I'm Exhausted! - Pueblo,CO

Does he remember these dreams the next day? If not, he could be having Night Terrors. They're common around this age, and they're more distressing to us as parents than they are to our children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, they pose very little harm to our children.

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/presch...

One of ours is a horrible sleeper, too. Both of our kids have occasional night terrors. We try to interact with them when it's happening. If they're unresponsive, it's most likely they're still asleep and having a night terror.

Good luck!

Ah, Night Terrors, your joy knows no bounds! :-) They start around 2 years old, and will come and go for a year or so. Two of my kids had them, and they are both scary and exhausting. The best advice anyone gave me about them was to keep reminding yourself that he won't remember them later. Also, my Gram (raised 12 kids) suggested I make a very strong routine for sleep- even down to the words we used. It helped immensely, but took a couple weeks to work. Start with a bath, then teeth, then a tuck in, then a story, etc. The idea is at least a 30 minute "wind down", with absolute consistency. This did help a lot!

Have you talk to his doc about his sleeping habits? Sometimes kids have issues with sleeping & he may have to go for a sleep study to find way to help him.

Is he waking when you or hubby come in the room?? Is there anyway you can put him is a bedroom of his own?? I know my kids sleep better when they are in a room by themself because sometimes little noises can wake them up or startle them, making it harder for them to get back to sleep.

So, you know it can be an event getting my 3 (6, 4 1/2, & 2 1/2 yr) to bed... I will get one tucked in, make my way to the next and the first is up and running again. Sometime I just have to tell them "I've already given you your hugs, kisses and tucked you in - enough is enough it's bed time." And go down stairs... not saying they all just go to bed - bedtime is around 8 & sometimes we still have one up at 11... but they are in their rooms, better stay quite & not wake anyone else or they get in trouble.

Even at 2 - your son needs to learn it is wrong to act the way he is or you will have to continue putting up with what he is doing.

I wish you luck!!

Personally, I do not think your kid is old enough to go through the entire nite with out feeding. All my kids did not start sleeping trhough the night with out nursing until they were 8 months old.
Like other moms I would suggest you contact your doctor and see what he says.

#1 Talk to your doctor. There might be something that causes him to awaken so much. You said he has never been a great sleeper anyway so something might be causing pain at night!
#2 There is a great Class out there called Love N Logic It teaches you exactly how to deal with these things and makes the kids step up and take more responibilty also for there behaviors and so forth! I am now 52 and I am taking the calss and I have learned so much!!! Wish it was around when i was a parent! <I am grandma now> But i have really found it really does work and help alot! Well worth the class.! The one I am taking is free!
#3 Do the above! Love Him ,,, I know that class will help you out alot!!!!! Bless you and I know things will get better.

Updated

PS the love N logic is online you can go see about it on your PC go to this site! http://www.loveandlogic.com/ It gives you where classes are and so forth! Well worth the class! These are doctors and parents who have learned what best to do and not do over the years! We have manuals for most everything in life but never given one how to take care of our most cherished loved one! Now here is a great one!

Oh, poor baby. And poor you, too! I went through this a lot with my twins (now 3 1/2) since teething began until months ago and if I had to do it all over again I'd just let them sleep with us from the beginning. In the end it just wasn't worth it to me to keep trying to fit them into a nice little expectation. I accepted that some children just need extra help in the sleep department and let them come to our bed in the night if they woke. Forcing them to go back to bed just wore me out, they had many tears, we were all tired and miserable at times from the exhaustion and sleep deprivation from waking up every now and then. I guess it all comes down to what is a priority for you. Good luck! Hope it all works out soon.

It's time for Dad to take over putting him to bed. But make sure you sit down and talk with your husband first about how to do it. Sometimes dads don't understand the importance of a consistent schedule for bedtime.

I have been through the exact same thing and at the same age. The Baby Whisperer book has some great suggestions for this and basically she suggests that you pull an all-nighter and lay him down every time he gets up, over and over, never giving in. If you stick to your guns it will get easier and easier and within a few days he will sleep all night. (Then eventually there will be a "testing" sort of relapse.)
I suggest you be sure he doesn't get dehydrated. If he is active and used to stocking up on the breastmilk at night, you will have to break him of the habit.
Also, this is the age of teething and the 2 year old molars will wake up a lot of kids at this age. Try teething tablets if you think this might be the problem.