A 2-year-old child does not sleep well at night: reasons, what to do?

Night sleep is very important for each of us. And this is especially true when a small child appears in the family. This is where the sleepless nights begin, affecting every member of the family. At first, the baby wakes up often to eat. Then tummy problems begin. After five months, profuse drooling marks the beginning of tooth growth. This is accompanied by a new portion of nightly hysterics. Finally, the baby is one, one and a half, two years old, but the nightly festivities continue. By this time, parents usually cannot stand it and seek help from a doctor. Let's look at the reasons behind this and what parents can do to get the long-awaited vacation.

Sleep duration

This is an even more significant factor. Parents should be concerned if their baby spends less than 14 hours sleeping. That is, you should pay attention not to how many times the child wakes up, but to the total duration. Most often this happens for the following reasons:

The child is hot or cold.
He was hungry.
My tummy is bothered.
Breathing is impaired due to the development of a runny nose.

Babies often wake themselves up with spontaneous movements of their arms and legs. It’s not for nothing that swaddling was practiced in the past.

From six months to two years

It would seem that you just need to survive a few months, and everything will return to normal. But when a child at 2 years old does not sleep well at night, exhausted parents begin to sound the alarm. What leads to this? The baby's motor activity gradually increases. He learns so many new things in a day that his nervous system becomes overloaded. New skills haunt him even at night. After all, our brain is designed in such a way that it does not rest, but constantly analyzes information.

Rapid growth of teeth, and then bones, leads to calcium deficiency. As a result, this is manifested by increased excitability. Very often, at 2 years old, a child does not sleep well at night precisely for this reason. At this age, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician about adding calcium and vitamin D supplements to your diet.

Causes of poor sleep

Around the age of two, the child switches to one nap during the day and sleeps peacefully throughout the night, without waking up for snacks. But sometimes there are interruptions in sleep, be it night or daytime sleep.

It is often much easier to understand the cause and eliminate it at this age, because the baby himself can tell or show what hurts or bothers him. If a child at this age continues to sleep poorly, takes a long time to fall asleep, or is capricious in the middle of the night, this indicates more serious problems that require medical diagnosis and treatment.

Also, a child may have trouble falling asleep and having poor sleep for the following reasons:

Heredity. Often the cause of poor sleep in two-year-old children is hereditary diseases, which only an experienced specialist in this field can help cope with.
Stress, fear, and emotional fatigue can also cause a child to have trouble falling asleep. Try not to subject your child to such tests and not to over-walk him, playing active games before bedtime.
A failure in the baby's routine is often accompanied by a long time to fall asleep and poor sleep for the baby.
The cause may also be a feeling of hunger, cold, heat or other physical factors.
Weaning (many women can feed their children up to 4 years old) is stressful for the baby, which is accompanied by poor sleep.
Late hearty dinner. Many adults know for themselves that it is difficult to fall asleep soundly on a full stomach. And children react to such changes even more strongly than adults.
Bruxism is a syndrome in which a child clenches his teeth tightly, starting to grind them violently, and his heartbeat and breathing rhythms change. Many are inclined to the theory that worms may be the cause of this. But modern medicine has proven that, most likely, the consequence of such behavior in sleep is disorders in the nervous system, when the facial muscles cannot relax even during sleep.
Respiratory arrest, which may be associated with ENT diseases (adenoids, colds, runny nose, tonsils). Also, the cause of breathing problems may be the child's excess weight.
Change of usual environment. Often, when visiting, a two-year-old child feels a change in his usual environment, especially if his mother is not around, and reacts to this not only by poor sleep, but also by refusal to eat, hysteria, and withdrawal. If such phenomena are observed every time you go on an overnight visit, give up such experiments on the child’s psyche, because each such stress weakens the baby’s still unstable nervous system.

Read: Mode for a 4-year-old child

The child grows - the problems do not end

Let's go back a little. If a child (1-2 years old) does not sleep well at night, then the reasons here are also quite understandable. It is necessary to analyze your diet; a lack of important nutrients will quickly lead to sleep disturbances. But here it should be noted that the duration of sleep decreases noticeably. Don't expect your baby to continue to go to bed twice during the day. He has so many tasks to study the world that he simply has no time to sleep.

