How do I make her GO TO SLEEP???

[Thatchermom]

It is 11:56. DD has been in bed for almost 4 hours, and has not slept a minute. She is kicking her feet, making a racket, singing, rattling the bars of her crib. And not just tonight! This has been going on for about 3 weeks. She is going to bed happily, staying in bed, but making us all crazy and sleep-deprived. We have tried praising her when she does good, sticker rewards (she got all of one) everything we can think of. Once she is asleep she does great, and would happily sleep til about 10am after being up so late. We get her up at our usual time (older DS gets up for school) to try to keep her on track. She still naps once a day, about 1.5 hours, and does that great. Nothing about her situation has changed.

Am I missing something? What else can we do? Midnight is not an acceptable time for a 2 year old to fall asleep every day! (Which I believe she finally may have done while I typed this.) All I want for Christmas right now is a decent night to myself before bed!

[mom_hanna]

I would try getting rid of the nap. My dd would take naps willingly, but be up sometimes past when dh and I would go to bed. We got rid of the nap and she is asleep usually w/in 1/2 hour of us putting her to bed.

[bluestar2]

I would try getting rid of the nap. My dd would take naps willingly, but be up sometimes past when dh and I would go to bed. We got rid of the nap and she is asleep usually w/in 1/2 hour of us putting her to bed.

:yeahthat: I would also bump up her bedtime. GL

[caleymama]

At shortly after turning 2 we went through a tough time with DD2 and going to sleep. She just wasn't ready for bed at bedtime and would be up for hours - happily up for hours, much to our chagrin! I hate to say that the only thing that worked was eliminating her afternoon nap. Poof, back to being ready for bed at 7/7:30 and going right to sleep.

After figuring this out, if she did nap on a given day we would face the same tough bedtime.

[brittone2]

With the nap, that was DD (and DS was the same way at that age while napping). I let it go for a long time though because she would sleep in late in the morning, and was grouchy in the afternoon and *wanted* to nap. She was pleasant and happy after the nap, and up until 11-11:30 pm (sometimes a bit later). Her nap wasn't super late in the day...usually 1:30 or 2 and lasting for 2ish hours.

With DS, I gently encouraged him to give up the nap around age 3 and that helped. DD just dropped her nap around a month or two ago (a little shy of 3). For a week or two it was a little challenging, but now she's going to bed at 9-9:30 pm which I'm fine with (and sleeps in until about 9-9:30am).

eta: At just over 2, it might be hard to have her give up the nap, but it might be worth a try, even if it seems "early" for giving it up.

[wellyes]

My DD is the same way. It's frustrating. Giving up the nap is not an option - she is just as resistant to falling asleep during naptime (once per day) but when she does manage to skip the nap, she sleeps TERRIBLY..... moaning in her sleep and night-terrors several times.

The thing that works best is waking her up early - as early as possible. And we have to make sure she's getting tons of exercise - which is really tough this time of year in Boston. Luckily our family gym has a tumbling room and I take her there almost every day to just run around and chase balls and climb. That in the morning, plus a few rounds of "I'm gonna get you!" chase around the house in the afternoon is usually enough to help her sleep well. But we don't really have time to do that everyday.

On days when she's playing in her crib for hours, singing to herself, I just am happy that I'm lucky enough to have a kid who self-entertains so well. (I don't mean to sound neglectful, it's just that taking her out is definitely counterproductive and just prolongs things).

Anyway, good luck.

[carolinamama]

It may be a phase because she has just realized that she has control over when she sleeps and is forcing herself to stay awake or she may be ready to give up her nap. DS1 is like this and has been since around that age. We go through phases like this about every few months where it takes HOURS to go to sleep. And then he pops out of it.

Hope it gets better soon for your sake.

[lablover]

When both my kids started that phase I had to ditch the naps. I think DD was about 2 1/2. If that isn't an option, can you put her down for her nap earlier in the day?

[Thatchermom]

I truly fear days that we miss her nap! Last week we were running just a little late while doing errands and grocery shopping. I think every single person in the whole SuperWalmart was well aware that DD wanted her dolly, her wrap (sleepsack), and her bed, since she was repeatedly screaming that over and over again with tears running down her face while we were waiting in line to leave. I just can't imagine cutting it entirely! We'll give her some more time, but then maybe we'll have to go there. Yikes!

[HIU8]

DD is 2.5. I had to get rid of her naps at 2. If she naps at all she is up until 10 or 11 and gets up between 5 and 6 am. If she does not nap she goes to bed and falls asleep at 8 pm and sleeps until between 6 and 7 am. It was the best thing I ever did for my own sleep sanity.

[bluestar2]

Maybe try a quiet time at home after lunch for an hour or two? Read books or other mellow activities? You can try to make nap time earlier and shorten the naps to no more than an hour.

[firsttimemama]

This is so my son. (Who is just over 2)
But he's always been a horrible sleeper, so it's not really new to us.
I haven't really considered shortening his nap. He is tired and seems to need it (?) But I am planning on nightweaning in the new year (ugh, which I dread)