Getting 18 month old to sleep in evening

[lilypad08]

Any ideas for getting my 18 month old to sleep earlier? Once we start her bedtime routine it often takes at least a couple hours before she's actually ready to sleep (and if I wait until later to start the bedtime routine, she'll just be up later). It seems to take her a long time to wind down. I love spending the time with DD, but there just isn't enough time in the evening to get all the essentials done, and I'm sleep deprived and stressed out.

Our bedtime routine involves dimming the lights, starting a soft lullaby CD, putting on PJ's, reading books on the rocking chair, then nursing/cuddling to sleep when she's ready. We do a bath before this every couple days.

I would love any ideas. Thanks!

[EzzysMom]

You don't mention specific times as to when she falls asleep, or when people get home from work and how that timing works? how long of a nap during the day or how much sleep at night?

With sleep I really try to just look at where we are, look at where I want to be, and look for the babystep changes in between those two places and try to change things slowly but surely over time. Cutting back on the routine?

Also look if you're nursing and having caffeine at inopportune times that might be getting to her.

[lilypad08]

Originally Posted by EzzysMom

You don't mention specific times as to when she falls asleep, or when people get home from work and how that timing works? how long of a nap during the day or how much sleep at night?

With sleep I really try to just look at where we are, look at where I want to be, and look for the babystep changes in between those two places and try to change things slowly but surely over time. Cutting back on the routine?

Also look if you're nursing and having caffeine at inopportune times that might be getting to her.

Thanks for the ideas. I pick her up from her sitter's place at 5pm. We have been doing dinner ~ 6:45 (so that DH can eat with us too) followed by bath and bedtime routine around 7pm. She often falls asleep around 9pm, but a few times over the past month it has been as late as 10 or 11 or even later. She occasionally falls asleep earlier, like 8:30, and on very rare occasions (and only when she hasn't napped for a day or more) she falls asleep on the way home from the sitter and is out for the night.

The routine itself wouldn't be very long, but it gets extended b/c she isn't ready to sleep yet.... e.g. she isn't ready to lay down, so we keep reading more books.

I think we're ok with caffeine... on a lot of days I'll have one cup of coffee in the morning and have never noticed a difference on days that I have it vs.
when I don't.