How do get my 2 year old son off of me??? PLEASE HELP!!!?

Question

My 2 year old son has been sleeping through the night for about a year and has recently started wakin up in the middle of the night and I can never get him to go back to sleop in his bed so he always ends up in ours... in our bed especially in the morning time... he constantly is diggin his toes and feet either up my shirt, down my shorts in my back bone in my ribs... you get the picture... and its not just annoying it kinda hurts.... then during the day he is constantly on top of me... he has to be touching me in some way... most of the time it is on my lap with his head directly in front of mine so I cant do anything but dig his hair out of my mouth... and when I try to move my head around his... he knows and puts it right back in front of mine... I'm a stay at home mom and don't have any family around to watch him... I just need him off of my lap or leg or arms so I can get some house work done without it bein 12 at night... PLEASE HELP!!!

He is still sleepin in his baby bed and we live in apartments and I let him cry a little bit but not alot because we dont want to wake the neighbors up... and my husband has to wake up early for work and I try to let him get his sleep...

I dont sit and hold him all day... when i put him down and he starts crying... he holds on to both of my legs cryin with his head right there... I can't even walk without pushin him down... and he will stay on my legs forever!!

Answer 1

He is having a security issue. You are the mom and can control his actions without leaving him upset. Make sure that he knows that you love him.....tell him....all the time and often. However, you need to be able to breathe. DO NOT bring him into your bed. Let him cry. He is not going to be hurt by crying. Don't leave him unattended.....give him 15 minute cry times...and then, go in...calm him....do not pick him up....lay him down, stroke his hair....give him a favored stuffed animal..and then tell him that big boys sleep in their own beds. It will take awhile. He's going to have to exhaust himself enough to fall asleep and it's going to be hard for you to do. During the day, you need to let him play somewhere that will get his energies out. What he is doing is what I call "climbing Mount Mamma." My son loves to do that. I can't sit down without becoming a jungle gym for my 2 year old. I give him play time and wrestle and tickle....then, I let him go outside to play...and we spend quality time having fun together....then, I take him to his room where his toys and favorite show are...and he gets time there while I catch up on emails or answer questions here, etc. You have to set boundaries for him and make them stick. He will only do what you allow him to do. The great side of this is that he sees you as his best friend and the greatest thing in his world. He loves to be near you, on you, climbing you...you are his world. You just have to teach him that his world also includes other areas where he can play. Good luck....and be firm. hugs...

Answer 2

My son was the same way, . I gave him plenty of attention and affection but he is just a touchy feely type of persona nd never got enough of it. When it got to the point where it was hurting or annoying I just use time outs consistently. Also, I try to busy him with an activity, playing with shaving cream, taking long baths, playing with play doh, coloring with fingerpaints.

I know you live in an apartment, but when your neighbors signed the lease they knew that there are other people that "live" there to and some have children and children cry! That's it, how about if he had a bad dream and was crying for ten minutes about it. This is part of life and children cry, so let him cry it out. If he wants to keep soming to your room take away his blankie or stuffed animal and close the door for a minute and then give it back and say he needs to stay in his bed or else you are taking it away again.

BTW, all dads have to work, some go at 5:00am some go at 7:00am, so he's not the only one. Part of having children is that you will be sleep deprived sometimes, but if you commit to this and be consistent it will only take a few days or a week and that will help you sleep better every night after that.

Answer 3

lol..I'm feelin your pain. Kids at this age need lots of attention (obviously). First, the sleeping problem. Do you have a radio and a night light in his room? Plenty of nigh time crib toys? A glow worm or anything else that lights up at night is a lifesaver. Once you get in the habit of getting him out of bed and into yours its very hard to break. I suggest you break it tonight! Try not going in his room and letting him figure out how to get back to sleep. The crying might get loud but eventually he'll realize that night time isn't play time and he'll sleep again. As far as getting things done during the day, involve him as much as you can. If you're in the kitchen working, give him a couple pans and a couple wooden spoons to bang on. (Loud but fun for baby) Have a few toys in each room so that as you move from room to room, he has something different to do. Stop every so often and give him your full attention! Let him know that you need to get things done but that you are still engaged. I have 4 kids and I've realized that being a stay at home mom means that I have become the queen of distraction. While I need to get things done, I'm distracting the kids with something fun! If it gets really bad, try to find a preteen neighbor to be a "Mommy's helper". She can play with the baby while you get a few things done. This is a great way to have a future babysitter in training. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 4

