HELP how to change my 2 year olds sleeping schedule
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Should have started a better bed time from day one. I have three boys 8, 4, and 2, All go to bed at 8pm and wake up around 7:30. No if's and or buts about it. If my 2 year old wakes up in the middle of the night, I tell him in a firm voice to go back to sleep and lay him back down. If he gets up and cries, I give him a few minuets to get himself back to sleep, if after 5 mins or so, then I go check.
I am a big fan of schedules, rules and the almighty NO. I don't put up with that BS from my kids, lol. After a couple of nights of putting him back he will get the picture. You have to be consistent, and firm about it.
Also, makes sure that all needs are being met.... Hungry, Wet, Hot, Cold, Love and Affection!0 -
You are letting him sleep far too late. He doesn't need to sleep until 11am. Even 9am is a bit late. Put him to bed at 8 ... wake him up at 7 or 8.
You are the parent, you need to set the routine.
Unfortunately you may need to just let him cry and cry... he will stop and go back to sleep. It sucks that there is another child in the house but he is learning that he can cry and cry and than you will come to him. If he wakes up let him cry and he will go back to bed. It won't last forever just until he learns that he can't keep crying and you come to him.
Also, ensure you have a proper routine as others have said. Have a set time for dinner, bath, PJs, etc and follow that every night. Get him up at the same time each morning and control how long he will nap for. If he naps for too long he won't sleep at night
Cut out TV, turn off the lights, etc an hour before bed. Lights and TV will cause him to have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep.
Remove toys, TV etc from his room... if he gets up in the middle of the night leave him... if he continues tell him firmly to go back to sleep, put him back in his bed and leave. Don't stay and play with him or lay with him, etc.0 -
sticking to it for 2-4 weeks before it becomes a routine, if you can hang in there that long.... *hugs* it's a tough age.0
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I used to take walks with my kids an hour before bed. He's 2. He can walk - don't carry him or push a stroller. Walk with him, go to the park during the day. Wear him out! He'll go to sleep. If he's just in the house all day, sleeping til 11, its not going to happen.0
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Mine is the opposite. We start bedtimr routine at 8, he's asleep by 9, and up anywhere between 5 and 6 ready to rock and roll. still has a 2 hour nap. gonna haveto start cutting that down i think...0
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My son is 3.5 but can be a pain at bedtimes sometimes and always has been! I have a 20 month old daughter too and usually our routine is dinner around 5, play, bath, In The Night Garden on CBeebies, a story, then bed. They're both usually asleep around 7pm. They both usually wake up for milk in the night, and go straight back to sleep.
I find the trick is to tire them out. 3 days a week they're at nursery 8-5:30 while I work, so that keeps them busy and they're usually exhausted when I collect them. On my days off, and at the weekend, we always go out. We either take my son's scooter and he goes along the seafront, or we go for a walk,or to the park, or go to soft play. He does gymnastics on Tues afternoons. We never, ever stay at home. Even if it's raining we take the scooter out!0 -
Hi,
I feel for you. I went through this with my little boy. Admittedly he was about 18mths but I'll pass on the advice I was given by my Health Visitor that worked a treat for us.
My boy was tuned into our adult routine (both of us worked evening jobs so went to bed 1am or later and got up late - 10am was an early start back then!). Rather than shock him into a totally new routine, over a period of several weeks we adjusted all the usual times in the day by just 15mins. So in your case you'd be recommended to wake him at 10.45am tomorrow, and then a week later move the time to 10.30am... and the same the other end of the day - move his bedtime to 15mins earlier and then the following week, 15mins earlier etc.
We actually moved the times twice a week (so 30mins a week) but it still took a couple of months to get him sorted. However, everything else did then fall into place. He barely noticed (if at all) any shifts in bedtime/waking and we found the slow and steady routine worked a treat.
As for the night waking, that is a habit, and you will have to be firm with him. At 2, he won't be *needing* milk/drinks to get through the night. You could make a point of offering water instead of water instead of milk, but you'll just go through the same agro again when you completely stop the night drinks.
Hang on in there, it does get better, I promise.
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strong sedatives, for either you or the kid, whichever.0
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You can't really let him sleep til 11 and expect him to have a normal schedule. Start getting him up earlier and then work on having a set routine for bedtime.
