Toddler Not Sleeping! - Los Angeles,CA

My 2 1/2 year old just recently started sleeping on top of her pillows at night which i thought was cute. my husband thought her crib mattress which we had on a toddler bed since she was almost 2 was too uncomfortable for her. he was right we bought her a twin bed and after a few nights adjustment she sleeps like a baby again. we got a great bed rail that attaches to the mattress with no chance of kid slipping through at walmart too.
hope this helps
good luck

Not sleeping and loss of appetite would suggest that maybe something is hurting. Does she have her two year molars yet? I would call the doctor just to see what might be going on.
As for the crib, if it converts to a toddler bed you can use it like that. If you don't have a toddler bed, I would either buy her one, or put a crib tent on her crib.
Good luck! :)

Try giving her a safe and effective homeopathic remedy of chamomilla 30c. You can get this from Mothers' Market, Wild Oats or Whole Foods or any other nutritional store that carries homeopathics. Chamomilla is safe and effective for children. It quiets them when they are restless and helps them to relax.
If you have any further questions you can contact me through my website at www.balancedvitality.com

Hi T.,
My now 5 year old did the same thing, but at about 3.. I mean he would be up all night. I put him to bed, go to bed myself wake up in the middle of the night and he would still be awake. Drove me crazy, I would find myself waiting up for him to go to sleep, and he wouldn't go, so i started putting him to bed, turning off the lights( used a dim night light) made sure his room was safe, left my door open and go to bed. Most nights we would wake to find him in our bed, that lasted for a few months.The eating thing my son did the same thing, i was afraid that he was malnourished because he was real thin, but that passed too.Find what she likes to eat and give her that.Don't worry this is normal....

Is she teething -- getting her 2 year molers? If you are ok with giving her meds some children's ibuprofen right before bedtime helped us with middle of the night waking. Haven't expereinced teh crawling out yet sorry. Best of luck!!

Hello T.,
When each of my 4 children climbed out of their bed I immediately put them in a toddler bed except with # 4 I just put her mattress in the corner of the room because we didn't have room for even a toddler bed frame. Everybody did fine. I told them that now that they were bigger they needed a bigger bed. The red metal toddler frame uses the same mattress as the crib so you don't need to buy another mattress. This worked good for each of them. Tell your daughter that even if she wakes up during the night she needs to stay laying in her bed until you come in to wake her up in the morning. The only exception is if she feels like she needs to use the batrhroom or she has had a bad dream. Good luck. D.

Hi T.-

When both of my children were about a year and a half, they went through this. With both it was a problem with the crib. For my now-5 1/2-year-old son, it was because he would roll over and hit the sides of the rib and wake up. He was fine in bed with us because he would just push us out of his way. My daughter was too uncomfortable on the hard crib mattress. She again was fine in bed with us or her brother because the softer mattress was more comfortable for her. With both kids, I got a full sized air mattress and put it on the floor in their bedrooms in place of the crib. I did this for 4-6 months with each child until they were big enough to climb in and out of a regular size bed bed. I then put the regular size bed in a corner of their rooms, them put single bed rails on the other sides. It worked wonderfully. They both began to sleep through the night in their own rooms again with the air mattress and I didn't have to worry about them rolling out and getting hurt. I was concerned about if it was okay for their developing bodies to sleep on something with so much give, but the pediatrician said it was a great idea and they wouldn't be hurt by it. It was an excellent, simple transition into their big boy/girl beds. Now at 3, I took the bedrails off of my daughter's bed and she is doing just great. She hasn't rolled out of bed once in the two months since we took them off. But whatever you decide, she will adjust.

The changes to diet could be that she is simply learning something new and isn't hungry. Make sure you have a consistent schedule for meals and snacks and provide food for her then. If she isn't hungry then don't force her to eat. But if she is hungry in the middle of the night, I wouldn't feed her. Night time is not time to eat. If you give her a snack in the middle of the night, you develop an unhealthy habit (as an adult) of eating then. Just expalin to her when the times to eat are and if she is hungry she needs to eat at those times. She will understand, she may be resistent and frustrated by this, but she will understand. Two-year-olds comprehend much more than we give them credit for.

Hi T.

Have you considered that she may have a painful tooth coming through and this is what is stopping her from eating her usual amount, and also what is waking her up at night?

For my 2 year old, I use an amber necklace. I used it for both of my children and absolutely swear by them. Amber is a natural anaelgesic (not sure how to spell that!), and acts as a calming influence as well as a pain killer, once it is warmed against the skin. Whilst the packet recommends not to let your child sleep in it due to choking hazards, I just made sure that my children wore high necked tight fitting baby grows or t-shirt pyjamas that held it in place.

Sleep deprivation is a NIGHTMARE...makes you crazy, you have my total sympathy, but also my assurance that it WILL pass... she will sleep... !

Good luck
C. x

Hi T., I would try getting her on a schedule, if you are home every day, that would help. Get her up at the same time every day, like 7 or 7:30 and have her nap, and go to bed at the same time, everyday. My daughter will be 3 in July and she was waking at 4 or 5 telling me she was hungry, and I didn't feed her, I was afraid it would become a routine, so I told her it was not time to get up yet, and put her back in her bed. We got her a toddler bed when she was 2 and a half, and she loves it and sleeps in it with out any problems. At first, she would wake up and come into our room and I would just put her back in the bed and tell her to go to sleep and that worked. Just be consistant with whatever you do. Just food for thought! Good Luck, M.

Hi T., we put the crib mattres on the floor, so not drop if they roll off. Children go through various sleeping and eating patterns, what i would do, is teach her, she needs to stay in her bed. I tell my little daycare kids, just because you wake up it does not mean it is time to get up. The understand. J.

Hi T.:
Your toddler,is not only at a very ( physically active stage)But Her little mind, is absorbing so much right now. She is maturing,and when she goes to bed at night,her thoughts are still racing.When my son was that age,I witnessed him running in his sleep! Yes...he was dreaming, and his little legs were going like he was running a marathon! lol They are so active, and so excited about everything around them at that age.Its as though they are afraid they'll miss something,when they sleep.Toddlers,cannot and should not be expected to be (confined) to their bed or room,after they awake.They are not mature enough to (understand) why. They will cry and scream,because they are feeling neglected.It sounds like your daughter is going through some changes,and if shes waking,there is a reason. If her appetite is changing, she could be waking hungry. If there have been any changes in the household,she could be experiencing some uneasiness or fears.It sounds like she is ready for a toddler bed,if she is climbing out of her crib.Also, if you are still forcing A nap each day, you may want to eliminate that,and see if she sleeps longer at night. Toddlers this age, are pretty much finished with being stopped in the middle of their play,to nap.The very best to you T..

She may be experiencing pain in ears due to her 2 year molars coming in. They typically feel this pain when they are laying down because the extra fluid, from her gums swelling, enters the ear canal. When she wakes in the middle of the night give her some warm diluted apple juice and Tylenol.

When my girls started climbing out of their cribs, I got the screens that attach to the top. This worked until we were ready to put them in toddler beds.

Hope this helps!