Wide awake during the night

[dexlor]

Hello, once in awhile this happens and we're not sure what could be causing it. Our almost 2 year old DD will wake up around 2:30 or so and screams for mommy or daddy. She takes awhile to console and when she is ready to go back in her crib she tends to be wide awake. Talks to her stuffed animals, sings. We're right across the hall from her so we have a hard time getting to sleep. She doesn't always wake up screaming and sometimes she will go right back to sleep. She has a nightlight in her room and lullabies playing softly on an Ipod. She has slowly had more teeth coming in so it may be that she is just teething and more aware of it at night when she's not so busy playing and socializing. I also am not sure what to do if she remains wide awake but okay to be in her crib. Last night I tried to tell her it was nighttime and she needed to sleep but she only said "no" and would be quite for a little bit but back to talking loudly to her stuffed animals. Hey, this is better than hearing her crying or screaming (which doesn't ever last long as we always go right in to soothe her)! But we still need our sleep!

Any ideas on what we can say or do to help her get back to sleep after she wakes up either with teething pain or from a bad dream? When we ask she typically says "no" when we ask if her teeth hurts...so not sure if that's even it. Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!

[dexlor]

So, she went to bed tonight at 8pm, no problem. Just woke up crying and wide awake an hour later. She seems fine. I tried soothing her and she was fine until I went to leave the room. Now DH is holding her and giving it a go. What is this? What could be going on? Our sleeps through the night after going to bed at 8 baby is now a night owl. I'm sick with a cold again (probably cause I'm not getting enough sleep) and we both work tomorrow. I think I'll have her sleep with us tonight even though that means I really won't sleep. She's thrasher. He can sleep through most of it.

Please help! Is it a developmental thing?

[kcstar]

DS has been through phases kinda like that. For your almost 2-year-old, my guess would be teething.

We cosleep, so when DS wakes up wanting to play, I try to make sure he's staying in bed. If he wants to get up/out, then I bug DH to go with him
I don't worry as long as he's in bed.

One other thing to consider is the nap schedule. If they're awake in the middle of the night, perhaps it's time to cut down to one nap, or cut the nap shorter, or possibly make bedtime later. Sometimes it's seemed as though DS simply can't sleep for a 12 hour stretch.

[_betsy_]

DD1 never did this. She's a sleep fighter, but she fights GOING to sleep, not STAYING asleep.

DD2 has done this since birth. Her longest stretch of sleep in almost 14 months of life has been 6 hours, and that is rare. She regularly wakes up in the middle of the night, and stays awake for 3 hours. Sometimes unsettled, sometimes wanting to cuddle, mostly just awake and heaven forbid I try to put her down, and no way can I leave the room! If I don't respond to her at all, she wails, and since she and DD1 share a room, I have to go get her. The last thing I want is TWO kids awake in the middle of the night!

We can't seem to predict when it's going to happen. She doesn't seem to be in pain, she's not willing to nurse, and usually if we do anything to TRY to put her to sleep she just screams. Can't figure out any pattern. It happens when she's slept well for naps that day, and when she maybe hasn't gotten enough sleep during the day. It happens when she's had adequate mental and physical stimulation, and it happens when we've been stuck at home all day.