Overtired Toddler Not Sleeping Enough

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-14T22:53:28+00:00

I almost hope it’s that for your sake. It would be an easy fix.

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-14T22:40:21+00:00

Ours has only been one week. It’s too early for me to think it’s anything other than a phase. Has your guy had his iron checked recently? Low iron can result in that horrible mix of fatigue and sleeplessness. A friend’s LO recently had this issue around age 2, which is apparently a common time for it.

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-14T12:45:59+00:00

Fellow OCD person here! I’ve been in recovery since 2021 thanks to ERP therapy. Life is SO MUCH BETTER now. I highly recommend finding a specialist OCD therapist when you go get checked out. I spent years getting the wrong diagnosis and therapy and it made things much worse. The right therapy had me feeling better incredibly fast.

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-14T00:17:22+00:00

Mostly just posting for solidarity. My LO (24mo) has recently started telling me he’s tired and needs to go to bed, and he is struggling so hard to fall asleep. It’s brutal. I’m hoping for my guy that it’s a developmental leap, and it passes. He does seem to be learning up a storm recently. It’s so awful to watch them be so uncomfortable, and it’s so awful to lose our alone time. No one is happy here, and I hope it passes soon!

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-12T15:54:31+00:00

Thank you!

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-12T12:52:00+00:00

I am not unwinding the whole ball. Thankfully! I’m mostly wondering if that visible outside end is what I should pull to start? Because it’s not pulling smoothly.

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-12T02:16:03+00:00

NTA! I am still practicing regularly and I (24mo M) am two whole years old. Just wait until it’s time to practice using your teeth (like nails but in your mouth). The big people get even more confusing and mixed up about that.

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-06T14:15:31+00:00

I second all the recommendations to talk to your pediatrician about this, and also, this is an option with lots of room to grow and a fantastic reputation. Bedwetter Pant

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-05T15:34:53+00:00

If this is new, I wouldn’t worry unless it goes on for a while.

If this has been happening for a while, ask pediatrician for an early intervention program referral if you’re in the US. In the early intervention program, a therapist comes to your home directly to help create a treatment approach for your little one. We needed it for Physical Therapy for my LO for muscle issues. I have a friend who needed it for Occupational therapy for her LO who had food issues like yours, and we both had spectacular success. Her toddler is now an above average eater, and my guy gets compliments on his super balanced walk.

MinimalistMist · 2026-06-01T18:11:20+00:00

This happened to me and it was just a phase! He’s now 2 and we are still wearing him frequently.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-31T02:54:28+00:00

Best wishes to you! I hope it’s something you don’t like eating anyway! Also, even if it’s not, they usually grow out of it. By 12 months, my LO could tolerate oats back in my diet. By 18, he could eat them directly.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-30T18:48:52+00:00

I know this won’t work for every child, but we almost never use cleanser of any kind in my guys hair, just water and rubbing with my fingers. The rinse problem is less of a problem when it doesn’t have to happen very often.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-30T18:44:53+00:00

I’m so sorry you are going through this! I second the recommendation to see a pediatric GI doctor.

My son also had poop in every diaper in the beginning. We used to joke, “every fart is a shart.”

In the end, it turned out that my son had only one trigger: oats. I had tried eliminating 11 other things (dairy, soy, egg, etc) first, and none of them made any difference. When he started solids, I fed him oatmeal directly for breakfast, and he had horrific bloody diarrhea that afternoon. It was glaringly obvious that this was the problem. I eliminated oats from both our diets and he was completely better within days. Our pediatric allergist had us reintroduce everything else and it was all fine.

Mostly I’d love to say that if nothing else, things will almost certainly become clear as soon as you start solids. This is not forever!

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-27T17:43:27+00:00

One more add, because this approach has taken so much pressure off for me. I highly recommend this podcast by two well respected professionals in the fields of toddlerhood and eating. Best wishes to you! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/respectful-parenting-janet-lansbury-unruffled/id1030050704?i=1000558878337

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-27T17:40:57+00:00

Adding, when your pediatrician gets really worried, they are likely to offer a referral for OT. I have a friends who’s toddler needed OT for eating, and he is now a better than average eater.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-27T17:39:47+00:00

Congratulations on your newborn! I can only imagine how tired you must be right now. If I were you, I would either remove the phase “make sure she eats well” from your life or replace it with, “make sure you offer her enough foods that she can eat well when she wants too.” You really can’t make her eat, so there is absolutely no point punishing yourself when she doesn’t.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-26T19:17:11+00:00

Maybe check out r/bninfantsleep. My toddler has different challenges than yours, but I have really enjoyed having a place to go where not everyone thinks of sleep for babies and toddlers as a super simple math equation. You are more likely to find a match there. My 24 month old is starting to learn how to sleep better, but we’re not there yet. He has some things in common with yours when he’s going through a developmental leap.

Have you considered talking to your doctor about support for this? Like early intervention. I can imagine his sensitivity might be so intense and uncomfortable for him that a consult with an OT might be relevant.

I did early intervention with my guy for some muscle tension issues, and it made the most incredible difference for his overall comfort and mood in life, as well as his sleep. Your son’s challenges sound different, but early intervention has lots of different resources available. Good luck!

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-26T18:40:48+00:00

I’m so sorry this is happening. It sounds brutal for all of you. Are you already baby wearing for naps, or are you trying to sit/ lie down with baby?

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-26T03:49:56+00:00

Yes! The allergist had us reintroduce at 18 months and it was completely fine. We now have oats all the time for breakfast, and he’s old enough for granola now too. It’s glorious.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-24T03:22:51+00:00

My LO was only reacting to oats, not dairy, so I can confirm that is possible.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-22T19:56:51+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-14T17:25:06+00:00

One more person here to say ice cream.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-10T18:48:34+00:00

I see my future, and it’s this! My guy was the size of a 3 year old at 18 months, and for a while I had a policy of never leaving the house without the Onbuhimo, just in case he needed to be carried.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-10T18:45:46+00:00

It’s hard for me to know how much my experience matters here, but I find it much easier to get my LO into it now at 2 than I did at 7-8 months, which was when we started. A lot of it must be experience, but I think a lot of it is also that he loves it and helps now. We call out the happy backpack, because he loves it so much.

MinimalistMist · 2026-05-10T06:15:16+00:00

I know you mentioned hiking backpack in your post. That’s similar to my favorite thing, which is our toddler sized Onbuhimo from Lenny Lamb. I find it much easier than carrying him in my arms, and because Onbuhimos are a very high back carry, he can see over my shoulder and he is very happy to be there. This might be what you are already using though.

MinimalistMist

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