Most often, after 1-2 years, children switch to one-time sleep. If your baby begins to go to bed later and rolls around in his bed for a long time, then you need to think about the fact that he spends too much time sleeping during the day. It's time to gradually wean off the habit of eating at night. You can give him some water to drink and put him back to sleep. If this is not done now, then mom will have to struggle with the whims of the night for a long time. If at 2 years old a child does not sleep well at night, it is quite possible that this is precisely because his mother did not wean him off night snacks.

When to see a doctor?

Often children do not fall asleep well for known reasons, and eliminating the cause of the baby’s poor sleep also eliminates its consequence – poor sleep.

But some causes of sleep disturbance in children cannot go away on their own and require pediatric intervention. What changes in a child’s behavior should you pay special attention to and consult a doctor?

Sleep disturbance and difficulty falling asleep:

Combined with interruptions, holding your breath during sleep;
Accompanied by enuresis;
In addition to poor sleep, other changes in the baby’s mood and mental behavior are observed;
Bruxism
Sleepwalking
Trembling (may be a symptom of the development of epilepsy).

Two years and older

In the first years of life, there is nothing to worry about when a child does not sleep well at night. This is due to physiological characteristics. This is more likely to be the norm than a pathology. No wonder people say it will outgrow it. But time passes and nothing changes. The teeth have grown, the digestive system has fully matured, but there is still no long-awaited peace. If the baby is sick, he can tell about it himself.

If a 2-year-old child does not sleep well at night, the reason often lies not in physiological, but in psychological discomfort. It is necessary to pay attention to what surrounds the child. For example, he is stressed about going to kindergarten. Talk to the teachers and find out how the child feels in the group. If at 2 years old a child sleeps poorly at night and wakes up very often, then perhaps he feels unprotected. Or he perceives the environment as hostile: parents argue, do not pay attention to the child, speak in a raised voice.

Causes of insomnia in children under 2 years old

To understand how to come to the aid of your child with sleep disorders, whether to seek advice from a pediatrician or neurologist, you need to pay attention to the causes of the disorders. Conventionally, they are divided into physiological and psychological.

Causes of physiological origin

When a child sleeps poorly at night at 2 years old, this is not always evidence that pathologies are present in the child’s body. This is why treatment is only required in certain situations.

Physiological factors associated with the characteristics of the child’s body include the following:

Conditions for sleeping

The little one has developed insomnia, he takes a long time to go to bed, cries when falling asleep and waking up at night due to the fact that there are no comfortable conditions for sleeping in his room. This may concern various components. For example, the temperature in the room that is optimal for a baby is not in the recommended range of 20 to 22 degrees Celsius.

A baby can doze lightly at two years old because adults have chosen the wrong bedding. For example, a down pillow can trigger an allergic reaction, and a bed that creaks can interfere with a good night's rest. Synthetic textiles in clothing and bedding do not allow the body to breathe freely and evaporate sweat.

Bright lighting in the nursery is also considered improper conditions. Light can come in through a window or from the living room. This is why adults should purchase blackout curtains and close the door well.

Teething

At 2 years old, children may still be teething. This is accompanied by painful sensations that cause discomfort and sleep disturbances. At this time, the baby may whine, roar, and spin around in his sleep.

Feeding and activity schedule

Disturbances in the usual way of life lead to the fact that a two-year-old child faces the problem of disturbed sleep and may often wake up, requiring feeding or communication. A toddler can wake up in the middle of the night because adults are constantly violating the daily routine recommended for this age.

That is why during the first year of life you should stick to feeding and bathing at the same time. In the evenings, it is better to follow the established ritual. Active games and loud conversations with the baby stop after 17:00. The best time to go to bed at night is between 19-21 hours.

Therefore, by the late hour, any activity is excluded. The child’s routine is formed naturally and unnoticed by him. This is how the body independently adapts to a certain rhythm without the use of medication.

Weather

Physiological features that explain why a 2-year-old baby sleeps lightly in the dark are sometimes explained by weather dependence. This is not a very common reason, but sometimes it does occur.

Mom and dad should monitor the connection with weather changes and the peculiarities of their child’s immersion in sleep. To ensure accurate observations, you should monitor the barometer.

