How can I help my poor 2 1/2 year old sleep better?

Question

has many things that are affecting his sleep,but want to help him get better rest.Has a new baby brother(3mos old-he sleeps great, toddler usually wakes him up),they have seperate bedrooms.Top molars have broken through, might be getting bottom ones (give him Tylenol).Might be having nightmares.No longer naps, but he does have alone time. I put him to bed between 6 and 7 after bath, books, a sippy cup of milk (which I'd like to stop if you have any suggestions on that too), prayers, then hugs and kisses.Room is darkened (right now with blankets, I have to get the room darkening shades).Wakes up a few times through the night then gets up for good between 5 and 6 am.Has a gate on his room, so most of the time he plays nice for an hour of so.Have tried putting him to bed later, but still wakes up too early and becomes overtired.His diet is pretty well rounded plus he gets a multivitamin.Not yet potty trained (just not ready).Watches some tv during the day. just looking for any suggestion

Answer 1

He seems to be getting 11 hours of sleep per night which is right for his age. What happens when he gets up during the night? Do you go to him, does he want something, does he go back to sleep on his own? If you must go to him, make your interaction with him very perfunctory, attend to his needs with little or no talking, no lights on, only water to drink during the night. It is quite common for kids at around 2 years of age to develop some fears as they become more aware of the world around them. Room darkening shades can be good for some kids, but others need the comfort of some form of nightlight, either one in their room or a hallway light left on and his door only partially closed. Nightmares can occur at this age and require some cuddling and reassurance and perhaps even another drink of milk. His internal clock seems to be pretty set, so you have to reset it if you want him to get out of bed later. Try very small increments of later bed time - only 5 minutes later every few days. Unless he is showing obvious signs of distress from his teeth or says it hurts, avoid the Tylenol unless really needed. A sippy cup of milk at night is OK and seems to be a normal part of his nightime routine. Just don't let him keep the cup and drink from it all night. He should have the milk and brush his teeth afterwards. He sounds like a pretty well-rounded toddler and you are being a good parent. If he isn't crabby during the day, the amount of sleep he is getting is probably adequate for his needs. Parents often have to readjust their own sleep clocks with an early rising child in the house. I didn't see the evening news for years when my kids were small.

Answer 2

I would put him to bed between 8-9, and then give him a nap during the day, you shouldnt put him to bed with a sippy of milk, it causes tooth decay, but giving him milk at bedtime doesn't hurt. I agree on the motrin advice someone else gave you...I used to use tylenol, but found the motrin more effective. You may want to try it at bedtoom, maybe his gums are bothering him through the night, maybe he needs a nighttime snack as well..he could be hungry through out the night...going from 6 pm till 5 am is a long time with no food in a little belly.

Answer 3

Give him childrens motrin for the tooth aches, tylenol isnt an anti-inflamitory and wont help with the worst of the pain of teething.

He really should take a nap half way through the day.

It could be that he's just not as tired as you think he is. He might be getting not enough iron, or too much (too much of any mineral can be incredibly more harmful than too little, thats why multivitamins should always be checked by a doctor), or he might just be one who gets overwhelemed when he's tired and cant rest because of it.

If its the later, you're going to have to find a way to get him to nap during the day. Run him harder in the morning so he's sleepier in the afternoon. Put him down for a nap with a full belly, not to bed with a full belly.

Also, make sure he's well hydrated, not enough fluids can cause exhaustion in anyone, especially small children.

If worse comes to worse talk with his doctor about it.

Answer 4

I'm not really seeing what the problem is. Do you dislike the fact that he wakes up so early? That's tough to change -- my son (nearly 2 1/2) seems to wake up about the same time every day no matter what time he goes to bed.

The sippy cup of milk is fine as long as you are brushing his teeth afterwards. Why do you want to stop it?

On the night wakings -- is he getting out of bed? Or do you just hear him cry or scream? That could be night terrors, very common at this age and nothing to be concerned about (other than the fact that it wakes you up). The child is screaming/crying but still sound asleep. I've had a lot of experience with this with my son.

Good luck...sleep is a tough issue to deal with.

Answer 5

I couldnt imagine my son going to sleep that early ever. He is five now and his bedtime is just now 9 pm cause of kindergarten. I have always let him stay up till he wants to go to bed and get up when he wants (which may or may not be the best idea but it has always worked).

I dont see where your problem is tho. Is it cause he wakes up a few times during the night? I just dont see the problem here so maybe you could be more clear as to what is happening.

P.S. That fan idea up there is a good one. I am 27 and still cant sleep without a fan. Not a ceiling fan either, has to be one that makes some noise. Helps my son as well. This may help a lot as little noises in the night could be waking him.

Answer 6

I have a non-sleeper too! She goes to bed @ 9 (if i'm lucky) and gets up at 6am. I have painted her room, and put nice stickers on the walls, made her some nice curtains, and also added a night light. We go through evening rituals, Bath, pajamas, brush teeth, read 2 stories, lights out. usually she will ask for juice, which I will allow her this excuse only once, and then she wants kisses from Daddy. I allow her to go to Daddy, but she has to come right back. I lay with my daughter for a few minutes. I know that it is not the best advice, but it's either 5 minutes in her bed or all night in mine. I have also found that if she is cold, or too hot she will wake up in the middle of the night.

Answer 7

Ok, he gets up between five and six. He goes to bed around twelve hours later. My first question is, is he over weight? Have you ever watched him sleep for an extended period of time? Make sure he does not have a disorder, like apnea, where he stops breathing for several seconds at a time. If he does this, get professional help. Otherwise, just try letting him stay up longer. Maybe he's one of those people who doesn't need a lot of sleep, and can benefit from being more tired at bedtime. Maybe a short walk together and talking, instead of the bedtime story. Ever heard of a Labyrinth? Try putting one on his ceiling, it will put him right to sleep!

Answer 8

Try a Night Light!! One that has soothing colors that would help sooth him. Also try a radio in his room playing soft music that would sooth him to sleep. Not turned up to loud but just enough to break the silence. My girls needed that too and it worked for them! Between 6 and 7 Pm is a perfect bed time for a child his age. They need a certain amount of sleep for their age group!! Give lots of hugs and Kisses and he should finally sleep all night with out a problem!

As for the sippy cup stop putting it in with him! If he is teething it is not good to put them to bed with a sippy. Milk maybe giving him and upset tummy too at night! Try to make him sleep with out it and if he wants a drink use water only. I hope this helps!! If he still continues doing this talk with his doctor and see what he says!! Good Luck!!

Answer 9

Give the child a bedtime snack then a warm bath with time to play in the tub. Then when you take the child out dry and rub talcum powder on him. Do this while massaging his back, legs and feet with him laying down. This will relax him even though it takes a little time. He will enjoy it also. Then put him in bed with whatever he likes to sleep with and read him a story, not one that would excite him. As he is dozing off keep reading only quieter and slower until you are barely audible and he is asleep. Also try to have this all complete by eight. This worked for my four children and grandchildren. I hope you have success with it.

Answer 10

I know you said you tried putting him to bed later but how many nights did you try that? It takes at least three days to make and break a sleeping habit. Try it for a week to see what happens. If it doesn't work, then face it, you've got an active kid. My son has always had a cool sleeping pattern, no naps unfortunately, buy it works for me. My nephew on the other hand has always been an early to bed, way to early to rise kinda kid. It's something that's just in them I swear. Their own personal alarm clock.