my two year old son is not sleeping very well at night lately he just wants to stay up and play or watch t.v. these past night i've actually have had to force him to lay down and go to bed please keep in mind i do have him on a schedule and routine every day. after he finally goes to sleep he wakes up about 3 or 4 in the morning "whining" i have to calm him down and try to salvage the rest of the night i would just like some advice on mothers or fathers who have also experianced this.
2007-09-18 07:49:11 · 9 answers · asked by sep101986 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Make sure that if he goes to bed around 8 pm that his afternoon nap is no more than 2 hrs long and is done with by 3 pm. He may need his afternoon nap phased out slowly or cut down. Don't calm him at 3 or 4, let him whine in his bed by himself. I know a lot of moms will give me slack for this, but he's waking out of habit and he knows you'll come in. Schedule tv time for him--for instance, he only gets 30 min of tv each day before bed and that's it...and it's a dvd. Or, when he first wakes up. Something so it's consistent and he knows his schedule with tv time and play time. Before bed he gets a bath, 2 books, and is tucked in. End of discussion. Make sure the lights are turned down low or off where possible so the whole house is dark about a half an hour before you go to put him to bed. He's starting to realize that stuff happens while he sleeps. Don't give in.
2007-09-18 08:04:12 · answer #1 · answered by Sit'nTeach'nNanny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't upset yourself over this. It's normal 2-yr-old behavior. I have the same problem with my daughter. Just do your best to follow a routine every night, and have a set time for your son to be in bed. Some nights you may need to lay with him until he falls asleep, but don't do it unless you absolutely have to, because it can tend to be a hard habit to break. If he has a security blanket, or teddy bear, or whatever, make sure he has it in bed with him. Instead of tv, try turning on a radio for him. Does he still take naps during the day? If so, I would suggest trying to skip the nap for a day or two and see if it helps. If he does need to nap, make it only one a day, and early in the afternoon. If possible, take him outside to play every day. The fresh air really helps. My little midnight monster will easily crash out before eleven if she's spent the afternoon playing outside. If he's still in a toddler bed, you may want to consider getting a "big kid" bed. You can even let him help pick out the comforter/sheets. It will help him want to go to bed. Just know that this is only a phase. It will get better. They don't call it the "terrible twos" for no reason. Try not to let it upset you. If you need to, take a night off. There have been a couple times where I knew I just couldn't take it. Those nights, I just put her to bed, turned on the tv, turned out the light, and let her be. She played quietly in her room, and when she was ready, she fell asleep. The more they know they're getting to you, the further they'll push. Good luck!!
2016-05-17 21:53:38 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he is still in a crib it is best to put him to bed and them walk away, don't go in there after that, also when he wakes up ignore him, only listening to him in th other room through a baby monitor. He shouldnt have the tv on at all and has been shown to cause kids to have trouble getting to sleep. If the t.v is in his room, take it out. If he is in a toddler bed and keeps getting out, you need to keep putting him back in there. The first 2 times tell him its bed time and put him straight back to bed. not other conversations to him. Then every time after that say nothing an dont look directly at him and put him back in bed. He will try for quite some time to get his way so don't give up. Then do the same thing in the early morning wakings also. After he realizes he's not getting what he wants he will stop fighting sleep and will sleep til morning.
2007-09-18 08:10:26 · answer #3 · answered by Baby Julie due 5/12 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter has this problem. I make sure her closet door is closed and 1 night light. If she wakes up in the morning that early, i just turn on her tv with her favorite dvd. Not the best answer but hey i get to sleep until the other wakes up.
2007-09-18 07:53:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son did this.
I found that he needed a snack before bedtime, NOT just a drink.
Try and shorten or take out the afternoon nap that need also goes away as they get older. Some children need it and some just simple grow out of it, or put them to bed an hour later after the snack.
Good luck
2007-09-18 07:56:23 · answer #5 · answered by bigthinker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've been having this problem with my 11-month-old. The doctor advised to put him to bed a little later, not let him nap any extra - no matter how tired he is - and to give him benadryl to help him get back on schedule, though she did say not to make a habit of it. "Just those nights where you really need to sleep."
2007-09-18 07:54:50 · answer #6 · answered by xxunloved_little_angelxx 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's all a matter of letting your child know that your the parent, and when you say something you mean it. This is something that will happen all the time as they grow and there is no better time to teach your son that you mean what you say. If you don't your child will do this for the rest of his life.
2007-09-18 08:10:13 · answer #7 · answered by idontknow 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had to let mine cry it out for about a week. They have to learn how to comfort themselves, and then fall back asleep. You may have to skip a nap or two during the day. Maybe he is getting too much sleep.
2007-09-18 07:54:40 · answer #8 · answered by deb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
try putting a radio in his room put it on a jazz or easy listening station it worked for me
2007-09-18 07:58:00 · answer #9 · answered by als been a dad 3 times 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