Bed Time Sleeping Advice for a 2 Year Old

LOL sounds like someone is learning to stall! No big deal..just limit it. Tell her "Oh I know..you want to stay up and do "This" but it is sleep time now and you won't be able to do it because its too dark to see, so we will do that tomorrow..if you'd like, and if we get to sleep!
Keep it short and simple but don't give in. It's bedtime NOW. She's two so CIO is something you have to consider as well. You can simply tell her..she's a big girl and that momma will be there when she wakes up. But she's a big girl and she needs her sleep so she needs to go to bed or she won't be able to "watch this" as she will be to sleepy, or to do "this" because she is too sleepy. Kids want cause and effect..so make an effect they don't like and usually the causing behavior will stop.

My son did this too, infact I think most kids do this. The trick is to make sure that she has everything that she needs (drink, blanket, hug, night light, etc), tuck her in and leave the room. You have to be firm about this or it WILL GET WORSE! Kids are smart and they know when you'll give in. If you go in to her because she's calling for you it can go on all night long. I remember doing this with my son for hours before catching on...

So, she gets everything that she needs. You leave the room and let her throw a fit. She has to know that you're the boss and that you're going to win at this. If she comes out of the room you don't say anything, just pick her up and put her back in bed. This can often happen 30 times a night for several days. If you stick with it, she'll know that she might as well stay in bed. Also, my son would retry this every few months just to make sure I would follow through.

I am an attachment parent and I do not believe that you should let an infant cry it out. However, by age 2 it's more manipulation than an actual need. This is where disapline has to start or she'll run your life.

Good luck, it can be very tiresome. :)

A.,

Have you considered a "monster spray"? Maybe that will help with the creepy crawlies that are scaring her. Maybe also a nightlight so her room isn't totally dark?

Melissa

Separation anxiety kicks in around 2 yrs of age. That and a very active imagination. She's gaining control of her environment. And she's learning that you can trust you to come when needed. Kids at this age are beginning to reason, but they're not quite there yet. So not letting her cry it out is a good thing. I've never been a proponent of that tactic. So, go in and talk with her, cuddle her. If you live around a Build a Bear store, you might want to go and build a bed time buddy, someone she can talk to and snuggle, 'someone' who can keep her fears at bay. Patience on your part. This is part of growing up and realizing it's going to be okay to close her eyes and sleep. You'll be there in the morning, or whenever she needs you. Sweet dreams!!

This sounds a lot like my daughter, who was born in 12/06...except it was "spiders in my nose" and then "spiders in my ears"--so we knew it was just another ploy!

What my husband and I have done is beginning about 15 minutes before the bath, we start telling her exactly what's going to happen next. "Lucy, in 15 minutes we're going to go upstairs to take a bath and play." Then later we'll say something like, "Okay, 5 minutes, then play in the bath before jammies" During the bath we transition her more, "We'll stay in here a few more minutes, then it's Jammie time", etc.

I think she likes the consistency, the predictability, the attention, the expectations. We always tell her three books, then during the transition between books 1 and 2, we'll say "two more, then bed", then "okay, this is the last book and after that it's lights-out-bedtime".

When we put her in her bed, most nights she's wiped out and just ready to sleep. Other nights, she looks for the excuses. I never "ask" her anything, I just let her "tell me" what she needs to "tell me" and then I say something calming like, "Well, maybe the spiders in your nose are very tired and want you to settle down and rest so they can leave--and I bet they'll be gone in the morning!" I never act overly concerned, because that is exactly what she is hoping to get out of me.

Her new one is, "I want yogurt, or I want milk" So, we added that to the "pre-bath" routine. When she was having a rough go with molar teething a few months back, I put some chamomile tea in a bottle with a dropper (available at a health food store) and gave her drops of chamomile at bedtime. Well--she loved it, (probably the routine of it and mama telling her this would help her sleep) and she still asks for it sometimes. It's safe, and it really is calming (although it's diluted so I'm 99% certain it's more of a placebo) so the drops are still available.

Mostly, she just wants to know we're still attentive. If she fusses too much, we will go up after 20-30 minutes or so, just one of us usually will quietly sit next to her and say something like, "You NEED to sleep now, it's very important for your body"...Again, I think she just wants that reassurance.

We used to let her cry for longer, but once we tried it once (going back after 20 min.) and it settled her so quickly, we realized it was just that "one last thing" she needed.

Another tip I learned is to make it part of her responsibility to sleep (or do anything for that matter). "You need to...." as opposed to, "mama needs you to..." or "mama wants you to..." It is something I do with the middle schoolers I teach, so I figured it would probably apply to a toddler just as well ;)

Good luck! She's smart and will probably resist for a while, but consistency will work in your favor!

I know the feeling. My little girl (who'll be two later this month) has really been into the stalling tactics as well of late. Her big brother (almost five) was always a great sleeper, at night and during naps, until he gave up napping at 2 1/2. He napped 2-3 hours a day right up until the end, but there was a period a few months before he gave up his naps entirely that he wasn't napping as well. Since then, if he napped, we really paid for it at night. It would take hours to get him to settle in. I've been wondering if my daughter is heading toward giving up naps as well. (Ugh!) It seems young, but it's more common than you may think. At this point, we're still putting her down for naps but if she doesn't go down early enough (because of her older brother's preschool pickups, etc.), it's sure tempting to skip the nap or cut it short. Regardless, I think you've gotten some great advice. The important thing is to stay firm, lovingly let her know who's in charge, and remember it's a phase that'll soon pass. Good luck! We're in it together!

Our daughter is almost 2 1/2 and started this a couple of months ago. I agree, stay firm, tell her when you are going to leave the room and then stick to it. We do CIO, and if she does cry, we wait 15 minutes and then my husband goes back in. I never do, unless she is really and truly sick. But mostly she will get up, come to the door and call out (we put a baby gate up when we switched to a toddler bed), and if no one responds, she'll shut the door again and either play a bit or just go back to bed. We started putting her to bed earlier to accomodate for the fact that about half the time she stays up for 20-40 minutes more after we leave the room. Once she's asleep, she sleeps 10-11 hours and wakes up sunny. So it seems to be working - for now ;)