Illness and fatigue

Various ailments and resulting overwork can lead to poor sleep in a two-year-old baby. The reasons for this situation are also interconnected with physiology. For example, due to infections and colds, a baby may begin to toss and turn in the crib for a long time and often wake up. The dream turns into a superficial one.

The baby reacts to even the slightest sounds by shuddering and waking up, trying to get out of bed. Adults are concerned if their baby is outwardly absolutely healthy, but at the same time has trouble falling asleep, is capricious, and suffers from a lack of appetite. There may be a relationship with digestive problems and intestinal colic.

In such situations, they resort to massaging the tummy and give activated charcoal to drink in order to remove harmful substances from the body as much as possible. The child should simply get rid of the disease. But do not forget that after any illness there is a recovery period (about 2 weeks).

Mom and dad are trying to figure out why the two-year-old toddler has trouble falling asleep.

The normal duration of sleep for this age period corresponds to an indicator equal to 12-13 hours during the day. Of these, 2-3 hours are spent on daytime rest. If there are deviations to a greater or lesser extent, you must visit a specialist, since it is impossible to diagnose the problem yourself.

Factors of a psychological nature

Deviations in the functioning of the nervous system, arising due to high emotional stress, anxiety, unfavorable home environment, as well as due to age-related reasons, are also considered a factor that explains why a two-year-old child does not rest well at night:

Images and thoughts

The age from one to four is considered a difficult period in terms of how a child falls asleep. This stage is characterized by a change in biological rhythm. In addition, a 2-year-old child does not sleep well because he develops childhood phobias and fears.

These include fear of the dark, negative fairy-tale characters, certain objects and toys, paintings and other visual images. The baby dozes lightly during the night, can roll around in the crib for a long time, and moan. Experienced mothers and experts in the field of psychology advise not to keep large toys in the nursery, and not to use wallpaper with three-dimensional patterns in the interior.

The design of the room should be as calm as possible, decorated in a warm tone, without fancy patterns or pictures on the walls. The color scheme is not too bright and harsh on the eyes.

Daytime emotions

With a normal lifestyle, the child is active on days full of events, such as playing outdoors or visiting the pool or circus. The emotions he receives affect the psyche and cause nervous overexcitation, which provokes insomnia.

This means that after such a bright day the baby sleeps poorly and restlessly for several nights. The lack of rest in the dark can explain a slight disruption in the child’s biorhythms. Such things go away on their own, since the child’s body has the ability to self-heal.

Nightmares

Two-year-old children often face a problem that disturbs their night sleep, such as a nightmare. Often recurring nightmares are accompanied by the baby waking up crying and screaming. After a bad night, the child behaves irritably and capriciously during the day.

Increased nervousness further worsens the sleep situation. If nightmares rarely bother a child, parents have no reason to be very worried. However, their regular appearance requires seeking medical help. In such cases, you need to consult a neurologist and child psychologist.

Fear of loneliness

Children two years old often suffer from the fear of being left alone. Such children do not sleep well in the nursery; they require the presence of their mother for a normal night's rest and begin to cry if she leaves the room.

This difficulty is observed in children due to the established habit of sleeping with their parents, who did not start teaching the child to be independent in time.

Adults should take care to create a comfortable sleeping place for the baby (the presence of toys, a design that is pleasant for the baby, suitable temperature indicators in the nursery), where he could rest normally in the dark without the presence of mom and dad.

Baby's temperament

The child's temperamental characteristics are also a factor leading to sleep disturbances. A child’s character tends to be formed at an early age, so a two-year-old baby already has its own traits and temperamental characteristics. A consultation with a child psychologist can help in such a situation.

Familiar surroundings

Another reason that causes insomnia to occur is a change in the usual environment. We are talking about a possible move to a new place of residence or even renovation or change of decor in the nursery. This is normal, soon the baby will get used to his surroundings and his sleep will improve.

Jealousy

If another child appears in the family, then the eldest has a huge number of reasons for frustration. Of course, his mother now belongs not only to him, but also to a small, restless bundle. If, after the mother’s discharge from the maternity hospital, the eldest child (2 years old) does not sleep well at night and wakes up, then he is simply worried that he has lost the love of his parents. The best option would be to redistribute roles in the family so that the mother can rest and the eldest does not suffer from lack of attention.

