Desperate for sleep help for my 2 1/2 year old

I am looking for any advice you have. My 2 1/2 year old DD used to be a great sleeper, we did CIO when she was an infant and had our good days and bad but she always would wake up and play nicely in her crib, then bed when she switched.

We would always lay in her twin bed with her and read her a few books and then give her a kiss tuck her in and go and she'd either go right to bed or stay up for sometimes an hour and read more books. She never put up a fight. My DH made a HORRIBLE mistake of falling asleep with her a lot recently and now we can't leave her awake in there. I did CIO with the gate on her door and she SCREAMS for over an hour and doesn't get to bed until almost 11 pm some nights.

The sad part is she is not only looking for that comfort but she is all the sudden petrified of the dark. We tried leaving her light on, her door open and she still screams and says she's afraid. It breaks my heart but we can't keep falling asleep with her. Even when we do this she'll wake up at 4 am or earlier sometimes and start to cry and will do it a few times a night and ask her door be open, the light on, etc. It's exhausting for both me and DH and her and I see the fear in her eyes.

Any suggestions? She has a night light, she had her blankie, sometimes we leave the light on even...I just don't know what to do anymore and she keeps waking up her little brother.

Re: Desperate for sleep help for my 2 1/2 year old

DS went through a terrible sleep pattern recently (he's about the same age.) He was waking up nightly and coming into our room, begging is to come into his, etc... It was BAD. I just started talking to him before he went to bed about how this was his room and mommy and daddy have their own room where they sleep. I would tell him that I didn't expect to see him until it was morning. And if he did wake up and try to sneak into our bed, I would get right up and bring him back to his room and tuck him back in. There was a little but of screaming some nights, but he got it. And he's back in his own room- thank God!! He won't even walk out anymore. He'll stand at the door and call for me to let him out.

Re: Desperate for sleep help for my 2 1/2 year old

Re: Desperate for sleep help for my 2 1/2 year old

Posted by 2kids2cats

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I tried that too - talking to her about it, letting her bring a new toy from the playroom with her. It's gotten so bad this new fear of hers of being alone that she naps on the couch now and not her room and doesn't want me or whoever is in a room with her to leave her alone in any room. I know she's truly afraid, I just don't know how to fix it. She cried to my mother who watches her this week "don't close the door" thinking she was going to lock her in the room or something. My mom thinks me and DH traumatized her somehow. Do they get nightmares at this age?

Re: Desperate for sleep help for my 2 1/2 year old

Bumping for more advice!