Your poor thing! Sounds like your 2 year old son is acting out some kind of "needy" behavior. A coworker has a similar issue with her son too. He just grew out of it in time. Although I only have 1 child (who is also 2 years), I helped raise 4 other nephews and nieces before she came along. ALL 5 of them when through a separation anxiety for a period of time. Clingy and crying whenever mommy or daddy was out of sight. It usually happened when they suddenly realize that mom CAN actually disappear and not be there anymore.
I wonder though if this sudden change in his behavior was due to a change in your family or home or schedule? Does he attend daycare or preschool? Are you potty training?
If you haven't consider preschool, you may want to consider enrolling him for a few hours for a couple of days. Will definitely help with social skills and give YOU a break. Some are also co-parent and child preschool which can be a gentle approach.
I don't think being hard on him will help. At 2 year old, he won't understand the logic of you pushing him away but he should understand simple sentences of "mommy loves you but that hurts mommy. Let's try this instead." Then redirect his head or arms somewhere else where you are okay with. At night, try putting extra pillows or blankets between you and him? Negative feedback such as yelling and "no, no, no" doesn't really work too well in the long run. Above all else, remember to be PATIENT.
As for our family, we actually sleep together. My daughter sleeps in the same bed as my husband and I. It's a decision we are comfortable with and actually prefer. Nobody is going to steal her out of her bed with 2 grown adults there too! Once she's old enough for Kindergarten or 1st grade, I will probably insist she be "a big girl." And she's just as spunky and social and fearless as any 2 year old you'd meet.

Answer 5

Well maybe you should see about a mother's day out and it can get him around other children like 2 times a week for a couple of hours so you get a break. Just lay with him in his room till he falls asleep. You may have to let him cry during the day by not picking him up so that way he gets the point otherwise ur never gonna be able to put him down

Answer 6

Maybe he needs help exploring different things. Maybe if he is exposed to a play group during the day he will see that other kids are not doing what he does to their mom's and would rather play with them instead of being attached to you. I know in my city we have whats called a The Little Gym and a lot of kids go there and seem to enjoy it...they get to explore and learn different activities and games. Seems like all the energy he has following you around just needs to be focused else where. As far as the sleeping issue...maybe make him his own little bed in your room for those times that he does get up. He could be having bad dreams orhearing noises and getting scared. Possibly if you could get him out of your bed and at least let him stay in the same room then maybe from there you can slowly wean him out of it completely??? Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 7

My youngest son started doing the very same thing and making it impossible to get a good nights rest let alone function normally the next day. So i waited until he was sound asleep on my bed then carried him back to his. I laid with him for about 10 minutes then slowly began to slide off of his bed and replace my weight with a stuffed animal or pillow. That way when he reached around he still felt accompanied. It took about 2 weeks of this routine but in the end it was worth it...One morning we woke up to realize he slept through out the night with out waking once.

Answer 8

He needs to know boundaries. After you have had him in your lap for a while, sit him next to you and play with him but do not let him get back in your lap, even if he cries alot. About the sleeping thing, have you let him cry it out? I doubt at 2 that he needs to be in your bed in the middle of the night he just likes it. If you don't want to let him cry it out perhaps have a bed on the floor in your room so he can sleep near you but not with you.

Answer 9

Sounds like you aren't able to sit down at all... yikes! As for the sleeping issue. We had the same thing happening with our son around the age of 2, except it was my husband that was getting kicked, nudged and having no sleep... we decided that we had to get up with him (regardless of the time that he wandered into the room) and take him back to his own bed. It was difficult at first, but eventually he realized that a trip to mommy and daddy's room in the night/ very early morning was just going to land him back in his own bed.

Answer 10

They get like that for awhile. Give him jobs and have him help you through the housework, as for other times, try sitting on the floor next to him and playing with blocks, cars etc or coloring at the table with him. My 2-yr-old is going through a cuddly/clingy phase but I'm 9months pregnant and have no lap left, I have had to get creative.
As for the waking, move to his room for awhile to break him of the habit then after awhile, stop sleeping there and just sit with him for awhile. My older son used to come sleep with us for an hour or two in the morning but he wasn't painful and I was happy to get to sleep in longer. Good luck