The situation will soon return to normal, you just have to get over it. Let dad study with the baby in the evenings, and mom go for a walk with the older one. Or you can take a stroller and let him push his brother or sister. This way he will quickly understand the privilege of his position as a senior.

How can I help you

If your child wakes up at night and cries because he is afraid of the dark, leave the lamp on

How to deal with the fact that a 2-year-old child wakes up at night and sometimes also cries? First of all, you need to understand why this is happening, and only then direct your actions to solve the current problem.

If the baby wakes up at night due to an overabundance of active games immediately before going to bed, it is necessary to change his daily routine - leaving quiet activities for the evening hours.
Before the baby goes to bed, ventilate the room, make sure the optimal level of temperature and humidity in the room (so on average 19 degrees and 65% will be comfortable, respectively).
The last feeding should be both nourishing and light; the baby should not go to bed hungry, but he should not go to bed with a full stomach.
If the baby is scared because he is in the dark when he wakes up (and therefore cries bitterly), then make sure to turn on the lamp or light in the corridor.
It is possible that the toddler’s bed is in the wrong place, try rearranging it - it might help.
Walking in the fresh air also promotes healthy, sound sleep, especially in the evening.
Make sure your baby has comfortable bedding, pajamas, a good mattress, and a breathable diaper.
If you suspect that crying in the middle of the night is a sign of illness, consult a doctor.
Avoid scandals in the presence of a child.
You can give the most impressionable baby a soft toy, which you can entrust with the task of protecting the baby’s sleep.
A very restless child can take a bath with calming herbs just before bedtime.
If the problem is a lack of calcium in the body, the doctor will prescribe taking a drug of this microelement.
If you cannot find out the cause on your own, and no visible pathology has been identified, you can contact a child psychologist.

Films and fairy tales

If in Soviet times we could watch one cartoon in the evening, today we can watch cartoons almost the whole day. There are telephones, computers, televisions. When a child is passionate about cartoons, an adult can mind his own business. It is very comfortable. But if at 2 years old a child sleeps poorly at night and cries, then it makes sense to limit the amount of time he spends near a blue screen.

Often, after watching a cartoon, children develop fears and nightmares. This is due to high impressionability; the children do not yet know how to distinguish reality from the fiction that the cartoon presents. What do we have to do? Spend more time outdoors, on the sports ground, and limit spending time near the TV. Then both parents and child will sleep peacefully.

The child used to sleep well, but then stopped

Often young parents come to the pediatrician with just such a request. In infancy, the baby slept well and was calm. But then something changed. After a year, long periods of motion sickness and refusal to lie down in my bed began. After he falls asleep, a quick awakening follows. It would seem that all childhood problems are already behind us, why is it that even at 2 years old the child does not sleep well at night and cries.

There are two reasons for this:

Physiological. The child is growing up. Now mothers can already note that he doesn’t get bored, he just doesn’t have time. You need to explore the world, search all the closets, draw a sun and assemble a construction set. That is, he has no time to sleep during the day, and by the evening he is overtired. But this is one moment. Secondly, the child simply has no time to eat. In the evening, fatigue accumulates, and at night the child wakes up in order to finish what he did not have time to eat during the day.
Pedagogical. That’s what we’ll talk about now in more detail.

Causes

Eating a large meal shortly before bedtime can cause waking up at night with tears.
The fact that a child (2 years old) wakes up at night may be due to a number of factors:

physiological needs - the baby may be hungry or thirsty, this also applies to the desire to go to the toilet;
strong emotions that the child experienced during the day;
feeling of pain;
the baby may wake up if he slept a lot during the day or was put to bed too early;
the child wakes up and begins to cry a lot if something frightened him or had a bad dream;
the mother’s well-being and emotional state can have a great influence on the baby’s healthy sleep;
onset of an infectious disease;
A toddler may wake up and cry if he is affected by any external factors, in particular a loud sound or bright lighting;
feeling of discomfort due to uncomfortable clothes or tight pants;
lack of proper daily routine;
hormonal imbalance;
poor nutrition - perhaps the baby eats too much before bed or eats foods that cause undesirable reactions in the digestive organs, in particular increased gas formation, colic;
disease of the cardiovascular system;
if the toddler’s crib is in a separate room, the reason for crying at night may be a simple fear of being alone or fear of being in the dark;
the baby may wake up due to strong stuffiness in the room;
experienced stress - the presence of parental scandals or childhood experiences, anxiety (for example, because of the first trip to kindergarten);
lack of calcium in the body;
problems of a psychological or neurological nature.

