Toddler Sleep Problems

my oldest did not sleep for 3 years. his best sleep time was 4-9am. He is still a night owl. but things are better now. hang in there.

J.,

My boys use to do that to me all the time.. It is just a faze He will grow out of it... Have you noticed any nightmares? that could be the reason he is not sleeping, toddlers tend to scare really easy they might not show it when they are awake but in thier sleep they tend to blow things up way out of porpotion... Also I see you are trying for anuther baby right?! well if your toddler knows this he might just be reacting to that,, Not being #1 any more... alot of baby's reacte not so good facing a new arivel.. You would be surprised to know just how smart these kids really are when it comes to knowing something is different with mommy and or Daddy. And when something is different they do not know what to do so they act up in all kinds of ways, from not sleeping to hitting and bitting, it all depends on the child.. But Like I said it is just a faze he will grow out of it.. Good luck I hope I helped you out a little bit at least..

J.

J.-relax-he'll sleep when he's yired. Children go thru a lot of sleep changes...try to keep a short nap or rest time but, lay him down an hour later at night. Maybe he'll get back on track. Good luck-H.

Things that I tried... First is your house noisy or busy at nap and bed time or quiet? Try the opposite. Second try lying down with him at nap time on the couch, I found I needed a nap to more often than not. Third, go ahead and check with the Dr. my son STILL at 23 has a problem going to sleep, they think now that he is an adult the problem may be and has been his sinus's.
Cathy

I know it can be a little worrisome. My oldest son did the same thing. He even got to where he'd get up during what was supposed to be his naptime and play quietly for awhile. But then he got to where he would crawl back up on his bed and go to sleep. Just make sure he stays on his schedule - even if it means waking him up in the mornings! And don't let him sleep late in the afternoon just because that's when he finally fell asleep. It'll take some time, but it'll all work itself out.

Hi J.!
I am here to tell you....I know what you are going thru, my daughter is 6 and for the last year or so I have been going thru this. I finaly took her to the Dr. to find out that she has severe Sleep Apnea. We discovered this by doing a harmless, pain free sleep study. You go in to the Hosp. or clinic and it's just like a hotel room, they will attach wires everywhere and video record your son while he sleeps, this also monitors the oxygen levels while sleeping. There are a lot of medications that can help with this and if it comes down to it they may reccommend oxygen at night. It's not that big of a deal, except it's hard on us mom's! The brain forgets to tell the body to breathe, therefore they have short spurts of not breathing, when the brain figures out that the body isn't breathing it prevents them from going back to sleep for fear that it will stop breathing again.
I would reccomend getting him into a Dr. to discuss this sleeping problem with your son. It may not be Apnea, but something more simple, such as night jerks.
I would also reccomend playing relaxing music really low all night in your sons room, this seems to have helped my daughter. Also a bath before bed with the johnsons & johnsons lavender calming bath. Works wonders! I even use it at times!
Good luck! Keep me posted and if I can help with anything let me know!

J.

Hey J.,

You didn't mention your little guy's age...do you think he may need some help adjusting to his new bed? He may feel somewhat insecure, although it doesn't sound like it, since he seems happy, singing and talking. In my experience, though, all children need naps, usually up to and even through age 5, even children who fight them. There is a lot we can do to ensure that they get the rest they need.

As babies get older, their little minds are so active with all the new exciting things they're learning, and it takes longer for them to turn those little minds off and settle down to sleep.

You didn't mention whether you have a bedtime routine, both at naptime and night time; if not, create one for him. Kids really respond to a consistent routine; when they know it's time to get ready for bed, they settle more quickly and easily..they like the predictability, I think it makes them feel more secure and loved, and it certainly helps when their minds know it's time to sleep.

Also, do you spend a good amount of time with him helping him to wind down, letting him talk if he's a talker, reading him stories, and singing songs or playing soft lullabies?

Here's what I've found works like a charm, even with the most high-energy kids: When you've done the routine (go potty, brush teeth, get jammies on or, if naptime, get out of clothes and get comfy (if that's what he likes), have him pick out a bedtime story or two (make sure they're BEDtime stories, not a lot of actionand excitement, and reasonably short, that you can read softly and soothe him to dreamy-land), close his shades or blinds, lay down with him on his bed, snuggle in and talk about snuggling in and getting comfy and cozy. Let him talk for a few minutes about his morning or day, read his stories softly and soothingly, sing him a lullaby, and leave when you're sure he's ready for sleep. You can also turn on a CD of soft lullabies, playing them extremely low so that you can hardly hear them; make sure they will play only through one CD. And/or you can provide some white noise, either with a white noise machine, a fan, or a radio off-station turned low. White noise will drown out household noises and help him stay asleep for as long as he needs to, so you can be busy if you need to.

I know this sounds really time-consuming, but it's really not. It should take no longer than 20-30 minutes, and for some kids, 10 minutes is all they need. Just think of the time you WON'T be taking going back in over and over to try and settle him down. And think of what a calm, peaceful environment you are creating for him; chances of sleep issues will be reduced, I'm sure.

And there is nothing wrong with taking a nap with him on occasion, but for the most part you would be wise to sleep in your own bed; you don't want him to become dependant on you sleeping with him, cause you will someday have a tiny one and won't be able to nap with him every day.

Well, that's my 2 cents, I hope you find it helpful. Keep us all posted, we'd love to know how it's going!

Blessings,
J.

J. I wouldn't worry too much. My now 9 year old son did the same thing there is even times where he will still fight going to sleep till this day. Try not to give him naps and kind of wear him out. They go through these huge changes for some reason around that age sometimes they consider it growth spurts but what ever it is he will eventually fall asleep just try not to give him such long naps. Try it I hope that works for you. Hang in there it'll get better..
B.

I had a lot of problems with my daughter in this area when she was a toddler, and it only got worse as time went by. However, she was later diagnosed with autism, and I know that was part of the problem. But it got to the point where she would stay up until 2 & 3 in the morning! We could not get her to go to bed, we had to let her watch videos until she fell asleep. Finally we put her on medication (thru her doctor). You may want to talk to your doctor about it. She is on a prescription, but there is something available over the counter called Melatonin that helps some people sleep (it doesn't work for her). It might sound a little scary, but it was worth it for ALL of us to get a decent night's sleep.

NO sweat, Kids do that... At 13 months my son gave up his nap completly, up at 7:00am and not down till 9:00pm... I tried to force a nap in the afternoon and it resulted in him getting up at 4am, ready for the day... My daughter kind of did the same thing about the same time, but every 3rd day or so she takes about a 2 hour nap, so I agree with Holly they will sleep when they are tired, don't worry to much. And I did ask my pediatrition she said that some kids are just that way and it was nothing to worry about.

H.