https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 07 May 2026 05:27:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2796081 Wed, 10 Jan 2018 13:28:15 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2796081@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry I kept seeing this thread and meaning to respond but sick baby and toddler kept things chaotic this week. </p> <p>We basically have just had to CIO (sometimes for hours, and sometimes for hours in the MOTN). </p> <p>I have a crappy sleeping 2.5 year old and she’s had spent the last 8 months making sleep hell! She started with early waking, then hours long MOTN wakings, then refusing to go down, then refusing naps. It’ll get a little better and then a lot worse. </p> <p>My only advice is just not to be too hard on yourself. We have tried adjusting her nap, activity, food, routine, getting a nightlight, door monkey, okay to wake clock, Motrin for teething, etc.. Basically the only thing we haven’t tried at this point is a professional (though I’ve talked casually with a couple sleep consultants), and melatonin. </p> <p>She has had her two year molars in, plus had a language explosion, and after her teeth came in things settled a little. But now she’s got all four in and naps are the worst they’ve ever been, and she’s still fights bedtime. </p> <p>So I have no practical advice except to not be too hard on yourself. My husband has been taking this really hard and we’ve had a lot of long talks about it. For us there’s no magic thing that will enable her to be a decent sleeper. We’ve literally tried everything and for me the best thing I’ve done is to try my hardest to remind myself that I’m not a failure just because I can’t get my kid to sleep. At its worst I was basically a zombie from being woken up 5-20x per night and I had my husband sleeping downstairs on the couch so he wasn’t falling asleep driving to work (I SAH). </p> <p>Two things I learned about my own kid though: even though she hates snuggling she needs a lot of physical touch (and she will not ask for it, but it does help calm her) and she needs to eat big meals before bed. Sometimes I’ll even give her a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter in the bath just to give her a fat/protein boost before bed. </p> <p>Good luck! Kid sleep is so hard. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795782 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 12:45:43 +0000 Jennibenni 2795782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@josina: we actually ordered a star projector and a cool new nightlight that came today so we’ll see if that helps. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795772 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 12:33:19 +0000 josina 2795772@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have any advice since we also have ended up with a co-sleeping toddler but following along!</p> <p>DS does go to sleep in his toddler bed at least, we have to go in a couple times and lately he takes for-ever to go to sleep but I'll take it. He does have a projector in his room - would that help? (we have this one: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Projector-Machine-Calm-Knight-Soother/dp/B01M19POYO/ref=sr_1_10_a_it?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1515519099&#038;sr=8-10&#038;keywords=noise+projector+kids)" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Projector-Machine-Calm-Knight-Soother/dp/B01M19POYO/ref=sr_1_10_a_it?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1515519099&#038;sr=8-10&#038;keywords=noise+projector+kids)</a></p> <p>He wakes up around midnight and crawls in our bed. I tried making him go back to his own room, which took 3 nights of laying next to him till he would fall asleep (some nights HOURS) before DH gave up and said to just let him sleep in our bed... so here we are a year later. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795737 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 10:11:01 +0000 Jennibenni 2795737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mama Bird: He is definitely awake so I’m certain it’s not night terrors. </p> <p>@Pumuckl: He is potty trained but we do a pull up at night. He doesn’t have a problem telling us if he needs to go to the bathroom though.</p> <p>@pinkarmadillo: I will check out the book, thank you! I’m not opposed to CIO but to attempt it with a toddler I think I do need some direction so that’s sounds like it could help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795735 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 09:53:35 +0000 pinkarmadillo 2795735@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was in your shoes. It was awful and I dreaded the night. My DD was sleeping on her floor bed and we would have to stay in there forever to get her down. Then the night wakes kept coming and coming. I read "Moms on Call" the toddler edition and did their nighttime suggestions. Basically CIO but you fully explain what's going on in a precise and repetitive way -- it saved my sanity and she goes to bed all on her own without tears and doesn't wake until the morning. Would you consider that? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795722 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 08:57:07 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2795722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jennibenni: can you just full on sleep train/ cio? It will be either harder/easier at his age because he’s so old. It sounds like in your case it would be harder, but I’d be so desperate for him to sleep in his own bed solo that I’d endure the hopefully short sleep training it would take to get there. Especially with a baby. I have a 5 month old right now and I couldn’t handle it if my toddler didn’t sleep in her own room. </p> <p>Other suggestions: </p> <p>Can you offer him treats or bribes for falling asleep solo and staying in his bed?