My 2 Year Old Is Not Sleeping

My son was done with naps by 2 years old. So that could very well be the case.
Change of any kind can raise havoc in any house so that could be playing a part but I bet he is just giving up naps. Might want to keep him up a little later at night also.

Best of Luck

See what I wrote for the other M. about the 5-10-15 min system. Your little guy used to be a good sleeper, now he's two and the world is full of interesting things and he can crawl out of bed. Wow! Try not to stimulate his senses, act matter of fact, put him back to bed over and over without saying a word, don't turn on lights. Shield him as much as possible from the activity of your taking care of your 6 week old, don't make a lot of noise with her, sing lullabyes during the day.You want him to realize that night time is different, it is boring, he might as well sleep.Dad can help:stress that he'll ultimately be undisturbed sooner if he helps you with putting the 2 year old to bed over and over or giving the bottle to the infant.
What I've done with the 2 yr old nap problem is to sit in the room with the child, once again, without interacting. Some kids will settle down this way, for others it keeps them awake. For them I sit outside the door and every time they get up I matter of factly put them back to bed. I say, "close your eyes and sleep" sometimes if they will just close their eyes for a minute they'll relax and sleep, hard to believe it but they won't think of it on their own, you have to tell them to close their eyes.

oh I remember this time well. I know many parents go through this. I dont think its good to let him sleep more then a 3 hour nap. have a bed time routine and stick with it- this time shall pass and then new difficulties shall arise. lol. Good luck!

Having a new baby in the house does create some problems with the older ones for a bit. So that is probably his problem, but don't be surprised if he's going to fight nap time. Both of mine stopped taking naps about that time. They go to bed around 7:30 to 8pm and then they are up about the same time in the am. He might not need naps anymore....you have to decide if he needs them from his behavior, crankiness as it gets late and so on.

If he gets up in the middle of the night, put him back to bed and make him stay there. Tell him that getting up when it is dark outside is not acceptable. That when it is dark people sleep and mommy is tired...he has to stay in his bed period. I had to do that with both of mine at one point or another. My youngest was the worst. I had to tell her that if MR Sunshine is not up then mommy isn't either...and she needs to stay in bed or mommy is going to be very angry with her. It has worked for me.

Hi D.,
I noticed that when ever my son would have trouble sleeping or his eating would change he was usually going through a growth spurt. My son stopped taking naps when he was around 2 years old, sorry. I sure do miss nap time. The power struggles you are having with him, is him trying to be more independent and have something he can control. Remember to choose your battles and be patient.

S. T.

does he wake up when your 6 week old wakes up?? he could just be jealous that he has to share you with a new baby in the house. Does your 6 week old take a 2-4 hour nap during the day?? If so you can try to talk to your 2 year old and tell him you want him to set an example with your new little one and maybe he'll start napping. But he's probably just jealous right now. Hopefully he'll get used to everything soon for your own sanilty. Good luck!

Sound's like the little guy has been asked to grow up an awful lot in a few weeks. Lots of times older kids revert to previous behaviors, to be like the "baby" so they can get more attention. If the crib is still available, maybe have him sleep in it a little longer and use a crib tent (particularly crib tent II version) which will keep him confined to the crib and make for fewer transitions in what is typically a stressful time for a kid with a new baby in the house.

without a doubt it is the stresses of all of the changes. new baby (congratulations!) & a new bed (& maybe not quite ready). Now he is overtired with no naps, & waking at night. Sleep begets sleep....as much as you would think it is the other way around. It happens to adults too, but we are developmentally aware & KNOW we need to sleep. make sense?
Both of those changes are such a transition.

