2.5yr old having trouble sleeping

fannyannie_2

Hi all, need some suggestions what we can do.

Ds 2 wakes several times in the night, always has done but the past few months he refuses to sleep in his own bed, wants to sleep in with us. He tosses and turns all night so we dont get a wink of sleep. We always put him back to bed but he always come back within an hour, eventually i'm so tired that i just let him get in with us so i can try and get some sleep. Ds1 sleeps above him in bunk beds which to begin with i thought it was ds1 turning over that was waking him up but when ds1 is staying with grandparents he still gets up.

We have no idea why he doesnt like his bed. Its so frustrating, i've tried everything, i've come to the conclusion now that he just wants to sleep close to me and dp. Mil is having him this weekend to let us have a proper nights sleep!

Any suggestions what i can do? I really need a good nights sleep!
xxx

alwaysonthego_2

You need to be firm with him and not allow him in your bed. You may be in for a few days of having to get up and put him back in his own bed, but it is well worth it.

I would put a baby gate on his room so he can not come in to your room and everytime he gets out of bed, put him straight back to bed, avoiding eye contact and tell him it is time for sleep. It worked for us and you will have to be consistant.

fannyannie_2

We are firm with him but he wont have none of it. Hadn't thought of putting a stair gate up, will send dp off to mothercare later to get one

bertiebots

I think first you need to establish that nothing is troubling him....kids can be worried about shadows on the wall ,something they have heard or something they have seen on tv.
Then you need a routine. I always found bath, story book, then bed worked wonders as its a nice way of having quiet close time with no stimulation other than soft hushed voices. A regular bed time is a must and at that age it was 7pm for my 3!
The other things to consider are ..is he tired? has he had time to burn of his energy eg a walk to the nearest park etc.
is he sensative to his diet...artificial colours and addatives can have a dramatic affect on childrens sleep. My eldest 2 were fine but my youngest ds was very sensative to processed foods and fruit squash etc. And he was the one who took the longest to settle at night.
I hope this is helpful in some small way....may have covered some things that hadnt occured to you maybe?

galvanizersbaby

My son was like this from a young age.

He is a light sleeper and the slightest little noise roused him and then he got used to not being able to settle himself again.

It really was a case of perserverance and putting him back in his own bed then sitting quietly with him until he went off again - tedious and got very tiring!
In the end I think I had a reward chart going and he would get a sticker for every time he stayed in his own bed then a 'prize' at the end of the week.

Worked eventually!

Becles

fannyannie wrote: »

We are firm with him but he wont have none of it.

There's your problem!

He wants to sleep in your bed and he's worked out just how far he needs to push you until you stop being firm and give in. Your son is in charge of the situtation at the moment.

You need to take the power back. You need to stop giving in and stay firm, and keep putting him back in his own bed. He won't like and it's not an instant solution, but keep up with it and never give in and he'll get the message after a couple of nights or so.

Good luck!