I have a 2 1/2 year-old daughter who has never been able to tell the difference between a small issue and a horrible injury. Every night at bedtime she screams for up to an hour, blood curdling screams we worry the neighbors will hear. Now she is talking she has taken to pleading and saying “NO DADDY NO, I’M SCARED!” It is heart wrenching and I go to sleep every night hating myself. She has never been able to fall asleep with us in the room comforting her, and she can’t sleep with us because I have to get up early in the morning. We are currently waiting to get her into occupational therapy, and further evaluations. My wife and I are both incredibly stressed by the situation, and we don’t know what to do.

Any suggestions for the night time dilemma are desperately needed.

Thanks so much,

JMiles

Ask her why she's scared, if she can't tell you verbally use other methods like drawing, to understand why she's so scared. When I was kid I used to fear falling asleep alone, because I hated to sleep when I was cold, it hurt my bones and made me feel like I was going to die. I feared that if I slept without heat next to me, I'd lose heat and die in my sleep. Granted as an adult now telling my mom way I forced her to sleep next to me was... I understand why that was unreasonable, however, as a child it felt real to me. Then work on ways to make her as comfortable as she can be so she can sleep. Maybe try out different things, like for me, I have to be surrounded by stuffed animals. Feeling something against my back helps me sleep. I also need a thick blanket, so figure that out for her. Try different things, like using stuffed animals, or blankets, or one of those sleep sound things that makes static noises to relax, or even smells. Use her sense to comfort her, by understanding what those comforts are. Instead of making it the enemy, make it a tool to help her. When she gets older things might change, but for now do what you can to comfort her at her age.