Do you have a bassinett for the new baby to sleep in(or a pack & play)? If you do, I would suggest keeping the baby in the bassinett for a few months(I did 5 months)since the baby doesn't *really* need a crib yet, & let your 2 year old have his bed back for a little while until he gets adjusted to the new baby & not having as much of your attention as he did. oh, & invest in crib tent!! It does wonders. I put one on my 18 mo old dd crib & at 2y 8m she sleeps great still.

hang in there

I learned with my 2 year old a little too late (she is 6 now)that the more they sleep, the better they sleep. Don't give up naps yet or just quiet time. My 2 year old was really messed up with sleep because I thought she wasn't tired. In fact she was overtired. Routine is key and it does not change overnight!

hi D.
i can understand your struggle!! Have you tried music (classical or old love songs) sometimes that helps. I know it can be hard with a 6 week old but it sounds to me you son wants attention. Rubbing his back at night can help, so he knows that you are there. Also making a regular bedtime too. When it starts to get regular you can tell him when it gets to close to bed time " few more minutes and you need to put on your bed clothes" so on and so forth. he will get use to the routine and routine can help to. I am child care teacher and I have seen alot of night time escapades. my son just recently had trouble with monsters and we turned it into a game were we would be power rangers and fight them off before bed. My son is three. I know it can be hard but you can do it. Gods Blessings
T. ____@____.com

Hi D.,

I think this initially started as a reaction to changes all at once. Our little guys can be such momma's boys :)

His power struggles are probably jsut his age... how can they be so cute, and be such monsters in the same 5 minute span?

I feel for you mom... you have to be sooooo tired :-(

If it were my guy, i would keep the crib and bed in his room and let him choose for now. put a gate up at his door if he's a danger to himself by escaping into the rest of the house while you're sleeping. my guy still clearly needs a nap, even if it's just an hour or two... I don't think 2 is the age where they drop a nap... i thought it was like 3-4 typically. but i can't remember what my two older ones did.

i bet if he starts taking that nap again, he'll start sleeping better at night. I think Dr. Sears' website has good info on sleeping. here's the home page: http://www.askdrsears.com/

For me, it was really important that my son didn't associate changes with the arrival of his baby sister (now 2 months old). So far so good...

It's tough being mom's only big boy, and then suddenly becoming a big brother and having to share mom.

Good luck, I hope the website helps.

I believe two year olds need a nap, even if they don't think they do. My little girl will only sleep in the dark, but her room wasn't dark during naptime. So I put her in a pack and play in our upstairs batthroom. Another friend naps her girl in the closet. I guess if it's the only dark place, you do what you have to do.

The toddler bed and new baby are most likely factors too. I'd encourage you to work as hard as possible to keep the naps. They are nearly nesessary for sanity with two those ages! If he won't nap, even a quiet time, where he's in a pack and play with books would help, but if at all possible keep the nap.

If he's getting overtired it could lead to the night waking.

My 27 month old used to be a great sleeper until we moved him out of his crib. Now he wakes up a few times a night but its getting better. Im sure all the change has thrown off your child but consistancy is the best thing. Keep a routine and dont give in. Your child will eventually get back on track. At least thats what i tell myself!!!! And my son stopped napping at the age of 14 months, so consider yourself lucky.

Yikes, we have a two year old and our baby is coming in 4 weeks! I hope this isn't a sign of things to come :)

Our nephew is also two and when he started climbing out of his crib, his parents got him a big boy bed. Much to their dismay, he woke up constantly and his mom was a zombie during the day. (This is clearly not what you need since you're already up overnight with your daughter!). So as a "punishment" (which as an approach, I don't agree with) they brought back his crib. He slept beautifully in it and continues to do so. I think he was just overwhelmed by his newfound freedom to roam around.

Do you need your crib already for the baby, or can your son give it a second try? Have you used a crib tent? Maybe making things more "normal" would help him to feel more settled at night.

And like other moms have said, less sleep at night is going to make him less likely to nap during the day so if you can get the overnight sleep under control, I would expect his napping to return. I also believe a two year old still needs naps, no matter what.

Good luck to you!!!

D., a two year old still needs a nap (in my humble mom opinion)BTW I am the mom of a two year old. Get him back to his nap during the day and he will sleep at night. Day sleep begets good night sleep and "sleep begets sleep". Someone else posted this, but read Weissbluth - he addresses changes in the family like this and you can probably employ some of hissuggestions.

Hang in there.

your 2 year old probably still needs a nap.
He's probably waking because he's over tired
sleep breads sleep.
I would bet if you put him back on a nap schedule , he'd sleep thru night again

Also. You could consider bringing crib back with crib tent. These are awesome. I used with all 4 of mine.

Good luck. Mr recomended reading. ' healthy sleep habits . Happy child' by marc weisbluss ,md