the toddler that just.won't.sleep

[smeisnotapirate]

My DS (2yo) is a NIGHTMARE when it comes to sleep. He's been whining since 4pm because he's exhausted and just won't (can't?) sleep. This happens every.day. He will wake up at 6am, screaming and angry and whining, fall back asleep from 7-8am, and be cheerful. Then he'll either fall asleep, exhausted, around 11am or 4pm for an hour or so. Either way, he whines from 8pm onward, finally falling asleep between 10-11pm.

We have tried, desperately, to get him on a sleep schedule. It doesn't work. WEEKS of trying to help him nap by making things quiet, the room dark, etc. We tried letting him regulate himself, same result. He only ever wakes cheerfully after the second morning wake-up.

I'm at my wit's end. Please. I'm going to hurt this child. My 8 week old baby is a better sleeper than him and less to deal with.

[chely7425]

This sounds like how my now 2 year old was when he was younger. He was AWFUL. Turns out the child needs to be in a room by himself with classical music with dark and his blankie and his monkey to sleep. Totally against my instincts to be with him but... AP is about listening to your child and that is the ONLY way he will sleep. He now take a regular 2 hour nap and sleeps about 12 hours a night with an occassional wake up for water. Not the solution for everyone but it works for us.

[leighi123]

Ds was a bad sleeper until I started letting him sleep in his playhouse, and now a toddler bed. Its still in my room right next to my bed. He goes to bed around 11 and falls asleep right away in his bed, and then will get into my bed at around 4-5am and goes back to sleep until 8ish. He doesnt nap, he just never needed much sleep.

But yeah, putting him to bed on his own really worked, which was weird for me. I read him a story, then put a book on tape on for him and a lava lamp that he likes to look at.

[love4bob]

My 20 month old won't sleep at bedtime either! She does take a nap during the day, and she falls right to sleep for it. SHe shares a room with her sister, so I am wondering if that is the reason. Maybe I should start putting her to bed first and her sister to bed later. We don't cosleep though. When we do have to cosleep in hotels neither of them will go to sleep! They just want to play the whole time no matter how tired they are.

[smeisnotapirate]

We no longer cosleep either - he was even more miserable when we did (and so were we). He has his own big boy (twin) bed.

[chely7425]

Hmm... what is his bedtime routine like? Might it help to start putting him to bed earlier? I know that is counter-intuitive a lot of the time but my kids take WAY longer to fall asleep and throw way more of a fit about it if we miss their bedtime. But if they are in bed around 7 they go right to sleep. Same with naptime, if we lay them down around 1130 or 12 they have no problem going to sleep but if we wait they get over tired and have trouble settling down...

[porcelina]

Get a copy of Sleepless in America. It discusses how to structure your whole day so that you can prioritize sleep.

[smeisnotapirate]

I definitely will get a copy of Sleepless in America. I've heard great things about it.

Last night, after he went to bed, I read over NCSS for Toddlers again. This morning, when he woke up, we were up for good. No sleeping in. He just went down relatively easily at noon for a nap. Let's see what happens tonight.