Sleeping problem with my toddler.. advice?

I have a 19month old son who goes to sleep in his crib at 8pm. Only problem is he won't fall asleep unless i'm in the room with him, then once he falls asleep I go to bed shortly after because he's up again at 12am. What could be waking him up? I'm almost 8 months pregnant and too tired to keep getting up and sitting in his room till he falls asleep, I've been letting him sleep in our bed once he gets up at 12 or 2 because he sleeps the rest of the night there. How do I get him to sleep all night? This is going to be annoying once our little girl arrives and she's in our room in the bassinett and we still have our toddler coming into bed? I need him to stay in his crib... how do I do this without him crying?Sleeping problem with my toddler.. advice?
Hi.





I think the reason he is waking at the same time each night must be out of habit - he has learnt to wake at that time as he knows he will then be able to go in to your bed with you, how lovely for him! Children will naturally wake in the night from their sleep cycles and usually go back to sleep but will continue a pattern of waking if their waking has been reinforced in some way (mum/dad rushing in, offering a bottle, taking him to your bed etc.).





When he wakes up at that time, instead of taking him to your bed, you have to teach him to resettle on his own. I'd start with the beginning of bedtime - he is used to you being there with him to fall asleep which is fine, and I'm not sure how you do this now, but if you stay quietly beside his bed seated on a chair without making any contact this would help him learn to settle by himself. As he gets better at it you can gradually move the chair away from him until you can leave him on his own completely. Another way is to try some controlled crying - after you have left his room and he cries, go back to comfort him with a cuddle/pat/shhhh and then leave again. Keep repeating this process as long as it takes for him to settle and gradually increase the amount of time you leave him (start off with no more than a couple of minutes and work from there on making it longer). This method works if you stick to it and usually takes a few days. Do this with him in the night also when he wakes and hopefully the night waking will eventually cease. Don't let him back in your bed either as you will end up right back at square one.





It will definitely be tiring and I sympathise with you as I had sleep problems with my son (now aged 2) whilst pregnant and after my now 14 month old came along and I was totally exhausted. Something I found really helpful was ';The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems'; by Tracey Hogg - really useful practical information and easy to read.





Best of luck.





Mum of 1 and 2 year old boys and former early childhood educator.Sleeping problem with my toddler.. advice?
Can he get out of his crib by himself? If so then it's time for a toddler bed. As for the sleeping let him cry it out. It's the only way. I did this when my son was 12 months since I was having my 2nd in 3 month. He cried for about 2 weeks for like an hour before falling asleep. He would wake up in the middle of the night, cry and go back to sleep. Now he goes to bed at 8pm and sleeps all night until 8am.
Yeah, he's going to cry. He'll keep doing this until he realizes you're not going to come and get him. It's not going to hurt him if you teach him to sleep through the night. He's old enough to figure out you just want him to sleep. Try to use the Ferber method. It's the best one for you and baby. And if you're not ready to do it before the next baby comes, you surely will be once it's here. Good luck.
If he doesn't fall asleep by himself, then he can't put himself back down without you either. Make a happy, loving routine that ends with you leaving him alone in his crib and stick to it. It takes 3-4 consistant nights to change a sleep habit, so get ready.





Also, try a nightime diaper, like Huggies overnights. They helped my little man wake up less. Good luck!
You can't, he's going to cry and it won't be pleasant, but when he wakes up at night, don't take him out of his crib and put him in your bed. Go in and make sure that he is dry, warm, not hungry and then have him lay back down. Rub his back, sing softly to him, talk with him, but DON'T pick him up and don't put him in your bed. You are not allowing him to learn to comfort himself. I was having problems with my daughter doing this and was told to do this and it really worked. It was miserable for a few nights because she did not want to stay in her own bed and would cry and get angry. But after a few nights, she got the idea. I would hear her wake up and she would lay in her crib and talk and sing to herself and her stuffed critters and pretty soon she was fast asleep. It won't hurt him to cry some, kids cry, its just a fact of life. Suck it up mom and be strong.
Give him something to keep him warm, like oatmeal it is very filling, and I use it as a snack brfore bed, like 4 spoon fulls... my daughter loves it~
wow, thats bad on u, anyways just give him time he is just a kid and it happedn like this all the time.
I feel for you try and make his room comfortabl and inviting,try telling him before he goes to sleep that he should stay in his own bed tonight
read him a bedtime story maybe 2 books and then turn on cartoons for him and explain to him that it's really time for him to go to sleep and that you need him to stay in his crib