one yr old fighting bedtime

[mommytoalilgirl]

ugh! my daughter just turned one 2.5 weeks ago and the last week or so she fights bedtime for up to 2 hrs! the routine is the same and she is clearly sleepy. is it just that she wants to play? she just started walking too, could that be why?
any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanx ladies!
p.s i just joined this site this week and i am loving it! u women are so helpful and so comforting!

[marispel]

I just got done reading the No Cry Sleep solution for toddlers and it suggests a couple things:
1) Try moving the bedtime up 15-30 minutes. Your DD could be using up more energy since walking and could be tired earlier, which is making her overtired. Being overtired will cause them to be more active.
2) Make sure the hr before bedtime is calm. Reading books, puzzles - no jumping and tickle fights (a classic at our house).
3) After bathtime, make sure all lights are dim - if your windows let in too much light, try covering them up more to make the room darker. Have soft music going.


HTH a little

[Comtessa]

My DD does this too! About 8 pm she turns into a frenetic hypertoddler, running in circles around the house and giggling like mad. The only thing that gets her to bed when she's like this is putting her in the dark until she goes to sleep. I can rock her in a dark room, or lay in bed with her and nurse her (though often I have to wrestle her back down 'cause she still wants to get up and play). I have to admit, however, that we often resort to the Lazy Parents' Solution: turn off all the lights, settle her on my lap to nurse, and then pop in a DVD. Usually the darkened room + lack of attention from parents puts her right to sleep within a few minutes. As long as we don't let her watch the TV.

[Abraisme]

My 10mo DD started doing this right after she started walking as well. Once she could stand up in bed it was like a game over and over again. What I've done for the last few days is, wait till she's tired, get jammies, walk her around a bit until she's relaxed and drousy, nurse her, then if she tries to stand up I will hold her down with my arm for a couple of minutes while I sing or talk in comforting voice. She doesn't like being held down and will often fight it, but it literally only takes her 2-3 minutes of this to relax and fall asleep. I do not want to set up a routine where she gets to play in bed. So far this is working quite well and has cut down our routine by an hour. Good luck!