I have spent the last 3 nights trying to get my 2 1/2yr old son to go to sleep in his room. Last night he fell asleep in front of his door and I had to put him in his bed. He is constantly knocking on his door and wants to come out and have playtime when he knows it is bed time. His routine has not changed. He watches a cartoon, gets his teeth brushed, we read a book, we sing bedtime songs, and I leave the room and close the door. I don't know what has changed with him the last few days. I don't know if his naps in the afternoon are affecting his nighttime sleep, but it is getting aggravating when he knocks on his door and calls out for me or his daddy. His naps are usually only an hour long, maybe at most an hour and a half. Bedtime has always been between 9 & 9:30pm. I would like to get things back to the way they were before.
Sounds like a phase. My kids have been through several of different phases. Sometimes you just have to ride them out. Good luck because I know it can be very frustrating.
You may want to try shortening or doing away with his nap. I know that stinks because that nap time gives you time. But, he may just not be tired at night. The other option is still having rest time during the day, but not necessarily "nap" time. My 5 year old still has 2 hours in the day, usually 2-4 that he is made to be in his room, but doesn't have to sleep. He can watch TV, play, read, or whatever. But, he has to take time to rest. Sometimes he falls asleep, most of the time he doesn't. It usually depends on how active his mornings are.
Hi, R., As hard as it is to do, all you need to do is ignore this. It is only a bid for attention, and any attention he gets for it is a win for him! I gaurantee that if he gets absolutely NO response from anyone, verbal included, he will eventually stop. If it means he sleeps on the floor, so be it. He just needs to understand that he can't change the rules. They all try, and it's up to us as parents to be consistent.
I think it is just an ages and stages problem. I remember my now 5 year old going through it. She would be as tired as someone can be and refuse to go to sleep because she wanted to sleep with me and her dad. My little one is just about 2 and takes a nap for 2-3 hrs and has trouble staying in her bed at night. She wants to sleep with me and my husband and your little one also just might not want to sleep by himself. My suggestion is just to be consistant, buy some earplugs, and don't go into his room unless you are certain he is crying because he is hurt and not crying to get your attention. Best of luck!
When does he nap? Napping may or may not be an issue. If it is late and long, I would look into shortening it or making it earlier.
I do remember my son sometime around that age discovering he didn't have to stay in his bed. He could get out. For some reason he thought he couldn't even go to the end of his bed for a long time. I had to have a monitor for him even though he was in a big bed because he didn't think he could get out on his own.
Once he figured out he could get out, he took advantage of it. We would hear little footsteps for hours (at least it felt that way). We stuck to our routine and quietly and calmly walked him back to bed when necessary. He did not get extra books or extra cuddles or anything. Just 'go to sleep', 'stay in bed',,,, and escorted back. Eventually the novelty wore off and it pretty much stopped.
Suggest watching Supernanny or buy her book. She has great stay in bed and getting kids to bed techniques. Only other suggestion...stick to your guns. The first sight they have of you giving in they will take full advantage of it and it will only get worse. Even at this young age they know when they're "winning the battle."
I'd just ignore him and let him fall asleep on the floor. Make sure you put some safe, quiet toys in there and let him have at it. Hopefully, he'll figure out you aren't going to talk to him, so playing or sleeping will be his only options.
Not quite sure of this one. I know a couple people who had this trouble, but didn't myself. One cut the nap time some and that worked for them. The other cut the nap time out all together and put the child to bed a little earlier(8:30). That worked for them. Hope this helps some.
i have always had issues with my five year old doing this. to the point they put him on melatonin at about that age. but i would just ignore him. sometimes my son goes through a week of this and then he is back to normal. when he does i cut out his nap or only let him nap a little or we have a rest period where i sit with him and watch a cartoon instead of napping and it helps. i think they are like us adults sometimes they cannot sleep. but i do know if i give attention when he does this, he keeps it up. so my advise ignore. unless something is wrong.
Is it possible that your son is afraid to sleep in his room? Has he seen something on tv or overheard something that might cause him to be scared to go to bed at night? You never know with little ones that young. They take things so literally! Have you asked him why he doesn't want to stay in his room? If not, then you should ask him to see what's on his mind. You might be suprised at his reasoning. If it's because he just wants to stay up and play longer, then you should let him know that isn't an option. Then stick to your guns. If he's afraid for some reason, then you can tackle that issue. I wouldn't think that taking a nap during the day would keep him from sleeping at night, not at his age anyway. Most children his age that I've worked with need to take an nap during the day. Otherwise they are tired and very cranky by evening. However, each child is different. You didn't say how long he naps during the day. I wouldn't cut out his daytime nap completely, but you can try cutting down on the time he naps to see if that helps. Well, that's all the advice I have. I hope you get it straightened out. Good luck!
Had the same issue with my 2 year old 2 weeks ago. Fortunately she was still in a crib and couldn't get out to bang on the door...but I know she was dying too! We remember this happening with our 5 year old son about this same time also. To solve it, I did the same routine we had always done (bath, book, bed). Then, I put her to bed and told her she was fine, but it was time for bed. She screamed for 2 hours the first night. I would go in and rub her back and tell her she was fine and we were still here. Then I would walk out. After 2 hours, she fell asleep due to exhaustion. The next night, I did the same thing. This time she only screamed for about 1/2 hour. The next night she went right to sleep and we haven't had a problem since. I won't lie to you, it was hard. She would yell Mommy and Daddy and it would break our hearts (mine more than daddy's). We stuck to it and she is now sleeping. It worked for us...GOOD LUCK!
At 2 1/2 yrs. he should maybe only have one nap a day at most. I cut out my kids naps when they were 2. The naps during the day did keep them from sleeping at night. When I cut the naps out they went to bed and slept all night and I had no issues getting them to stay in their beds. Cut out the naps and see how he does. If he seems like he still needs a nap after about a week then give him one nap for about and hour to an hour and a half.
D.
I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.
