2 Year Old Night Wakings-help?!

i just kept walking them back to bed, restarted the lulaby song bear and sat a minute before going back to my bed

All mine except one I think went through this phase.

My oldest who had been sleeping through for a long time just suddenly appeared and looked bewildered. I was exhausted at this point - so gave him a comforter in the corner. He laid down and went right to sleep - slept till morning. It wasn't every night, and it wasn't for very long - this was just what he did.

I made sure the baby gate was locked at top of stairs so he was contained and couldn't hurt himself. I left a night light in hall between our rooms so he could see. I made sure there was nothing he could trip on. I also didn't make it more comfortable than just a comforter on floor - eventually he decided his bed was better and/or he stopped waking.

I suspect if you're walking him back and he's still unsettled from waking, he's seeking you out for comfort. I left my kids' old Fisher Price crib aquarium toys in their beds so they could hit it and a gentle light or soothing sound would play. One of mine used that instead of coming to us.

If you can walk him back and get him settled each time, that might work better for you.

It's a fairly common stage.
Their imaginations are ramping up and that doesn't stop at night - so dreams and nightmares kick in.
We always walked our son back to his bed - and we all got tired from not getting enough sleep.
Finally our son got smart.
He figured if he woke me up, he'd be taken back to his room.
So he just came in without waking us up and tucked himself in at the foot of our bed.
He'd go right to sleep and we'd find him there in the morning.
We all started getting a lot more sleep that way.
I'd suggest setting up a sleeping bag near your bed.
If he wakes up in the night, he can come to the sleeping bag and settle himself there eventually without waking you up.
The phase will pass sooner or later, but it can be tough to get through.

Rewards and punishments don't work for a child this age, especially in the middle of the night.

Don't sit with him, but do give him the security he needs. That may mean walking him back with a few soothing words (yes, 2-3 times if necessary), and it may mean putting a sleeping bag and small pillow on the floor of your room so he can be near you but not in your bed. He can learn to calm himself down without having the luxury of being in your bed. Lots of people have success with either approach - pick one and stick with it.

Punishing a preschooler for waking you up is harsh. We never punished the kids for coming to us when they needed us. And needing a hug is a need. What if he didn't feel good and was afraid he was going to get punished for letting you know? What if he was really sick and you found him passed out or worse the next morning because he was afraid to come to you during the night?

You need to find a way to deal with being woken up during the night. I agree it's not exactly nice but it's part of having a child.

Try putting them to bed later. Our kids went down at 9pm and most of them slept all night until 7 or 8 the next morning. Combined with a 1.5-2 hour nap that's over 12 hours of sleep per day. Pre-school kids don't need 14-15 hours of sleep per day.

he's awfully little for rewards and punishments over something like this. he's just a little fellow, and when he wakes up he wants his mom. nothing here to reward or punish.
i myself would make a nest of blankies next to the bed and tell him that if he wants to come in and sleep there he can, but please not to wake mommy up.
it's either that or patience. i mean, it's a phase. some phases you just get through. if you don't want him in your room, you walk him back to bed, quietly and with zero drama or interaction, until this phase passes.
khairete
S.