Is it normal that my niece wakes up every night to cry???

Something's up, night terrors, seperation anxiety, or even worst the baby could be a victim of abuse.

Normally the body goes through 90 minute cycles between light and deep sleep. These cycles are accented by REM at the lightest points. Normally the body can go through several cycles before being interrupted (usually 4-6 hours). Naturally toddlers want to play and don't find much reason to sleep, so when her sleep ends at 3 am after 6 hours of cycles and she decides that "sleepy time" has ended. it's completely normal. Now if for some reason it was obviously affecting her health you should see a doctor about it.

Thank you for the advice.. I'm
Def going to try it... It's been hard waking up at 3 and then not being able to sleep till about 5 then waking again at 8... If u have anymore advice in dealing with 2yr olds I would love it... I'm not a mommy just and auntie so I have no clue how to handle things...

Joybird, that's a good idea...to an extent. It depends on what the child is waking up from. If it's just for attention, then yes that would work. But if she has a problem with night terrors, sleep walking or talking, definitely not going to work. You can't pattern a kid into not having night terrors or sleeping problems.

Unfortunately, it's perfectly normal :o( You do have a clue as that time of the night is the coldest, so if you could cover her up on your way to bed it might help her. She just needs to know there's someone there. If you watch Supernanny programmes they show you how to settle kids by not speaking to them, as they go on and on while they are getting attention - good or bad.

This takes about 4 nights to a week but you could try it.
1. When she wakens turn on a night light and don't speak to her but listen to what she wants. Get her what she wants.
2. Lie her back down with your hand on her back or holding her hand, so she knows that you are there.
3. BUT sit beside her bed / cot and put your head down and ignore her. NEVER speak or LOOK at her to check if she's asleep or it becomes a game.
4. You will hear by her breathing when she's gone over to sleep. She is still tired but she will fall asleep out of boredom if she can't generate a reaction from you. You can then slip out of the room.

Get a nap yourself if you're expecting this because if you're tired or frustrated you will forget and she will get a reaction out of you.

When it comes to disciplining kids I always tell my friends to pretend they're angry, long before they actually are, so that they can deal with the kids calmly. Children want to find your limits and then push you beyond them!!

This is normal to an extent. My now 7 yr old daughter did the same thing. She had night terrors and would accompany that with sleep walking or just not making any sense. She will grow out of it as did my daughter. It makes it rough and the lack of sleep is not so fun, but it will subside with time. Main thing is to try and keep her calm, rub her back, lightly tickle her arms, sing, anything to soothe her. If she's thirsty, make her stay in bed and get her a small amount of water to drink to help calm her down. Good luck.

Careful of night terrors and presences in the house

There's a chance she'll keep doing this till she's 7