Sleep schedule and order

So, what should you do if your 2-year-old child doesn’t sleep well at night? We discussed the reasons above; each parent can analyze and apply to their own situation. And then we need to act. It is extremely important to debug the regime. No matter what the cause of your sleep problems, going to bed and getting up at the same time is a very important habit that will greatly help.

Often inexperienced parents try to adapt sleep to suit the child. If the baby got up at 6 am today, then tomorrow the alarm clock is set for the same time. In fact, this is not necessary at all. There is no need to jump up at first light and run for a walk. Adjust your baby's routine to suit your family's routine. If you are used to going to bed at 23:00 and getting up at 09:00, then teach your child to this schedule.

This is important even for prevention, but if a 2-year-old child does not sleep well at night, then this becomes simply a necessary rule. An hour before bedtime, it is recommended to give your child a bath, dim the lights, and read a book. That is, to make the transition to sleep smoother. At the appropriate time, even if the child has not yet fallen asleep, he must go to bed. If the baby starts crying, you should go up to him, talk, give him his favorite toy and wish him good night.

Side effects of medications

Despite the harmlessness of some drugs and the fact that they are sold in many pharmacies without a prescription, remember that each medicine has its own contraindications and side effects. Therefore, taking any medications without medical supervision is extremely dangerous.

In addition, long-term use of sedative sleeping pills can cause addiction in the baby. And an overdose of drugs causes headaches, lethargy, and drowsiness even during daytime wakefulness.

In addition to the recommendations that need to be followed at night, it is important to remember that the child has a lot of energy, which he is physiologically instructed to spend somewhere. If he sits immobilized for half a day near the TV, watching cartoons, the energy will not go anywhere. Therefore, do not be surprised if your baby has trouble sleeping after this. But if the baby actively runs, jumps and plays in the fresh air all day, then his sleep will be sound and healthy.

Therefore, before you run to the doctors and stuff your baby with medications and various herbs, you need to reconsider your attitude regarding the type of wakefulness of the baby.

Video from Dr. Komarovsky about the rules of children's sleep:

11 Oct 2021 Valeria 433

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Discussion: 3 comments

Anna:
10/21/2017 at 02:42
It seems to me that there is only one reason for my child’s poor sleep - the heating in the apartment. You have to ventilate the room often and buy a humidifier. This was enough to improve my sleep.
Answer
Anna:
05.11.2017 at 04:04
I often hear that the problem of poor sleep can be nervous tension. In this case, you shouldn’t play active games before going to bed; it’s better to take a walk in the fresh air, and then relax in a warm bath with lavender oils, for example.
Answer
Tatiana:
06/24/2019 at 18:05
Yes this is true. When I was 14 years old, I gave Valocordin to my daughter for 2 weeks, 10 drops 2 times a day. Everything is back to normal
Answer

Where and with whom to sleep

Very often, if at the age of 2 a child begins to sleep poorly at night, he smoothly moves into bed with his parents. Of course, this gives mom the opportunity to get some sleep. What do pediatricians advise? Should you take your baby into your parents' bed? Most of them believe that this is an acceptable solution, but do not welcome it. If your baby flatly refuses to sleep, and you no longer have the strength to cope with the whims of the night, then try one of the following options:

The baby sleeps directly next to his mother. This option is often chosen by mothers who continue breastfeeding. In this case, you don’t even need to ask why a 2-year-old child doesn’t sleep well at night. It is necessary to eliminate night feeding, the child is already quite big.
The crib is in the same room as the parent's. He sleeps next to her, but still separately. This option is preferable.

However, after three years, it is necessary to move the crib to the nursery.

