3Rd Old at Bed

It's an issue of the will, nothing else. Work on him doing what you tell him (not on the 3rd asking, but on the 1st) during the day. It follows in to the bedtime routine. It's not about bedtime, it's about him getting older and testing the boundaries - they have to be set with 100 per cent consistency - any hole in the fence and he'll climb under it. Parenting is a full time job b/c there is so much training involved - they start out as egocentrics (literaly self-centered) and our job is to help them not be stuck in that dark little world, but in the wonderful world of humanity where they care for others. Keep up the good work!

Oh!!!!!!!! Drop or shorten the nap! I am an avid early bedtime proponent and that darn afternoon nap gets in the way :) So with my oldest it really didn't matter, but with my youngest, if I want a sound night's sleep, then no nap and bed at 7 -730. He wakes between 7-730 and has a rest period at 3. He will have a meltdown every other day at about 6. We just deal and move on. He will grow out of it. It seems from being on this website that ages 2-4 are notorious for sleep issues, so I don't think this is out of the norm.

To directly answer your question, not only move bedtime up but drop or shorten nap time.

I don't know about his knowledge of new baby..mine didn't have obvious issues before, but she was younger than yours so maybe she didn't know better! GL!

I think you just need to "hold your ground". (They smell fear and uncertainty like a shark smells blood in the water!) I agree that maybe putting him in sooner will give him a little wiggle room to get to sleep earlier.
Not sure about the new baby thing (as I have an only).
Have you tried a story CD at bedtime (20 min stories, etc). It might distract him from protesting long enough to fall asleep.....just a thought.

Get rid of the nap! Many toddlers have already dropped the nap by age 3, or they drop it during their 3rd year. It may not change things, but chances are it will help!

Has he ever been talked with about the baby???
If not, then you need to do this... BEFORE baby comes home.
The home/you/home life will change for him too....

When my daughter was that age, and I was pregnant.... I talked to my daughter about her baby brother in my tummy, she sang to him, rubbed my tummy, I told her what a baby does... that it will cry/wake a lot/need to nurse etc. I explained everything to her, before her baby brother came home... and "prepped" her about the baby.... beforehand. It helped a great deal.... so by the time her baby brother came home... she was already adjusted and 'bonded' with her baby brother.

I told her to always tell me how she feels, that she is "always Mommy's first baby..." and we made up our own special hand-shakes to do with each other.... so that we still "bonded" and she felt special.
We took many photos of her with my tummy... we napped together... I explained I need to rest and take care of my tummy.... and she understood.
I told her... that HER things were hers... that I do not 'expect' her to share... her things are special.
I explained, that she is still important.... she will have her usual routines etc.
All of this made a big difference.... in her adjustment to her baby brother... once he came home. I made 'my' pregnancy about prepping her.... for it and her baby brother.... and explaining things to her.....

all the best,
Susan

Dear T., Congrats on your almost new addition. Yes your son knows about the baby but not how much his life will change. He may be going through a fears stage, which will pass. Spend some time with him, sing to him. Trust me he will not spoil. I had 3 in a row and then 2 more years later. I would sing, lay down with them etc. and they grew up fine. He is your baby, give him some attention. You can still do this after the new baby too.Grandma Mary

I was curious to read the responses that you received for your question because my almost 3 year old daughter is doing this and we are about a week or 2 from expecting our 3rd child! My daughter was really too young to understand when we had our 2nd (he's 15mos now)... she was still in a crib and slept with no issues. Now, she is in a twin bed and life has changed!! I was wondering if she was reacting to this new baby with her sleep issues too. We talk to her about the new baby, and she seems excited to share her toys with her, so it seems like her feelings for this new one are positive... but that's all we have done to "prepare" her this time.

So, we have gotten rid of the midday nap... (except on days that she seems totally exhausted)... and replaced it with a "rest" time where she can read books or watch a movie or something quiet. This is when I try to catch up on some housework too.....

This has made going to bed a bit easier because she is tired and ready for bed, but she still is waking up at 3 and doesn't fall back asleep until 4ish! We have to lay down with her and it is so tiring! She plays the, "No! I want Mommy/Daddy game" then too.. we never know who she is going to want....

So, recently we were thinking that possibly she is hungry at night, so we are trying to feed her an after-dinner snack to try to fill up her tummy before going to bed. (She is also a picky-eater at dinner-time.)

Some nights this seems to help, so I thought I'd add that suggestion for you to consider... We also make sure she has a sippy cup of water right near her pillow in case she gets thirsty.... stuff like that.

Good luck & congratulations on your growing family!