21 Month Old Not Wanting to Sleep

Does she have all of her teeth in? Molars too? They usually come in around 24 months, but can certainly come earlier (my daughter had all of her teeth in by 15 1/2 months). If she is in some discomfort, that could wake her up. You may want to try giving her some tylenol or ibuprofen right before bed. She could also have an earache or ear infection that is causing her some pain as well- tylenol would help her with the pain, but she would need to get on some antibiotics, too. It could be a growth spurt. Oftentimes when kids are growing, they either sleep a lot more or have their sleep patterns interrupted. Is she drinking a lot of fluid in the evening that is making her have more wet diapers? These are the only things I can think of since you said she doesn't seem sick. I hope you can solve the mystery and get some sleep! Best wishes.

My son went through that when we moved. It got worse and worse to where he was waking up every hour or two. We finally had to let him cry it out. It was very hard, but after the first night he only cried a little bit the next night and then we were done. Good luck!

Maybe she is getting her 2 year molars. Have you ruled out an ear infection? Let us know what you found out. Good luck.

Have you recently changed the direction of her bed or anything else in her bedroom lately? Does she have Strep Throat which is an illness that little ones can get and not show any symptoms of? Does she need to see her dentist? Does she still nurse?--then it might be time to wean or resume cosleeping if you ever did so. Perhaps if she is still sleeping in a crib, she needs to transition to a big-girl bed. Then again, maybe she is just going through a growth spurt and no matter what, it won't last forever.

I think you need to keep her up more during the day so that she will sleep longer at night. Also increase her caloric intake before bedtime she is probably waking up hungry as alot of kids go thru a growth spurt about this age.

Read Dr. Sears Night Time Parenting. It saved our lives! The info is also on askdrsears.com

The days (or in your case the nights) are long but the years are short.

Enjoy your family!
Good luck,
J.