It is necessary to control daytime rest

It is very convenient when the baby sleeps for a long time during the day, the mother has a lot of time to finish things. But do not be surprised, in this case, that at 2 years old the child sleeps very poorly at night. Each age stage has its own sleep needs. If at 6 months it is 15 hours, but at 2 years it is no more than 13 hours. Take this into account. If the baby slept for a long time during the day, then it is not surprising that at night he does not want to sleep at all. Therefore, you should not be afraid to wake up your child if you see that enough time has passed since he fell asleep. In some cases, pediatricians recommend not putting the baby to sleep during the day. Then, having run for a day, he will definitely fall asleep on time.

Two years is a special age

Children aged 2 years need 11 hours of sleep at night and 2 hours during the day. If the child did not sleep during the day, then the daily norm must be “raised” at night. The time during which the baby is awake, plays, eats, walks, and gets ready for bed is 6 hours.

At 2 years old, a number of changes occur in a little person. He is already well developed physically - he confidently walks, runs, jumps, and happily overcomes obstacles on the playground. The child masters riding a bicycle or scooter, receiving a lot of impressions at this moment. He is able to communicate with peers and adults, his vocabulary is growing.

At the age of 2 years, a little person strives to push the boundaries of what is permitted. He tries to get out of bed and go play, checking what his mother will do. At this age, a child is characterized by increased pedantry: to do only as he decided, so daily rituals must be carried out strictly.

The period of complete denial of all proposals occurs at 2 years of age.

This time must be experienced, gradually the childish “No!” sounds less and less often.

It seems that the baby is becoming independent, he can go to bed and fall asleep. But he is not yet capable of such responsibility. If he, like a baby, has difficulty falling asleep at night, he will need his mother’s presence and her usual rituals - a lullaby, a fairy tale, gentle stroking.

Feeding mode

This can also cause a 2-year-old child to have difficulty sleeping at night. Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician today, speaks very categorically that a child over 6 months no longer needs night feedings. From this time on, it is necessary to finally wean him off feeding on demand. But often children at the age of two continue to sleep with their mother and use the breast instead of a pacifier. The more parents practice rocking and night sucking, the more the baby demands it. And in the evening, feed him something more satisfying so that he sleeps more soundly.

Busy day

This is a direct recommendation for those who even at 2.5 years old have trouble sleeping at night. It is quite possible that you are replacing your daily activity by watching cartoons and TV shows. In this case, the brain and nervous system are overloaded with excess information and bright, flashing frames in the evening. But the muscles did not experience any stress at all, so the body could not get tired. As a result, what we get is that the child simply cannot sleep. It is in outdoor games that he can live and “discharge” his emotions.

You definitely need to take a lot of long walks with your children. Moreover, it is best if you reschedule these events for the first half of the day. But the evening time is best occupied with quiet games. Such a balanced schedule allows you to develop evenly physically and mentally.

Temperature in the nursery

If at 2 years old a child does not sleep well at night and screams, it is necessary to check the indicators of the devices. Equip the room with a thermometer and a humidifier, and monitor the readings of the devices every day. The nursery must have cool and humid air. This promotes good falling asleep and sound sleep. In the nursery there should be no more than 18-20 degrees and at least 50% humidity. It is very important to ventilate the room well before going to bed. From the first days of your baby’s life, teach him to sleep with the window open.

Agree, not all parents follow these recommendations. Most of us try to close all the windows, exclude the slightest draft, and also put on warm pajamas and cover with a blanket. Of course, such a dream will be superficial.

Choose quality diapers

Today, almost no one gets up at night to change wet diapers. Diapers completely solved this problem. But another one came. Today, dozens of companies are engaged in the production of these baby hygiene items. As a result, some products are of high quality, while others are made from cheap materials. Accordingly, good diapers absorb liquid perfectly and allow you to maintain a comfortable sleep throughout the night.

When you start noticing that the diaper is completely dry in the morning, you can stop using them. For some this happens by the age of two, for others only by three. This is considered the norm. Soon the brain will learn to recognize signals from the excretory system and will begin to wake the child in the middle of the night. At first, you can place the potty in the bedroom so that a sleepy baby does not get to the toilet through the corridor.