How many hours does your two year old sleep in a row?

[Kobaby]

My two year old wakes every two hours at night. I am getting worried about this. His sleep isn't usually interrupted because he nurses while half awake, but my sleep certainly is interrupted and I am not happy about that! Not only do I want sleep, I am worried by the books and articles I read that say a child's health and development suffers when a child can't sleep at night.

Looking forward to some answers!

[katelove]

Mine woke every few hours to feed too. It stopped when I might-weaned her at 2 years and 4,months (I was pregnant and the nipple pain became unbearable). Now she sleeps 10 hours a night. Often she will wake once to ask for water or because of a dream but she settles immediately with a drink or reassurance. She still sleeps with us so we don't have to get up to tend to her overnight.

[Asiago]

My son nursed frequently at night and around 31 months began to go 4 hours without nursing. It's a very normal pattern for breastfeeding, co-sleeping children. Kathryn Dettwyler has a good article on this subject: http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html

[foreignerforlife]

My DS is 21 months and, after a 3-4-hour stretch when we first put him to bed, he also wakes up every 1-2 hours for the rest of the night. He is still nursing and co-sleeping, so I think that's why. The 3-4-hour stretch is before I come to bed. :-( I don't have any advice, but wanted you to know that you are not alone. Can your husband take over for a night or two so you can sleep in another room and catch up on sleep? I have found this helpful.

[skycheattraffic]

Is there any chance your LO would wake less in his own space? My 21 month old recently transitioned to a (very low) double bed in her own room. I cosleep with her there some nights (or parts of a night) when I'm very sleepy and pass out while nursing her down. If I'm in bed with her, she is up every 2 to 2.5 hours to nurse. If I'm awake enough to leave her and go to my own bed, she wakes once, maybe twice in 11 hours. The door is closed, she has white noise and I always go to her when she needs me (I sleep with the baby monitor on my bedside table so I always hear her). Most nights she will call out for a couple of seconds and go right back to sleep. If I was there, she would wake fully and want to nurse. I know not everyone wants to stop cosleeping at this age but for us it works better because we aren't constantly waking each other up. I'm still aware of every noise she makes but she doesn't hear/feel me rolling over, coughing, snoring, etc.

[Kobaby]

Originally Posted by skycheattraffic 

Is there any chance your LO would wake less in his own space?

He went into his own bed in his own room at 22 months and it has been a few months since then. I had hoped he would sleep better, but no dice. I guess the up-every-hour nights are a thing of the past, but his longest stretch is still only 4 hours tops right now.

We live in a very small space, enough that we hear most things between our two rooms. There isn't a spot for me to sleep where I wouldn't hear my son and go tend to him as usual. (I tried sleeping on the couch once, but my husband says he never heard a thing and I still woke up in my son's bed :D )
 

We don't need to use a monitor. If anyone sniffles you hear it :)

I guess I'll just keep going with the wait-and-see approach. I've heard three years old is the magic age for sleep, so I'll reassess in a year or so!

[Kobaby]

Originally Posted by Asiago 

My son nursed frequently at night and around 31 months began to go 4 hours without nursing. It's a very normal pattern for breastfeeding, co-sleeping children. Kathryn Dettwyler has a good article on this subject: http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html

I've read that article, thank you :) 

[element2012]

I just read the article, and my tired self has to admit that the possiblity of not getting a full nights sleep for a few more years is a little daunting at the moment

[Parker'smommy]

Nightweaning helped us get longer sleep stretches. My dh was extremely helpful and took over night time parenting. She still sleeps with us. But, she is on one side, next to the bed rail, dh in the middle, and then me. I slept in another room for a few weeks, and then moved back in. I love this arrangement because she is still with us, but dh and I can cuddle, and we sleep longer. I started letting her nurse in the am when he got up for work -5 am. And for a long time, she was like clockwork, woke when he got up. But now, she is sleeping through that waking. She sleeps all night long most nights, and if she does wake, dh just pats her back and she goes back to sleep in seconds. And she could sleep next to me, and not nurse now. She does when dh is away on business. But he loves having her next to him at night. Shes our last baby and we are treasuring our last baby in our bed. She is now 29 months old, but we nightweaned her at 20 months.