Who Can Make a Toddler Sleep???

Was she in a crib?

If you moved her from a crib to a twin bed then it probably isn't because she hates her bed. It's probably because she is no longer confined to the crib, thus is able to get out and go try and play.

Trust me. EVERYONE suffers with toddlers who don't like to sleep at some point. I don't really have much advice but I do have a bit of levity for you. There was a short book written for adults in the style of a children's book by a guy who suffers from the same problem, and it's hilarious. Link to the google doc below. It's called Go the F**k to Sleep.

http://tinyurl.com/6z99fqj

I gave up with my first 2. The first one was in a toddler bed by 9 months because she was climbing out of the crib, then the 2nd was 10 months because her darling older sister would climb INTO the crib and 'help' (push) the baby up and out!! I totally, 100% baby proofed their room, took out EVERYTHING they didn't need, left only secured furnitire and toys in there (lots of stuffed animals), and sawed the freaking door in 1/2 (with the generous help of my maintenance guy), put the door knob on backwards, and let them wake up or sleep as they wanted. They couldn't hurt themselves, couldn't get out, couldn't lock me out... If they slept like they should, great, if not, they weren't getting into anything! I was a single mom working 2 jobs and going to school, I needed SLEEP too. They even had a little radio in there (which I took apart to disable the alarm) and plugged it into the socket in their closet so they couldn't electrocute themselves, then put a red sticker on the button for the radio so they could play music (when they were a little older). GAME, SET, MATCH... AND MOM WINS. This is totally extreme and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wasn't as desperate (and overtired) as I was, but that's what I had to do once the toddler bed stage hit ;) GOOD LUCK!

How old is she? If she is old than 2 1/2 - 3 maybe she no longer needs a nap. This is when my kids gave them up. Made bed time much easier. Some days they would go to sleep around 6:30pm becuase they were pooped by the end of the day. Also, make sure she is getting enough running around during the day so she is physically tired.

Wow 12 hours at night and 4 during the day sounds like a lot to me! I'm sure she's just growing up and needs less sleep (sorry mom!)
My kids never napped past age two, and probably only slept about 9 or 10 hours a night at that point.
Every child, every person, is different. I don't think there's a way to "make" anyone go to sleep. But you can still have quiet time, laying in bed, looking at books, cuddling with stuffed animals, etc. Hang in there :)

Check out the Elizabeth Pantley series "The No-cry sleep solution" for ideas.

There is a lot to be said for leading a horse to water but not make her drink. that said I have been very fortunate to have three good sleepers, mostly. Although 12 hours at night and four during the day is more than mine ever did. they slept 10 hours at night and about 2 or 3 for naps. Here's a few thoughts though:
Check your routine: has anything changed even a little? Even small changes can put toddlers out of whack. Try being very consistent for a few weeks with meals, nap times and activity levels. Besides wearing the kid out with exercise, the routine will give a sense of stability too.
Second, it is my opinion that my kids didn't start to be regular solid sleepers until around three years old. They slept well most nights but I couldn't count on it until they were that age. I have a two year-old as well and he has been my biggest challenge yet. If I miss even one nap his personality is off for the next two days.

very 1st thought: wow, that's a lot of sleep! Typically, toddlers sleep 10-12 hours, with a 2 hour nap - max!....totalling 12-14 hours. Your DD was sleeping 16 hours....that's a lot!

This may be a transition due to hitting the next benchmark.....as opposed to hating her new bed. ??

My child will stay up for days (longest is 49hrs) unless we use Melatonin, it is best used with things like jet lag and such. I would ask your doctor if this would be an option. (we use a liquid form added to some water/juice) But, plain and simple you can not make your child sleep, this is why our pedi suggested until we get to the root of the "no sleep issue" we will be melatonin dependant.

Mine did that you have to make them lay down. When they get overly tired it makes it hard for them to sleep. I have to make mine lay down. He naps 4 days a week and lays down 3 but he sleeps 10-12 hrs at night. I went from maybe 5 hrs a night and no naps to this. You have to be harsh. You have to be firm. good luck.

Updated

Mine did that you have to make them lay down. When they get overly tired it makes it hard for them to sleep. I have to make mine lay down. He naps 4 days a week and lays down 3 but he sleeps 10-12 hrs at night. I went from maybe 5 hrs a night and no naps to this. You have to be harsh. You have to be firm. good luck.

Have you tried tylenol? 2yo molars coming in (so long after they have a 'full' set of teeth) can throw sleep schedules for a loop. If you give her tylenol and get a full night... you know it was pain waking her up.

Same token, growth spurts tend to create middle of the night "starvin-o-the-hunger" wakeups. I used to keep a sippy full of chocolate milk on the door of the fridge so I could zap it, hand it to him, watch him inhale it and pass right back out with a full/happy tummy. During major spurts it had to be a whole meal, but milk being the superfood it is, it would see him through anything aside from a major growth spurt.

I've learned to look for underlying medical causes first off and rule those out. A BTDT / headsmack kind of thing. My go-to test being tylenol (rule out pain first off... then if it 'works' figure out what was hurting). I just HATE the "Oh, you were in narcotic-worthy-pain (if he were an adult) and I was ticked at you mom award." My son has high pain tolerance, so he'd be happy as a clam awake, but man oh man would it mess with his ability to sleep.

When my son was a toddler he'd fall asleep every time during a long car ride.
Even now at 12 he's likely to fall asleep quickly in a car.
(I don't know what he's going to do when he gets his learners permit in a fre more years.)
My son hated being alone at night when he was a toddler.
He'd be ok if I slept with him.
Eventually he figured out to come to our room, not wake us up and just tuck himself in at the foot of our bed and we'd find him there first thing in the morning (usually hanging on to my foot).
They do out grow it sooner or later!

How did you ease her into the larger bed? Do you still do the same bedtime routine? I suggest reading her books, telling her it's time for bed, changing her diaper, etc. Then sitting with her for a few minutes, then give her a kiss and leave the room. It may take a while for her to get used to the new bed because of her new freedom to get up and roam around. I suggest shutting the door or putting up a gate. If she gets up and wants to play or thinks its time to get up for good, you can either do the super nanny bit and walk her back to bed (but do not talk to her) or do what we do - lay with them again untill they are settled then leave the room.

At 2 my daughter dropped naps completely. At almost 2 my son is still taking 2 naps on some days!! It may just be that she's ready to give up the daytime nap and her nighttime sleep may continue for 12 hours or she may alter that. My daughter gets anywhere from 9-12 hours of sleep per night with no nap during the day (she's almost 4) and my son gets about 11-12 at night and anywhere from 30 mins - 4 hours during the day still!