This! I have a toddler myself... and we always put her to bed at 8 pm (because she has to be up by 6:30-7am the next day)... and unless she is sick she gets a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Don't let him sleep until 11 am.0 -
If you're not totally opposed, you might try taking him to a naturopath and getting a homeopathic remedy.
I used to wake up in the wee hours of the morning because my 2-year-old daughter would come sit on the side of my bed and talk to me. I mentioned this in passing to my naturopath, and she gave my daughter a homeopathic remedy that contained a miniscule amount of some kind of snake venom. My daughter never woke me up like that again. I'm serious; the behavior stopped instantly.
That's about the only benefit I got out of that particular naturopath. But it was enough.0 -
If you're not totally opposed, you might try taking him to a naturopath and getting a homeopathic remedy.
I used to wake up in the wee hours of the morning because my 2-year-old daughter would come sit on the side of my bed and talk to me. I mentioned this in passing to my naturopath, and she gave my daughter a homeopathic remedy that contained a miniscule amount of some kind of snake venom. My daughter never woke me up like that again. I'm serious; the behavior stopped instantly.
That's about the only benefit I got out of that particular naturopath. But it was enough.
She never woke you up again because she died from the snake venom right? (<---- Sarcasm )Seriously dont give a child snake venom to make the sleep!! They need routines.0 -
If you're not totally opposed, you might try taking him to a naturopath and getting a homeopathic remedy.
I used to wake up in the wee hours of the morning because my 2-year-old daughter would come sit on the side of my bed and talk to me. I mentioned this in passing to my naturopath, and she gave my daughter a homeopathic remedy that contained a miniscule amount of some kind of snake venom. My daughter never woke me up like that again. I'm serious; the behavior stopped instantly.
That's about the only benefit I got out of that particular naturopath. But it was enough.
She never woke you up again because she died from the snake venom right? (<---- Sarcasm )Seriously dont give a child snake venom to make the sleep!! They need routines.
^^HAHAHA!!!! I agree with you 110%. Don't EVER give a child snake venom or anything else like cold medicine to sleep.0 -
yes i think the problem is him sleeping till 11 but i only let him because he doesnt sleep till 2-3 am! lol i dont wanna deprive him of sleep....
It doesn't matter. That's how he gets his schedule. Two or three nights in a row of waking up at midnight, not going to bed until 2-3, but still getting up at a decent time.....he'll start sleeping through the night. I never let the kids sleep in if they're up in the middle of the night like that. THAT is what screws their schedule up.
If he's sleeping until 11 and going to bed at 9, that would be like me putting my kids to bed at 6:30 on a weeknight. Do you think they might be up a bit early then? 9 pm for him is like "nap time".0 -
If you're not totally opposed, you might try taking him to a naturopath and getting a homeopathic remedy.
I used to wake up in the wee hours of the morning because my 2-year-old daughter would come sit on the side of my bed and talk to me. I mentioned this in passing to my naturopath, and she gave my daughter a homeopathic remedy that contained a miniscule amount of some kind of snake venom. My daughter never woke me up like that again. I'm serious; the behavior stopped instantly.
That's about the only benefit I got out of that particular naturopath. But it was enough.
Oh God, don't get me started on homeopathy quackery. Should be illegal.
And this is coming from someone that used to manage a store selling the stuff.0 -
yes i think the problem is him sleeping till 11 but i only let him because he doesnt sleep till 2-3 am! lol i dont wanna deprive him of sleep....
It doesn't matter. That's how he gets his schedule. Two or three nights in a row of waking up at midnight, not going to bed until 2-3, but still getting up at a decent time.....he'll start sleeping through the night. I never let the kids sleep in if they're up in the middle of the night like that. THAT is what screws their schedule up.
If he's sleeping until 11 and going to bed at 9, that would be like me putting my kids to bed at 6:30 on a weeknight. Do you think they might be up a bit early then? 9 pm for him is like "nap time".
