Hi Moms

This will be unpopular but I don't think 11:30pm is too late, as long as she is sleeping late in the morning. My 19-month old usually doesn't go down until around that same time, but he sleeps until 9 or 10 am and naps. We can do this because my husband is a stay-home dad and doesn't have to get up and out in the AM. This works for us, but won't work for everyone, of course. I just don't think it matters what time the sleep stops/starts as long as there is enough sleep at a stretch. I don't get home until 7:00pm and if my child went to bed at 8:00 I would never see him!!! For the record, we have done this with all 3 of our kids and did not transition to earlier bedtimes until school became an issue. Now my older ones are in bed by 9:30pm and they do just fine getting up at 7:15. Do what works for you and you will be happy.

Pick a bedtime like 8PM and stick to it. 11:30 is insane. Also way to young for a bed. If she is not
getting out, leave her there. Bedtime routine will be
tough to start but if you don't, you will pay for it
in the long run. Who wants a 3 yo up late. For me,
when everyone went to bed, was my time.

My son is 20 months old and goes to bed no later than 8:00. Try to establish a good bedtime routine. We do bath (or just a quick wash-up,) brush teeth, read books, and play a little in his room before bed and he passes right out. May I ask why she's up so late? I'm shocked she can last that long! :)
Lynsey

Hi my son is almost 16 months old now...he is just getting on a real schedule.
You have to create the routine. At this age there is 1 to 2 naps a day.....1 nap for 3 hours usually between 11-2pm is optimal. You can not wait for her to tell you she is sleepy.
At first I figured that they will show that they are sleepy by rubbing their eyes or whining. My son does not do that he becomes "crazy" he is running around more, he throwing more things on the floor, trying to get your attention-bite you (he is teething-molars)now that is my tell tale. I also noticed if the TV is on he uses it as background noise and will not settle. He would continue to play and play and play. Once I began turning off the TV about 2 hours (5,6 oclock) before bed time...he began going to sleep better and longer. Turn off all media, TV or radio. Have her books out to read while she is in the crib. Putting her down, you rub her back or pat...but be stern. Also I used to put him down for the night around 10-11pm he still woke up at least once or twice before 5am. Start earlier she will sleep longer...in the beginning she may awaken by 11 if put down by 7 or 8pm but she will begin to sleep for longer stretches at night.
I also stopped feeding him after 8pm gave just water. I began to give him water during the time he woke up at night 1-4am and he stopped waking up I guess he realized no milk, no breast then no wake up lolololol.
this has been working hard core for 3 weeks...oh and if you send her to family for 3 days or more at a time....get ready to redo routine again ;(

It may take you a few weeks to get her to bed earlier! Start by putting her asleep a 1/2 hour earlier every few days until you get to your desired bed time (no later than 9, I would think).

I think that 17 months is way to young to switch to a toddler bed unnecessarily, so keep her in there - buy a crib tent if you need to.

You might want to look into Dr. Mark Weissbleuth for suggestions. A lot of people swear by his sleep suggestions.

I remember when our 17 month old was smaller, we thought she "wouldn't" go to bed. We learned it was our own inexperience (and not her) when my sister (mother of 3) babysat and put her down at 8. Boom. From then we've been successful.
That being said, we now put her down at 9 every single night after our routine with a few books in her crib. Sometimes she falls right asleep, other times it takes a short while. She sleeps soundly till 8 or 8:30. It works for us b/c my husband gets to see her after work, and she sleeps "in".
My point: try to put her down at a time that is mutually comfortable for you and for her, and try your best to stick to it. 7:30 is reality for most babies, but fantasy for others. As long as she gets enough sleep, she'll be fine.
Good luck!

It is very important that she gets her sleep! 11:30!! That is crazy! Sleep deprivation in young children has been linked to hyperactivity, short attention spans, lower IQ and difficulty learning new things. Scary stuff!
You really need to get her down earlier- like around 7:30!!
Since she is so old, probably the only thing that will work is the Weisbluth method. Get the book Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth.
Here is the schedule I follow with my son who is 12 months. He wakes up around 7:30, naps at 10:30 and again at around 2 and goes to bed between 7 and 7:30. Since your daughter is a bit older, she may already have given up the morning nap and that's ok. But if she is tired in the morning, you can still put her down for one. It's most important that you have a regular before bed routine that she will remember and will expect after a while. She will be much easier to get to sleep if she is on a schedule.
Here is what I do before bed:
After dinner, turn the lights down in the house, keep the tv off and keep the house quiet and calm. Bathe her, get her pjs on, brush her teeth. Go into her room and keep only a little lamp on. Read a few stories and then turn off the light. Then give her her favorite stuffed animal, blanket etc and cuddle her for a few minutes in the dark- sing a song, etc. Lay her down in the crib, kiss her good night and tell her you love her and leave. She will probably be upset and will probably cry, but you have to set limits and teach her that it is bedtime. It will probably take a week or so before she understands that this is bedtime. But you have to stick to the new routine or it won't work. The more you go in, pick her up and comfort her, the longer she will stay awake. You have to remember that you are the parent. If you can't get your 17 month old to go to sleep on time, how will you ever get her to obey you as a teenager?