2 year old sleep regression - very tired parents need help

[Han12345]

Hi everyone!

Our little girl will be turning 2 at the beginning of December and we have having problems with her sleep and I’m so tired I’m starting bad habits and I need to address this before she get worse.

She has started early waking at 5.30 but for about the last 3 weeks she wakes crying uncontrollably every morning  so I have to get her out of bed. She is also getting afraid of the dark (I think) so we are addressing that with a night light/ her door open and light on outside her room on the landing.

What always seems to throw us is she’s had another illness and she’s still coughing a tonne. She’s had a week of broken/ bad sleep and I think it’s that which has set us back.

I have a girl that doesn’t ever stop so she gets very tired and  she needs to be told when to sleep. If she could she would go and go all day until she burned out. So I have to be ahead of her with her sleep.

I have worked out over the last two years that if she wakes crying it is usually because she’s still tired but once she’s up that’s it. I can never get her back to sleep. So I’ve started to push her nap time forward a little to cope with the EW.

Here is her routine on a good day;

W: 6.30
Nap: 1-3
Bed: 7pm (usually takes 30 mins or so to get to sleep)

At the weekend I brought her nap forward by an hour because she has been so grumpy and tired. She woke much better in the afternoon.

I’m not sure what I can do? Do you think she could be OT after last week being ill and just needs to try catch up?

We brought a gro clock recently but it hasn’t worked for us because she’s just crying when she wakes.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Haribo2012]

Hi there it’s so exhausting isn’t it. Have you tried an earlier BT to see if she can catch up at night? It could well be the illnesses made her tired but then they have a developmental leap around their 2nd birthday.
Have you been to see the Dr just to get her checked out with all the coughing!? 2 year molars can be starting to move as well.

So much going on for them. x

[Han12345]

Thank you for your quick reply Haribo2012.

Yes totally exhausting few weeks and I’m starting to lose my patience which I hate.

Great idea about BT. I’ve been saying to my husband we need to get her to bed earlier but it hasn’t been happening. I will make a conscious effort to get tea sorted earlier so she can go to bed earlier every night this week.

Yes had her at the docs when she first started with the illness and they said it’s viral. To be honest she is constantly back to back with viral infections and also her nose has constantly run for nearly all her 2 years. Thankfully the doctors have agreed to send us to an ear, nose and throat specialist to try figure out what’s going on.

No sign of any molars yet. I’ve had a good feel around but I know they could just be trying to make a move underneath.

Thanks for your suggestion. Hopefully early bed time is what we need. I’ll keep you informed. X

[Haribo2012]

My youngest has had so many ear and chest infections this year we go one day it’s viral then few days later it needs antibiotics.

Fingers crossed keep us posted x

[Han12345]

Ok thank you. If she’s still like this in 2 days time i’ll take her. She’s only just been on antibiotics so I don’t really want her on them again. Will give her another day to fight it.

I was just wondering.. would you ever try for 2 naps in 1 day at this age or is it a total no go?

I got her in bed for 6.30 but still currently shuffling around (7.15). Last night though it was 7.45 by the time she was finally asleep so I’m hoping this will be a little earlier.

At this rate I’m thinking she’s going to be just as tired tomorrow and should I try 2 naps? Xx

[Haribo2012]

Mine had 2 lots in a month one just didn’t work.

I tend to try and stick to 1 nap but we have had the occasional mincro 10 min nap at 9.35am then still long lunch nap at usual time, often the day after Nursery x