The Sleep Tug-a-War

We are the parents and he is the child.

We are the parents and he is the child.

This is the mantra I keep repeating to myself at 3:00 in the morning as our darling 2 year old son wakes...again.

I know this is all part of it, the sleeplessness, the boundary testing, the constant pushing of mommy and daddy's sleep buttons, but when will it all end?!! We are getting to the end of our ropes and I'm  not sure what to do!

Ever since he was 2 months old, we have had the same bedtime routine: bath, bottle, book, and bed. Nothing new, nothing strange, although the time he actually goes to bed varies anywhere from 8:00 to 9:30 depending on the days events. Getting him to go to sleep in his own bed on his own is not the problem...getting him to STAY asleep in his own bed is the problem.

Like clockwork, almost every night, at around 3:00 am, he stirs. In an effort to just get some sleep, we would take him into our bed and he would normally fall back asleep. Sometimes we would put him back in his own bed, sometimes he would sleep the remainder of the night in our bed. That worked for a while.

I feel like, he's two, he's capable of sleeping in his own bed throughout the whole night. This is the goal we are trying to achieve.

Now, not only is he now waking at 3:00 am, he won't fall back asleep until 5:30 or 6:00!

When he wakes up now, I go to his bedroom and try and calm him down by either rubbing his back, or playing with his hair, or singing a little lullaby. This normally last for about 5 minutes then I leave again. I don't really want him getting to used to me 'petting' him to calm him down. After I leave, the fun begins. He roots, he cries, he sniffles, he laughs...everything but sleep!

Our bedroom is right next to his so we hear everything! As a result, neither Jamie nor I can get any sleep (Jamie is more-so bothered by the noise than me), but none the less, no one in the house is sleeping.

What are we doing wrong? What else can we do? Is there any end to this sleep torture?!

I'm sorry if I sound like I am at my wits end about this, but I am. And I'm also very tired...all the time!.

Any advice?