My son is two and recently stopped sleeping. He won't take a nap, he screams and cries when I put him in his bed. He doesn't get out, he just refuses to calm down. At night, he does the same thing. Even if I let him lay in my bed, he sits, or stands and talks to me. It takes a few hours for me to get him to lay down, and then another hour for him to fall asleep.
I've heard that disruptions in schedule are signs that some kind of developmental break through is on the horizon. I am considering starting potty training, but don't want to be dealing with the sleep issue and potty training. Do you think potty training would help with the sleep issue? Also any tips for either would be greatly appreciated.
I've given up on nap-time. We added a few steps to our bedtime routine (We read for much longer, and sing lullabies on my way out of his room.) We are on night four that he would lay down without screaming, he wakes up in four hours and screams, so we aren't back to his good sleeping, but we are close.
Potty training will just make things worse. He's probably learning more about language and wants to spend all the time he can with you.
Hi,
My children are grown, so my view is a long one. I think the most consistent contributor to difficult behaviors is diet.
Sugar, processed foods, food allergies.
I would suggest that you look very closely at his diet. What he eats especially at dinner and afterwards. Kids do not tolerate the sugar in our prepared foods. The results are significant.
I had two sons and a daughter. She potty trained herself the day before she turned 2. All on her own. Neither of the boys was trained before 3. Boys are slower. I would wait on that effort until his life is a bit calmer. Good luck.
hello,
I also have a "not so terrible" 2 year old (turned 2 on 1/8) He has also begining to go head to head to me about nap time. I am CONSIDERING letting him give up the nap for a while and seeing how it goes. I think it will help him find some more independence. besides that...when i do have to force him into a nap it just makes us both cranky and sad...he'll fight with me for an hour then he'll sleep late...then be up late ect. I would not worry about ADD at all. I am again also at the beginings of talking to him about the potty. he hasnt used it once yet though. I am not going to rush that...when I see HE is ready then I will take a more proactive, productive approach. Right now Im kind of Pre-training by teaching him the potty lingo and letting im come to the potty with me so when the time does come it wont be a big out of the blue shock (you want me to do what?...where? kinda thing)
But yes schedule changes at the 2 year mark are quite normal and healthy.
You say you work from home and your husband is rarely home...I'm wondering how much time (quality and quantity) is given to your son. If his needs of relationship with mom and dad aren't being met he might be saying he is not willing to sleep until his needs are met. Do you have bedtime rituals? Reading, talking, snuggling, etc are important to readying a child for sleep.
I'm not sure that potty training will do anything to/for the sleeping situation. I'd try it and if it becomes too big of a struggle give it up for now. When a child is ready he will potty train fairly easily. If it becomes your issue, he is not ready.
My first guess is your son just wants more time w/ you & Dad. Try blocking out time in the day just for him. He may feel like the only undevided attention time he gets w/ you is when you're trying to get him to sleep. I found Elizabeth Pantly's No Cry Sleep Solutions very helpful also and there's a No Cry Sleep Solutions for Toddlers too. Good Luck.
Hi -
My son did the same thing when he was that age. Its part of them trying to show independance. One thing may be something your feeding him prior to bed that is making him hyper. Maybe he had a bad dream and is afraid to go be to sleep. Try a ritual, a bath is usually a good thing to help calm and relax them prior to bed. Maybe read a book he picks out then time for laying down. Do you use a night light?
Sometimes, their body isnt producing melatonin, which is a natural chemical the body releases to help you sleep. If after trying a few more things, you can try to use that product, try Nature Tyme in ESyr. My friend had to use that with her daughter as she was ADD and couldnt sleep.
Hope that helps some.
I mean no disrespect, but jumping to ADD as suggested by someone else seems a bit drastic in my opinion. All three of my kids have gone through sleep issues at various times. It's probably one of the most common complaints with young kids. As far as naps go, I wouldn't push it. Mine all began to give up their naps around two. I would try to put him down and then, if he refuses, just get him back up. Mine dropped of on their own later and later in the day, until they finally gave up napping altogether. This might lead to some issues with not being sleepy at bedtime, so the later they drop off, the less time you should let them sleep. They need to feel like they have control over some things in their lives. This is maybe one to give to him.
Bedtime is another matter. They HAVE to go to bed, so you probably need to me more firm, but if you don't push the nap, he may feel less pressure at bedtime, not to mention be more tired. Can you stand it to just let him cry in his room by himself? If he's in a bed and gets out, try putting a gate at the doorway where he can see through it, but not get over it. Also, for my last two children this worked wonders, though I can't tell you why: I'd put them down, sticking to the same routine as much as possible- bathtime, story time, bed. Then I would tell them, "In five minutes, I will come check on you." Then, of course, in a few minutes you do check- pop your head in, or go in and say "I'm checking on you. I'll be back again in five minutes." etc.etc. It really worked, esp with my son and we had hit a point with him where we were sitting in a chair by his bed for up to two hours every night to keep him down. This method worked beautifully. Just make sure you keep checking until he's asleep or you blow the trust issue.
My last bit of advice would be to put off potty training for now. More pressure is not what either of you need at the moment. Unless you feel he's really ready and wants to train, I think you'll aggravate your sleep problems.
I was just wondering if your son has had any issues with his ears in the past. My son had several ear infections as an infant and would cry whenever he was laying flat.
After we had tubes put in his ears, he was a completely different child. The other thing I thought was if your son has been waking up in the night with nightmares. Another thing I experienced around age two was night tremors. I'm not real sure if kids remember them happening or even what they are about come morning, but if your son is experiencing them, maybe he is afraid to go to bed. Just a couple of things I had experienced and thought I would pass along. Good Luck to you.
Not all toddlers/children need afternoon naps. Most gifted children do not take afternoon naps and some even have trouble sleeping, because their brain just won't "shut off." You might want to forget the afternoon naps, since your child will have to abandon the naps when he goes to school anyway. This will help with your son being tired enough to sleep at night. At night, you will need a before bed ritual to help prepare your son for bed. (I noticed that your son likes to talk an hour before bed, probably because there's a lot on his little mind.) You could give him a relaxing bath with lavendar scent, then chose a bedtime story to read.
I want to start out by saying, don't let the posts considering ADD even get into your mind, nobody can even suggest that without meeting your child and without a lot more information than you have given. And we wonder why ADD is diagnosed so much nowadays, everyone jumps right to it.
A lot of children go through this as they get older, my daughter who has always been a wonderful sleep went through thsi phase. We ended up eliminating the naps altogether, and instead in teh afternoon we do something different that is reaxing to her. We spend a half hour reading, or on somedays she lays down on the couch and watches an episode of Dora. This down time relaxes her and we make it through teh rest of the day happy.
Without the naps she is usually ready for bed at night, we have a good routine, we pick up all her toys, leaving out a few books for after we brush her teeth, lotion her down and put on her pajamas, after another half hour or so of reading she goes down no problem.
He sounds very energetic, maybe the time sitting and reading or doing something else quiet will relax him enough, or maybe even reading in bed, that way instead of coaxing him into bed to sleep, you'll be asking him to come for story time.
I do not think that potty training would be a good idea with another stressful issue going on, it might make it worse, but use your instincts, you know best!
Good Luck!
Have you adressed this with the pediatrician yet? Sounds like ADD but hard to tell with a 2 year old. Maybe some fresh air to tire him, try potty training him and give himpraise and maybe a reward if he does go. Each person is different and you will know when he is ready
