My toddler sleeps 4-5 hours a night

For about a month and a half now my 22 month old daughter wakes up during the night about every hour or so. She wakes up crying and thrashing her body about.  And I it takes me about 30 min each time to get her calm again. This happens every night. Pediatrician mentioned night terrors but that's been rules out. She gets an hour and a half nap at 12:30 everyday and goes to bed at 9:30 at night. She falls asleep easily on her own. This all started when we moved from crib to toddler bed. So I put her in bed with me so she wouldn't wake her twin brother. And it's been down hill ever since.  She acts like she wants to sleep at night. She acts mad that she's being awakened in the night. But something seems to be bothering her to keep her from sleeping. Please help!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your solution is at your fingertips. I don't want to be too hard on you, but you tried to fix something that was not broken. Your daughter should be sleeping in her crib. Return her to it. Many parents make this mistake - i.e., removing children from their cribs before it's necessary.

[higginsbl]

I didn't make myself clear. My son slept in a crib so I've just always referred to it as that but my daughter who's having this problem never would sleep in the crib. She has always slept in her pack-n-play which she has grown out of. But that's what she's been used to for almost two years . So I had to move her out of it

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I  should have mentioned that the episodes you describe are night terrors and these will lessen in frequency. She is very young to be in a toddler bed, but your description indicates that 'the horse has left the barn' in that regard. If you have no option except to continue her in the toddler bed, stick with it and do not permit her to be in your bed. That will create a 'monster' you do not want to create.

For any parents who happen to read this who are contemplating removing your child from the crib before the age of three (even later if you can do it), stop that impulse. Children have to reach the stage of having some decent impulse control before leaving their crib.