she will fall asleep during reading time. But in the middle of the night around 2 or 3 she will wake up and want more oatmeal and for me to read to her again, what can i do about this oatmeal habit???? please help Also i was just wondering if any of you think im abnormal for thinking that reading to her and sitting in there with her until she goes to sleep will eventually be a habit that will be hard to break?

Answer 1

Tell her there is no oat meal and try not making oat meal for her for a while until she gets out of that habit. and i know that oat meal is healthy for children but unfortionatly she will have to quit it until she will get out of that addiction. Well i hope this works GL :)

Answer 2

How long has she had this oatmeal habit? My daughter went through the same thing, wanting oatmeal all the time. It lasted for a few months and then she got sick of oatmeal. Now, she wants hotdogs, eggs and corn!?!? (together at the meal) Kids!

I think at night you should let her cry it out a few times til she gets the point that she isnt going to get up and eat in the mid-of-the night.

I would recommend not staying with her until she has fallen asleep, she will definately expect you to do this all the time. Try to leave her when she is tired, but not fully asleep yet.

Answer 3

My daughter was a preemie, and so little for so long that even when she was big enough (10 lbs) to sleep through the night, I'd still get up and give her a bottle. Finally, her pediatrician told me that she could make it, and I was doing her a disservice by not letting her learn how to put herself back to sleep.

Yes, it was hard for two or three nights. But, after that, she slept all night. I had learned my lesson! A few years later, I made sure that my son slept through the night, too.

Now, all of my friends and family that refused to put their babies down before falling asleep, or gave them a bottle in the middle of the night, or- worse- let their toddlers in their beds- all of those people are miserable. Their kids never sleep through the night, they are always cranky the next day, it's a big mess.

So, I would take your daughter to the doctor to make sure that she is okay to make it through the night without a bowl of oatmeal. Then, I would stop staying in the room with her until she falls asleep. Bath. Story. Bed. End of story. Yes, she will be unhappy for a few nights, but everybody will be happier after that.  

Answer 4

The oatmeal before bed isn't that big of a deal, but the way to quit the 2am oatmeal is to just quit it.  You will probably have a fight on your hand for a couple of days so time it around the weekend so you aren't sleepwalking at work.  Two years old is old enough to NOT be waking up in the middle of the night demanding food.

You might start a modified reading routine where you only do a chapter at a time or try putting her down when she starts nodding off and letting her fall asleep on her own.

Is she taking too many naps during the day?  I wonder if that is why she has such trouble sleeping through the night.

Answer 5

I think the oatmeal routine is ok. Its good that kids have a bedtime routine, like oatmeal, story and bed. Reading to her at night is one of the best things you can do for her! Thats awesome. Maybe just tell her you will only read for 15 minutes or one book or one chapter a night. She needs to learn to soothe herself and put herself to sleep. As for the oatmeal at 2am, just stop doing it. When she wakes up, ignore her or tell her no oatmeal and that she needs to go back to sleep.

Just remember, its going to get worse before it gets better. She'll test you and push you to make sure you are serious.

Good Luck!