[PositiveThinker]

DD will be two in February. She has always been a good sleeper - 10 to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night.
For the last two weeks, she has been waking up at midnight full of energy and wanting to play - not hungry, not complaining of pain or cold - just up and ready to go. This will last for 2-3 hours until she eventually falls back asleep. Her molars are coming in, albeit very slowly, otherwise there is no other change in routine. We have even tried keeping her up a little bit later, but no change.
Any ideas? Possibly just a temporary thing? I have increased my morning coffee intake to cope!

[cbmstephanie]

Not sure where you live, but here in South Dakota with the furnace on our air in the house has gotten very dry. Flora was waking up a few times during the night which was uncommon for her. I put a humidifier in her room and she sleeps through the night again. She was just waking up because she coughed or because her throat was dry. She was also waking up extra early because she coughed and then she was ready to go!! Thank goodness that took care of it because I am not an early person!!

[jennsult]

Our DD will be 2 this month. She also has always been a great sleeper, from day 1. She is also starting to wake up during the night. Sometimes if I let her cry it out she will go back to sleep. Other times I get her and bring her into bed with us and then she thinks it's playtime. Usually takes a good hour before she falls back to sleep (usually right before the alarm goes off!)

[MamaS]

Spiderman used to be good for 11 straight hours too. However, for about the last three weeks he has been waking up between 2 and 3AM, coming in my room and announcing "I can't sleep. My eyes won't stay closed." I know I should get out of bed, walk him to his room, tuck him back in his bed, and reassure him that he can sleep in his room. But at 2AM it is all I can do to mutter "Get under covers. Don't kick dog. Go to sleep." Which he does, and is snoring in less than five minutes. And the dog moves from the foot to the top of the bed and sleeps on my head!
I leave a nightlight on, a cup of water by the bed, and a little midnight "snack" if he wakes up hungry. (He always eats the snack before he comes in my room.) ANY ADVICE? The dog and I would both appreciate it!

[KJones5]

I have a 2.5 and a 3.5 year old and they are both doing it. Our 2.5 will wake up crying and asking for DH (YEAH!) and he yells that he wants water or his light on (even though night light is on). Our 3.5 comes in and announces he's "all done sleeping" and he climbs into bed with us and is out w/in 1 minute or 2 and then I carry him back and tuck him back in his own bed. Our 2.5 year old is slowly working on molars.

Our 3.5 year old has also adjusted his wake up time from 7 a.m. to 5:45 - 6:00 and if I am lucky I can get him to fall back asleep until 7 or 7:30.

[kiplingmom]

You guys are scaring me! DD is 21 months old and has been a GREAT sleeper since coming home at 13 months. You mean this could change???

[PositiveThinker]

I am convinced that there is no underlying cause - last night, I didn't give her any pain reliever for her molars, she had only a light dinner, and it was the coldest night yet (by California standards!). So rule out pain, hunger and/or cold! DD slept thru the night, waking at 6:00 this morning. Go figure!

[Melissa M]

DD had been sleeping well and if she did get up she would easily fall back to sleep. In October she went through about a 2 week period where she was up for 2 hours each night..ususally 12-2 or 1-3. She was very restless and clingy. She would seemingly go back to sleep but it would only last for a bit and then she would be up again. It was exhausing. Even if we put her in bed with us it was the same. It was similar to how she sleeps when she is sick only she wasn't sick. The pediatrician confirmed her molars were coming in so we attributed it to that.

Fortunately it didn't last and she is sleeping well now

[Saya]

Originally Posted by kiplingmom

You guys are scaring me! DD is 21 months old and has been a GREAT sleeper since coming home at 13 months. You mean this could change???

Yup. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

My formerly wonderful sleeper (11 hours through the night every night) has been a basket case the past couple of months. (Some life changes + she was sick in October + just out of sorts.) Last night she was up first at 1:30 and then again like 8 times between 3:30 and 5:30 - when she was finally up for the A.M. Each time she wanted me to come in and e.g. find a particular stuffed animal for her - that was of course 2 inches from her head.

I gotta tell you, I'm turning into mean Mommy tonight, and I tell her for once and for all she can find her own friggin' blanket that's already on top of her anyway. I'm just at the end of my rope. Give me the strength not to wimp out. . .

[guatmama06]

I am reading these and saying YEP...this is us too. I have been looking all over on line about sleep etc. for two weeks now.
I really think it is the molars..his ARE coming in(bottom)this can be the only answer. He goes to sleep well. We also took the two nap thing away,thought this would help...IT DID....FYI. For the last week since the bottom molars have surfaced he is sleeping from 730-7am. I am cringing to think this will go on again when the top ones come in. I keep telling myself he is only young once and that we cried for him for two years.
In the morning his sweet face,and the way he says mama...makes it all go away.
BRING ON THE COFFEE.
Hang in there girls....any other advice is welcome.

Kim

[w8ting4Thomas]

Yikes!!! I hate to read this because right now beauty rest (and I need a lot!) is easy to come by! He has always been such a great sleeper. The molars are not in yet. Does tylenol/motrin help? Any other advice? Teething stuff won't work for them I am sure.
Thanks

[Suzeb1]

We may have to start labeling threads where we talk about sleep with the warning: Caution - mentions kids sleeping for many hours!! My dd has only a handful of times in her life (she's 3 1/2) slept more than 9 1/2 - 10 hours at night (even in Guatemala) and didn't sleep more than two hours in a row the first 6 months she was home...I'm not sure I can stand hearing about any more kids that sleep (totally kidding!!)

Another possibility, because it can be an issue for us (since dd often does sleep okay now) is to check for constipation. That can be dd's issue and she doesn't express that she's in pain; it just wakes her up fully and she can't go back to sleep.

Susan
who dreams about sleeping past 5:30 am

[megaphonemo]

My DD is about 10 months old and went from sleeping through to waking up several times for a while. It was killing us. Well, one night at bedtime we realized, uh oh, the nightlight bulb burned out. Not a spare one in the house... It was really dark in her room without it....

Lo and behold, she slept through the night that night!! And pretty much since then (other than a bad cold with cough). I seriously think the nightlight was too bright!!!

You want them to not have total darkness, but apparently that is what she needed! Who'd thunk it!!??


Just a thought!!

[mildredjohn]

If her molars are coming I will try for one night Tylenol or Motrim - motrim is better. Just to see if the cause are the molars. Usually with the medicine the pain does not come and do not awake the child.

My boy is 2 and he's a good sleeper too. If he wakes up and cry, and the cry is not persistent I don't even get out of the bed. I leave him to go back to sleep by himself. Because sometimes when we enter in the room we wake them up more!

Good luck!