How do you handle toddler MOTN wakeups?

[vtdiamond]

I feel like we're clueless on how to handle MOTN wake ups now that the kids are toddlers. 

When they were babies it was pretty easy, we just gave them a bottle and/or rocked them and they went back to sleep pretty easily.  Now, as toddlers rocking or really picking them up is kind of out as they just wiggle in our arms and try to get down and play or poke our face. 

DS has this pattern of waking up crying and will then stand up in his crib and start throwing his pacifiers and loveys out.  So we will usually go in and check him and pick up the stuff, put it back in and then lie him down and rub his back for a bit. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn't and we'll then just let him CIO.  We were away this weekend, and I ended up in his room for over an hour shushing and rubbing his back as there were other people close by that I felt bad keeping awake with his nonsense. He also shares a room with his twin sister, who sleeps through most of it, but will wake up if it drags on for too long.

So, how do you all handle wake ups with toddlers?

[Narwhal]

My boys are now in beds, but, whenever they wake up (which is usually at least once a night) we go in, give them a 2 second hug, lay them down, say something like "it's time to be sleeping. I love you. Goodnight" or something short and similar and then leave. I'm in the room for less than 30 seconds. If they start to cry again, I wait 3-5 mins and do the exact same thing. Over and over and over. Hahaha. But my boys are quick to take a mile if you give them a millimeter, so we are pretty strict about no motn interaction unless they are sick.
Sleep issues are so hard. Good luck!

[snshne322]

We would tell DS that we have 2 or 3 minutes to sit/snuggle and then he'd have to go back to bed. It seemed to get him the settling or comforting time that he needed. It worked most of the time. And we just phased it out over time.

[Narwhal]

I've also been doing the above. They love back scratches and will ask for one motn. I say "I'm scratching for 1 min and then mom is going to sleep" and usually they will settle and go to sleep after. But this is a new development with them

[ktw]

If it's the first night of her waking up, we go in, make sure nothing is wrong, give medicine if we suspect she's sick/teething, rock her for 2-3 minutes and then tell her it's night time and we all need to go to sleep. She usually settles right down, but if not, we'll let her CIO for a while (assuming she's not sick or in pain). If it's night 2 in a row of waking up, we do the same. If it's been happening multiple nights in a row, and we don't think there's anything wrong with her, we might tell her before bed that Mommy and Daddy aren't coming back until your light turns green in the morning, and that we will be home the whole time, but we're just too tired to get out of bed unless something is really wrong. This may seem mean, but if we get in the habit of getting up and rocking her in the MOTN, she will continue to do it every night.

[vtdiamond]

Thanks all, sounds like what we're doing. We go in, pick the stuff up that he threw, lie him down, rub his back and tell him it's night night time still. I'm just thrown off because sometimes it works and he goes right to bed but other times it doesn't work and he'll cry for a while longer, ugh.

[SJ]

We moved into the new house on Saturday and simultaneously ditched the crib, so I have been a bit more lenient the last few nights.

I will go in, hold her hand or lay down with her (yes, pregnant mommy and toddler on a crib mattress), etc.

Generally, we don't do that- we just replace her nighttime "stuff", make sure she has agua if she wants it, and tuck her in again. We will change the song if she wants (she has a Sonos in her room that plays nursery rhyme lullabies)

[noodleoo]

Ugh, I'm worried about this. DD used to STTN but has been waking up randomly MOTN lately. No consistent time, it will be anywhere form 1 am to 4 am. The only thing that gets her back to sleep is nursing, but I want to wean soon. She's 13 months so I don't know what to do once I wean. Sigh. I'm really worried I'm creating a night waking habit by nursing. 

[DarcyLongfellow]

It depends on if she's really upset (bad dream, cold, feeling sick) or if she's just trying to get out of bed.

I still pick her up and rock her in the glider if she seems upset. If she keeps trying to get down or play, then I tell her she must not be that upset, so I'll put her back in her crib.

If she is just insistent on getting up to play or sleep in DH's and my bed, then I'll let her CIO.

[broadsheet]

Take my advice with a grain of salt because DD2 is 19 months and still doesn't STTN reliably....

I look on the monitor and see if she's standing. If so, I go in and do a butt sniff, then look around and find her pacifier and try to settle her down by saying stuff like, "Lay down, it's time to sleep, night night," etc.

If she's still going absolute batshit crazy, I'll go get her a sippy cup of milk. Which is probably compounding the problem but she does fall back asleep afterward!

[sillygoosegirl]

If she is having trouble getting back to sleep on her own, we assume she is in pain and give Ibuprofen. That normally does the trick.

[matildasun]

We have always just brought them to bed with us.