^^^this, exactly.0 -
I've had issues with my little guy too- my first son slept through the night and has never had sleeping issues (except now that he's 4 and phasing out of naps). My "baby" (who will be 2 next month) also was waking in the middle of the night for milk.....IF he went to bed hungry... SO...the fix for us was this- making sure he ate an awesome dinner- there are days when he really wouldn't eat that great for dinner - and would leave lots of dinner on his plate, so I began instituting either a smoothie, or a Pediasure sometime after dinner. If we did a smoothie - just mixing up some yogurt and some fruit and juice or something in the magic bullet, and did that before brushing teeth and going to bed. My boys go to bed around 9 pm each night, and are usually up between 6-7am. They still take naps, though my 4 year old doesn't if he hasn't been really active getting out all his energy running and stuff, which is fine, since we're phasing those out anyways for him.
The main thing is like others have said, be consistent. I was getting really frustrated with the lack of sleep, and could def see a difference with him wanting the milk and meals- but there are times he just wants a milk. He doesn't wake up anymore, since we've been doing the dinner/smoothie/snack thing. I hope this helps!0 -
I went through the same thing with my daughter. The Dr says it takes 2 weeks to set a new routine. He advised me to have a routine such as bath, brush teeth, story time and then bed at the same time every night. When she wakes up at night I put her back in her bed and then wake her at the same time every morning. She no longer takes any nap. The first week was pretty rough but after that she caught on and is doing great now. Hope this helps0
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lol the only reason i let him sleep till 11 was because he kept me up till almost 3 and i was tired as hell lol.... i still am right now.... ahhh i feel like i may have my son take a nap right now and take one myself... my schedule sucks.... ahhhh lol...
Put your needs to one side for a couple of nights. For a start I think 9pm is WAY too late for a 2 year old to be going to bed. When my son was 2 I'd finish work at 5, go home and cook tea and have him in the bath for 6. The baby bedtime bath foam worked wonders, along with a story he was always asleep for 6.30 to 7.
A couple of mornings of you waking up at 7am won't do you any harm and by waking him up then he'll be tired enough to go to bed at a decent time. Also try not to let him nap through the day, at 2 he's old enough not to need a nap.0 -
I think a child that young does need a nap, but just make sure he's not taking a 5 hour nap in the afternoons. I would suggest no more than one hour, and no later than right after lunch. Try putting him to bed just before 8 p.m., after a soothing and relaxing bedtime ritual (bath, snuggle, story, song, etc.) and get him up early in the a.m., along with your other child. This will teach them both to be early-risers, for when school starts. And be patient with your new routines....remember it will take all of you some time to get used to this. Eventually it will work out wonderfully for you all. Best of luck to you!!0
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well if he was quietly playing i wouldnt be asking u guys lol.. he is very loud and cries and cries till i get him out.... or give him milk.. if i try to ugnore him he cries louder till i come... he can cry up to an hour and after an hour i surrender because how can i sleep with a screaming baby? plus he wakes up his sister so i try 2 get to him as fast as i can but he will cry till i get 2 him.. he just likes to play... idk.... he is a night owl like me lol....my 2 year old son stays up so late!! ill put him to bed at 9pm... and he ALWAYS wakes up at 12am and falls asleep at 2 am!!! and he loves waking up at 11 am the next day.. yesterday i didnt even put him down for a nap and HE STILL WOKE UP AT 12AM!!!
so this morning i woke him up at 9am because my 3 year old daughtergoes to sleep early and wakes up early... so i woke up early as well and got him up.. meaning him n i only got 6 hours of sleep.... ahhh.. im not letting him take a nap today... i hope he sleep through the night!!
is this how to change a 2 year olds sleeping schedule.. by the way whenever i let him take a nap even if he woke up early he still goes to sleep very late..... its so annoying help
If he's happy and just entertaining himself in his room then what's the problem? If he wants you to come play with him at midnight then obviously that can't be happening. Start getting him up earlier and letting him cry it out at midnight. He's old enough now that he can consciously adapt a little bit. It's not like he's a baby anymore and doesn't understand.
Two year olds should not need a bottle of milk at 2am!!! Unfortunately, once these bad habits form they can be very hard to break. I'd recomend starting to give him water instead of milk, and then just going in to comfort him for a bit but give him nothing. Eventually just start letting him cry it out if you have to, he's plenty old enough.
If he's waking his sister, try getting a sound machine for his sister's room to play white noise while she's sleeping. Those can really do a good job masking noises from elsewhere in the house.0
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