Hey ladies! I need your help!!!!

I am at my wits end with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. We have had the same bedtime routine forever and we do it regardless of where we are. She has always gone to bed fairly well. Her bedtime has been between 7:15 and 7:30pm for quite some time now and she takes one nap in the afternoon from 12:30ish to whenever she gets up- sometimes it is one hour and other times it is 2 or 3 hours long.

For the past couple weeks now she has been trying to wake up between 4:30 and 5:30 am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has always been an early riser, but more like between 6-7am. We have been trying to put her back to bed (she is still in her crib) and she goes for it sometimes and other times she screams and fights until you let her get up. Then when it comes time for her nap she is so overtired that she has a hard time falling asleep and doesn't sleep for very long at all. Yesterday it was only 35 mins! And I let her cry in her crib for an hour after she slept for the 35 mins hoping she would fall back asleep, but to no avail. 

So, today now she spent the morning screaming, crying, fussing or whining alllllllll morning long. I don't know what to do to get her to sleep more. I wonder if she is just having a growth spurt and it is throwing everything off. 

We decided to try putting her to bed at 8 o clock in stead to see if that might help and I am not going back into her room for any of her requests such as, "I need more kisses Mommy" "Kiss my babies" " I need to blow my nose"

Any suggestions would be wonderful. She is such a great little girl, but she has been challenging me to no end this past month. 2 was such a great age for her and now 2 1/2 has been challenging to say the LEAST!

Thanks so much!

~Christina

My kids have all gone through pockets of sleep troubles.  A lot of times it marks them mastering a new skill.  I have found that sticking to what they're used to rather than trying to adjust brings them back to their regular habits more quickly.  I would definitely NOT push the bedtime later.

Do you have blackout shades in her room?  My little guy has been rising with the sun (the shade broke so we're currently without any window coverings) and it's definitely high on my to-do list to get that situation remedied.  I noticed that he sleeps later (more like his usual self) on rainy days.  It's even worse because he shares a room with his older brother and his yelling wakes up the older siblings, not just us.  Such a bummer.  

If your daughter is a little on the precocious side, like mine was, a sticker chart might help her even out.  You can figure out which is the most disruptive activity (like the wailing at 5 am) and award stickers the mornings when she waits patiently for you to come get her.  It might take a few days to see some results, but it worked for me when my daughter was that age.

Best of luck to you!!

Thanks so much Cindy!!

Yes, we do have blackout shades in her room and always have thank goodness!!

A sticker chart is a really good idea. I just don't know how to get her to understand that she has to not SCREAM immediately when she wakes up in the morning to get the sticker and also that it has to be after 6am, cuz there is no reason for her to be up before that.

Who knows.....trial and error right? We will get it worked out.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

~Christina

Many things can throw a child off their schedule for a short period so chances are she will work through it and get back on schedule but try "Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr Marc Weissbluff. It is loaded with solutions to sleep problems. It also explains how to get children to soothe themselves back to sleep. It is my sleep bible. My 2 boys (3 &6) are on the sleep schedule from the book - from 7pm - 7am. I find the later I put them down the earlier the awaken and they dont sleep as sound. My little guy is in a big boy bed now and started waking at 6am since the sun is shining over the top of his black out curtains. Since he doesnt know how to tell time yet, I put a night light in his room with a timer set for 7am. He knows if the light is not on to go back to sleep. After 4 days of getting up early he now naturally sleeps until 7am when  the light wakes him up. I am now going to change it to 7:15 so I can get a little more sleep, then maybe 7:30!

Hello there Christina!

Sleeping troubles are soo hard! I have read many a book on the topic! It is suggested that 21/2 year olds still get 12-13 hours of sleep per day including nap.  She may just be overly exhausted, which could be why she is more cranky than usual.  I have read that you do the bed time routine, get her down, (I dont know if this is what you do but a tip I found useful was to do her routine in her room so that you are not taking her from a "fun" enviornment and sticking her in her room. For example if you read books and sing a favorite bedtime song all snuggled on the couch and then you take her to bed, do the reading and singing in her room cuddle on the floor or something so that her clam down fun time is in her room.) Once you have laid her down, if she starts crying/screaming give her 5 min and then walk in tell her she's ok and that you love her and that its bedtime and that you guys can have a fun day tomorrow...ect and then leave. Dont pick her up or cuddle just talk soothingly.  Then wait 7 min and do it again, then 10min, then 15min, and then 20 and so on until she is asleep.  Then at her nap time only let her sleep for a designated amount of time, like one hour (only until she is sleeping better at night, back to her normal routine).  I got that from a book written by a child sleep expert. I dont know maybe it will work!

