Losing it; 2 y/o awake for hours at a time. How to break the cycle?
- Thread starter maxinvasion
- Start date
-
- Tags
- advice request dads
@maxinvasion I’m with you man. Our 2.5 year old son is just all over the place with sleep. As soon as he started to test the boundaries of not napping, that was it. Nothing we can do 
@maxinvasion Going to catch hell for this because it seems to be something a neglectful parent would do but I swear by the CYO method. It takes a day or two if crying but they realize it means it’s time for bed. Whomever is the stronger parent has to be one to do this because they will cry and wail, but they need to be strong and go through it.
You don’t do the process in anger but you don’t reach in any extreme. You explain the process and hold to it. Consistency is the common marker here. You go in a few minutes at a time, reassure them that you’re there, then leave and extend the time longer each time they cry out or wake up.
Eventually, after a few days, they’ll know to sleep in their own bed and sleep time gets easier. You have to maintain this for it to stick otherwise they’ll go right back to waking up all hours of the night. Your partner needs to back you on this otherwise it won’t work.
You don’t do the process in anger but you don’t reach in any extreme. You explain the process and hold to it. Consistency is the common marker here. You go in a few minutes at a time, reassure them that you’re there, then leave and extend the time longer each time they cry out or wake up.
Eventually, after a few days, they’ll know to sleep in their own bed and sleep time gets easier. You have to maintain this for it to stick otherwise they’ll go right back to waking up all hours of the night. Your partner needs to back you on this otherwise it won’t work.