Hello!

My 2 yr old has suddenly become afraid of sleeping in her cot, and has started to climb out of it. I have lowered the front to prevent injury. She just won’t sleep. The only way she will sleep is sitting up on the lounge. I then transfer her to the cot and she wakes up yelling, jumps out and cries and yells and bangs on the door. This has happened the past two days, I’ve gotten no sleep. Literally only 4hrs. Not sure why or what to do. It’s like having a newborn haha


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  • Looks like it could be time to ditch the cot and transfer to a bed????


  • No advice but mine has just started doing the same. I just try to reassure and put back to sleep.


  • The moment a child can walk, the cot should go.
    Toddlers can feel abandoned during sleep time when left alone too. With mine I would tell her she was safe in her bed and I was only a few metres away at all times and I would come whenever she needed me. The first few nights she would call out 10 times in an hour and I would go every time and reiterate that I’m close by and she is safe. By the end of the week she would stay in bed, self soothe and only wake up in the morning.


  • Use ni8 light and kids sleep music will help


  • Read her a book let her play in her room get her used to the idea of sleeping in her room maybe a day sleep and a night light give her cuddles until she sleeps …?


  • Maybe your daughter doesn’t being confined into a space like a cot. You could try putting her into a bed with one side against the wall. Maybe she has developed an aversion to her door being shut too. I personally don’t like the door shut for safety reasons. If something goes wrong you need the door to be open. I am worried that if there is an electrical issue there is no smoke alarms in bedrooms because of air conditioning ducts. I sometimes mind children here that have their doors shut at home, Here I wait for them to go to sleep then just leave the door ajar. I can get to them much quicker if I need to and no risk of walking into a door,


  • Try a nightlight may be too dark for them


  • Try giving her a normal bed or sitting beside her and slowly moving further away each night


  • My daughter did the same thing it was time to transition into a normal bed with rail. That too had its issues with being able to get out of bed easily but it stopped the issue of not wanting to sleep.


  • Maybe she is ready for big bed- can you take side of the cot that she can climb and lay down if she wants. My other though is-maybe something happand and she is not feeling save? Got scared by closed door or room? Think about it…my 2yo son didnt sleep for a week (he saw and heard disagreements between my husband and my SIL) good luck…


  • I am going to put together the bed today , the cot transforms into a bed. She usually naps late in the afternoon. I might try dropping it. Thank you for your reply.


  • Maybe she’s ready for a big girl bed? My 2.5year old went through something similar for about 2months not to long ago, she is still waking early but she will sleep through the night. Otherwise does your little one still have a day nap? Maybe it is time to drop that?


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