Sleep Problems in 2 Yr Old

I just had to answer at least to say that my son (age 3) does that same thing with hair! I never heard of another kid doing this before! He started it with one of those taggies blankets when he was a baby. Then my in-laws found this random garfield stuffed animal in their house somewhere that happened to have whiskers and he transitioned to using that. After a year or more the whiskers were actually wearing off and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Then when he became a big brother we gave him a baby boy of his own (which he promptly named "Isabella" go figure) and now he uses this doll's hair to sooth himself to sleep! He also kind of hums to himself as he does it. He really depends on this, if he doesn't have something to do this with he has a really hard time sleeping! So I wonder if you should try again to find something that she can use instead of your hair. That could potentially solve the whole problem seems to me based on how my son is. Good luck! You need some sleep mamma!

Oh K., I am so sorry and I was SO there with my middle son (now 9). It is amazing when the alarm goes off and you feel like all you did was wander around your house all night! We finally had a bed in his room and a little toddler inflatable bed in our room, by my side of the bed. We explained to him that if he couldn't sleep he could come in and lay down on his "other bed" but he didn't need to wake us up. That helped! If it doesn't, don't be too hard on yourself, she won't still be doing this at age 9, trust me, and by then you might actually find yourself sometimes wishing she would so you could have some extra cuddle time with her!
I hope things get better soon, sleep is so important!

By the way..I love all the stuff from One Step Ahead, and have shopped there for years, we are totally addicted to that place and we got our toddler inflatable bed product from them I believe..
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Your night sounds extremely unpredictable and I think your daughter can sense that. Falling asleep with her but then leaving is hard to predict and causes her to not sleep very soundly. She's probably unsure of whether you'll be there with her when she wakes up. I'd drop the entire falling asleep with her thing- she'll never learn to fall asleep on her own if you are always there. Kids need to learn that- they don't come by it on their own. It might take a few nights of bad sleep but it will be worth it. My daughter did the same thing for a long time, but she was always so anxious and would frequently wake and want me there. I think you're going to have to explain that you'll sing her a song, or something like that, but then leave. She'll definitely need a replacement "lovey" for your hair, like a special blanket or animal. You have to be consistent, though. It won't work if sometimes you stay till she falls asleep but sometimes don't want to. It's got to be all or nothing.

Aww. It's been a while for me... but I feel for you. She needs structure, I think. A good routine: dinner, bath, story, bed. You get the idea. She will learn what to expect. Am a working mom, two of my own and another who joined the family later. She is tactile, which means she loves the sense of touch. Try getting her to into a routine and she can touch your hair while you read a story and maybe rub her back softly to soothe her. I used to use a quiet, shhhhhhhh when disengaging from back rub/tickle and or hair. Sit with her for a bit when you disengage and try a soothing sound (or music, maybe?) that will help her be able to soothe herself if she wakes during the night. They really need routine and structure, imho. Big hugs and good luck to you!