Is My Toddler Going Through the 2 Year Sleep Regression?

Is My Toddler Going Through the 2 Year Sleep Regression?

Your toddler won't nap, and keeps waking up in the night. You're worried why your toddler just won't sleep all of a sudden, and want to get them back to regular naps and sleeping through the night.

Could it be the 2 year sleep regression, separation anxiety, or nightmares/bad dreams? How can you get your toddler sleeping really well for naps and at night?

We've got all the tips and solutions to get you through the 2 year sleep regression and other toddler sleep problems!

2 Year Old Problems (& Solutions): https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/2-year-old-sleep-problems-solutions

How to Get a Resistant Toddler to Nap: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/how-to-get-toddler-to-nap

When Do Toddlers Stop Napping?: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/when-do-toddlers-stop-napping

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Transcription:
“My 2 year old was doing great sleeping through the night up until recently. Now, she wakes up at least twice. Lately, she wants some milk and it’s so hard. We were past all this. She seems to be regressing. I can’t get more than 2-3 hours without her waking up again. Maybe it’s growing pains? What advice do you have for me?”

2 Year Sleep Regression
What I’m thinking is more than likely, without knowing more of your situation, is that it probably is the 2 year sleep regression. The good news about the 2 year sleep regression is that it’s the last one!

The 2 year sleep regression is short in intensity and the changes normally aren’t permanent. So we can get your little one sleeping well, or sleeping better.
Separation anxiety can resurface right around the 2-year mark. This can be true if your daughter has gone through big changes that often happen around 2 years old - switching or starting school/daycare, or Mom's work schedule changing. Often, these big phases of development that your little one goes through can often affect sleep or make her wake during the night.
2 Year Sleep Regression Signs

• Refusing naps: Your 2 year old may suddenly, out of the blue, not want to nap any more. She should be down to napping once a day, in the middle of the day. What we often see is that out of the blue, these toddlers just suddenly reject the daily nap. They kick, they fuss, they scream and then Mom finally gives in. If your daughter is not yet 3, I would really say please do anything you can to not stop napping.

• Waking more in the night and/or waking earlier in the morning: Nothing else has changed. Her schedule has stayed the same. But she’s having these disruptions in sleep.

• Bad dreams can also resurface around this age. That’s due to your toddler’s growing imagination. You’ll typically know what this is because these kids wake up really upset and crying.

• Resisting bedtime

Tips for Separation Anxiety:

• Give your toddler extra love and attention: What you can do if you suspect that your toddler might be going through this, if she’s especially clingy lately, is to give her that extra time with you. At bedtime, I would be doing lots of cuddling and kissing, eye contact. Have a happy, light-hearted, peaceful time before sleep. Really connecting. Try not to be rushed, distracted, upset or on your phone. Really give her the time she needs.

These little kids, they’re growing up and becoming more independent. With this independence comes a little bit of fear, typically.

• Communicate your expectations: Let her know that she’s a big girl now and she can go all night without waking up and needing milk. Tell her that if she wakes in the night and she’s thirsty, she can have water. Keep a sippy cup of water at the bedside. Typically, these kids aren’t waking because they are really thirsty – it’s just become a comfort habit.

After several nights she will accept that she won’t get milk any more, it’s going to be water. Often this can really help decrease the night wakings as well.

• Be consistent: You have to stick to it. Go in, give her a cuddle. Make sure she gets into her bed. Rub her back for a few minutes. And then, you leave the room so that she can fall back to sleep on her own.

You can start with no milk tonight. Explain earlier in the day, when she’s happy and awake, what’s going to happen at night: “Mommy still loves you. I’m still watching over you. But these are the changes that are going to happen.”
Is her nap too long?
Sometimes, it's as simple as the daily nap being too long.

At around 15-18 months, most toddlers transition to one long daily nap.

When your little one turns 2, you need to start trimming down the nap time:
• 2 years = 2 hour nap
• 2.5 years = 1.5 hour nap
• 3 years = 1 hour nap

Видео Is My Toddler Going Through the 2 Year Sleep Regression? канала BabySleepMadeSimple