My 2 and a half year old is also have a tough time going to bed at night but I think its because we just moved across the country and his 9 mon old little brother is on a diff schedule (im working on getting them on a closer schedule) and the baby stays up later than him.  Poor guys thinks babys getting special treatment.  What I do with him is when he gets out of bed I ask him if he wants me to close the door (he doesnt like the door being closed) and he says no and I tell him that I dont want to close the door either but if he keeps getting out of bed I'll have to close the door.  Then I re-tuck him in, hes in a toddler bed, and tell him I love him and how special he is... kiss him and tell him goodbye and I have him say bye momma to me also.  This works for him.

I also read in a parenting magazine that if your toddle keeps getting up at rediculously early times have age appropriate snacks, game, activies and or toys and so when she wakes up at 4:30 you get her out of her crib show her her "special morning only" toys get her situated in a safe enviornment, and tell her that she get some special alone time.  Also include a timer or some other way for her to understand when its ok for her to come and get you, like when the sun comes up come and get mommy or when the timer goes off, or something.  THen you go lay back down with the baby monitor turned on and get some more shut eye.  If that is not something that she would do maybe get a tv in your room and let her cuddle in bed with mommy and watch, her favorite disney movie and when that is over she can wake up mommy.  I dont know its so hard and so frusterating! 

I really hope some of this helps you!! The magazine I got that from was Parenting the early years, so maybe you can find the article online and I think the author/child sleep expert is Dr. Farber (sp?) 

Another idea is you may want to ask your pediatrician for some advice. 

Good luck and keep me posted! I went to school of 6 years for child and adolecent development, you think I would have more for you! I do think that the sticker chart is a good idea also! Never underestimate the power of positive reinforcement! 

Take care! Good luck!

Chelsey

Hello there Christina!

Sleeping troubles are soo hard! I have read many a book on the topic! It is suggested that 21/2 year olds still get 12-13 hours of sleep per day including nap.  She may just be overly exhausted, which could be why she is more cranky than usual.  I have read that you do the bed time routine, get her down, (I dont know if this is what you do but a tip I found useful was to do her routine in her room so that you are not taking her from a "fun" enviornment and sticking her in her room. For example if you read books and sing a favorite bedtime song all snuggled on the couch and then you take her to bed, do the reading and singing in her room cuddle on the floor or something so that her clam down fun time is in her room.) Once you have laid her down, if she starts crying/screaming give her 5 min and then walk in tell her she's ok and that you love her and that its bedtime and that you guys can have a fun day tomorrow...ect and then leave. Dont pick her up or cuddle just talk soothingly.  Then wait 7 min and do it again, then 10min, then 15min, and then 20 and so on until she is asleep.  Then at her nap time only let her sleep for a designated amount of time, like one hour (only until she is sleeping better at night, back to her normal routine).  I got that from a book written by a child sleep expert. I dont know maybe it will work!

My 2 and a half year old is also have a tough time going to bed at night but I think its because we just moved across the country and his 9 mon old little brother is on a diff schedule (im working on getting them on a closer schedule) and the baby stays up later than him.  Poor guys thinks babys getting special treatment.  What I do with him is when he gets out of bed I ask him if he wants me to close the door (he doesnt like the door being closed) and he says no and I tell him that I dont want to close the door either but if he keeps getting out of bed I'll have to close the door.  Then I re-tuck him in, hes in a toddler bed, and tell him I love him and how special he is... kiss him and tell him goodbye and I have him say bye momma to me also.  This works for him.

I also read in a parenting magazine that if your toddle keeps getting up at rediculously early times have age appropriate snacks, game, activies and or toys and so when she wakes up at 4:30 you get her out of her crib show her her "special morning only" toys get her situated in a safe enviornment, and tell her that she get some special alone time.  Also include a timer or some other way for her to understand when its ok for her to come and get you, like when the sun comes up come and get mommy or when the timer goes off, or something.  THen you go lay back down with the baby monitor turned on and get some more shut eye.  If that is not something that she would do maybe get a tv in your room and let her cuddle in bed with mommy and watch, her favorite disney movie and when that is over she can wake up mommy.  I dont know its so hard and so frusterating! 

I really hope some of this helps you!! The magazine I got that from was Parenting the early years, so maybe you can find the article online and I think the author/child sleep expert is Dr. Farber (sp?) 

Another idea is you may want to ask your pediatrician for some advice. 

Good luck and keep me posted! I went to school of 6 years for child and adolecent development, you think I would have more for you! I do think that the sticker chart is a good idea also! Never underestimate the power of positive reinforcement! 

Take care! Good luck!

Chelsey