</p> <p>Introduce a lovey to replace you? Go pick out something together and that will be his special nighttime friend.<br /> Introduce a nightlight?</p> <p>Plus continue discussing it with him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795719 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 08:43:10 +0000 MACSUNSHINE 2795719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don’t have a ton of advice other than been there and will probably be back there. My son is a little younger than yours and for various reason has a floor bed that allowed me to co sleep with over various sleep problems. Knock on wood, we moved into a new house and he has settled right in. We picked out big boy sheets and made it very much his space so he could get excited and it seems to have worked. He was up twice last night screaming and my husband ended up sleeping with him from 4:30 on this morning, but overall he is more comfortable.</p> <p>We use a nightlight and he has his stuffed animal, last night a few toys went to bed with him and a sweatshirt of mine. It may just take time to work through what makes your son most comfortable. My son does wake up crying occasionally and calling for me but has been putting himself back to sleep.</p> <p>This has been a long road for us, I thought for sure moving would make things worse but somehow he has gotten no worse. My philosophy is whatever gets everyone the best quality sleep, I still read and hold my son until he is asleep. A no-no by all accounts but for him he wakes just enough when I put him in bed for a kiss. There is unfortunately no magic answer, good luck! You are doing great and he will get trough this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795711 Tue, 09 Jan 2018 08:01:32 +0000 Pumuckl 2795711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is he potty trained? My LO1 &amp; LO2 had a phase around 2.5-2.75 were they weren't able to communicate properly that they needed to use the bathroom. So they would just cry until we put them on the toilet...<br /> Otherwise I would just do what you're doing and do lots and lots of talking even during the day. You could also start to move further away from him when he goes to sleep once things are a little more stable (sleep lady shuffle) so that you can just put him to bed and leave at some point in the future.<br /> The only thing I have found to work with sleep issues is to be very, very consistent. When we had phases where our LOs wanted to come to our bed and we didn't want them to anymore, I have found that the only way to make them stay in their rooms is to really not take them our room even if we are soooooo tired. I sure hope it will be better for you soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795698 Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:36:57 +0000 Mama Bird 2795698@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is he definitely awake when he's screaming in the middle of the night? The zero to sixty screaming kind of sounds like night terrors. DD had them for a week straight, and for the first three days I was sure she's doing it on purpose :sad: </p> <p>If that's the case, he's not screaming because he's not in your bed... he's just having a kind of nightmare, and needs to wake up properly and be put back to bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795696 Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:17:31 +0000 Jennibenni 2795696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bump. My husband was up there with him for two hours and then he woke up hysterical after one hour of sleep. 😑 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795440 Sun, 07 Jan 2018 08:55:32 +0000 Jennibenni 2795440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FaithFertility: Thanks for the encouragement! We’re just slogging through right now and hoping for the best. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795405 Sat, 06 Jan 2018 20:26:56 +0000 FaithFertility 2795405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have no adivce other than I am so sorry and I would just continue to do what you are doing, hopefully one day he will feel comfortable! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-sleep-failhelp#post-2795403 Sat, 06 Jan 2018 20:17:27 +0000 Jennibenni 2795403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok, very long story short, over the past six months DS1, 2.5, has gone from going to sleep on his own in a crib to sleeping in our bed off and on, but more so than not. I feel like we have sort of just let it happen to try and get through a lot of big changes (move to new house/new room, DS2, who’s now 2 months). I never intended to cosleep with him and I want him in his own bed. Now that we are coming out of the newborn fog I’m ready to tackle this but I’m not sure how to go about indoing this huge habit we’ve created.</p> <p>He has a full mattress on the floor in his room (started climbing out of crib) and right now if one of us stays in the room with him, he will eventually fall asleep with a fair amount of crying and asking to go to our room. The main problem is, he wakes up a couple hours later screaming absolute bloody murder. Like, he doesn’t wake up and cry, he wakes up and immediately starts these bloodcurdling screams. Then after that it’s eirher one of us has to lie down with him or bring him to our bed. We’ve had a lot of conversations about his room, his bed, how he sleeps in there and if he needs us he can just call for mommy or daddy, etc. But he seems genuinely upset to be in his own bed at bedtime and the shrieking at midnight is absolutely awful. Also he takes a while to fall asleep but if we try to leave before he’s asleep it’s a meltdown so it’s a time suck. </p> <p>What are we doing wrong or right? Help! </p>