2 year old no sleep but cry

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Question

Posted by: C | 2013/01/10

Q. 2 year old no sleep but cry

My 2 year old son slept through from about 4 months old. Since turning 2 he is not sleeping at night. He wakes up about 10 times during the night, each time screaming loudly.

He is also crying very much. Instead of asking for a bottle, he would start crying and screaming for a bottle. He would not stop crying until he has it.

I feel he cries too much. He seems very unhappy in life?

Nothing has changed - he is still in the same creche, no change at home.

Do you have any advice?

Expert's Reply

A.

Paediatrician

Repeated waking like this may start off as a result of moving home or following an illness. You mention that there has been no change in your home. Often children realise that they will get attention every time that they wake and this starts to become a regular habit. It is most unlikely that your son really needs all these extra bottles at night, so it is much more likely that he is enjoying all the extra attention he gets every night. The only way to stop your son's frequent waking is to use the 'Controlled Crying' method. This is hard on the nerves but if you do it correctly and follow the instructions absolutely correctly your son will start sleeping through after about 3 nights of you using this method. Read up about the Controlled Crying method on Google.

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