Toddler Having Trouble Sleeping

Sounds like this is sleep terrors. My daughter outgrew them but it was helpful to monitor what she ate & drank. We realized there was a connection to times she consumed more sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup.

If you keep going in to him, he will continue to do this as he knows it has the desired effect of getting mom or dad to visit. I know it is hard, but I would let him cry himself back to sleep. Also Ferber's book is very good on some of the toddler issues.

night light? does he have a wubby? maybe he can pick a new one out to help him when he's scared.
never know : )

If he was sleeping fine before and waking up crying, I have a hard time thinking that he is just looking for attention. Has he gotten his two year molars yet? Does he talk well yet, have you asked him what is wrong? My daughter had night terrors a few times around her second birthday. They were very scary for me. Does he remember waking up the next day? Also, it is getting cold outside, maybe he needs another blanket.

Personally, I am against letting my kids cry themselves to sleep when they wake up. They are little and all alone in the dark. When my daughter wakes up and calls for me I go in and reassure her that she is okay and check to see if there is a problem, like if she needs to use the bathroom. Once I assess that everything is okay, I tell her that I have to go back to my bed. She has a clock with a CD player and there is a CD in it at all times. If she wants, I will turn the CD on to help soothe her. She is also afraid of the dark and sometimes wants more than her nightlight, so she has a flashlight on her nightstand that she is allowed to use if she is afraid.

If your son can talk and tell you the problem, that would help a lot, then you can try to find a tool for him to help himself. If you think it may be his molars cutting through, maybe try some Tylenol.

Good Luck,
D.

He could be teething. My toddler (who is almost two years old) has been waking in the night, too, and I just noticed she's ramming her fingers into the back of her mouth and drooling during the day. So, it's possible it will just pass. He might just be hurting.

You could try some teething tablets, and see if that helps at all.

You might want to consider co-sleeping, see www.cosleeping.org It has made a huge difference for me and my son. Don't let him cry it out, he needs you and if he is doing it for attention, then he needs attention.
You could just try co-sleeping and if it doesn't work then stop, but it is worth trying. It is the only way I was able to get my son to sleep for long stretches.