difficulty getting 2 y/o to sleep (and stay asleep)

[strmis]

I still nurse my 2y/o to sleep and it is starting to wear me out. for instance, tonight it took 2.5 hours to get her to sleep. on top of that, she nurses throughout the night!

any advice on getting her to sleep with minimal nursing and keeping her asleep/ not nursing through the whole night?? Getting up several times to nurse is really starting to wear me out and drive me bonkers! I can't remember the last time I got a full nights rest

[boatrat]

I can only send hugs, and recommend that you read the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and preschoolers. That book helped us a lot, although it still takes me an hour to get my now 2.5 year old son to sleep with no nursing (he weaned slightly after his second birthday when I was several months pregnant and the milk had dried up). Sigh. I'm going to try and make some blackout curtains this weekend before DS2 arrives..I'm hoping that will help with the going to sleep as well. Is your room darkened?

[Thalia]

Is she taking naps? If so, what time of day does she take them?

For us, when DD hit two, we first had to move her nap much earlier in the day in order for her to fall asleep at night. Then by the time she hit 2.5 yo, it didn't matter how early her nap was, she just couldn't fall asleep if she took one. So we started having her skip her nap, and she was able to fall asleep easily at night.

Our family doctor said that as long as she gets between 10 and 14 hours of sleep total, at this age, that it doesn't matter whether she gets it at night or during the day. Other people will disagree on this point, but for us it was the only solution. We too, had been dealing with spending 2-3 hours trying to get her to sleep, and it was making all of us very unhappy.

[simplemama32]

No advice either, but complete sympathy.

I made the huge mistake of letting DS stay up a little past his bedtime last night, and it took FOREVER for him to finally go to sleep. It usually takes awhile to get him to sleep anyway, but last night nothing worked...nursing, soft music/dancing, rocking, stories. It was 11:30 before he was asleep.

Ironically enough, I was planning to start nightweaning last night, too, but I think we may wait and try again this weekend.

Sorry not to be any help!

[LadyCatherine185]

It took nightweaning and moving DS to his own bed with DH taking over nighttime for him to start sleeping better at night. He went from sleeping 1-3 hour stretches, to constistent 5-8 hour stretches. He does still take forever to fall asleep though.

[strmis]

thanks for the great advice and support!!

Originally Posted by boatrat

Is your room darkened?

It is NOT darkened. I'll have to try that one AND get the book AND read it!

Originally Posted by Thalia

Is she taking naps? If so, what time of day does she take them?

Yes, she naps. Anywhere from 1-2.5 hours. She is usually awake by 3 or 4. Seems no matter what time we try to put her to bed she falls asleep around 10:30 or 11pm. Should I cut out the nap?? ..how do I deal with the grumpiness during the day??

[LadyCatherine185]

I second the blackout curtains. If my DS sees ANYTHING it will distract him from sleeping. And a fan for white noise.

I would not cut the nap, but maybe try putting her down earlier? What time does she wake up in the morning? How much outside time does she get each day?

A book that was really helpful for us was Sleepless in America.

[mommy2maya]

I have a 2y2m toddler who we are trying to do some sleep modification with. She has always coslept and nursed constantly. A few months ago, we made her a big girl toddler bed, and started to slowly shift her sleeping in it. It is right next to our bed, so if she wakes, we are still right there. Just recently, she has been accepting of falling asleep on her bed with me sitting there with her. I don't talk to her, or even look at her- I bring a book or my iphone and completely ignore her while she fidgets around and gets comfy. She is getting to the point where it is only taking 10 minutes to go to sleep. If I leave before she is asleep, we have to start all over. She is now sleeping straight thru the night til 7-8 or so, which is lovely for me and her! She does still sometimes wake in the night, but I tell her to lay back down and go to sleep, and generally she does. Sometimes she needs to get in bed with me to settle back to sleep easier, but I have been movign her to her own bed again once she is settled.

[Baby_Cakes]

DD has for the most part given up naps but I'm still nursing her to sleep at night. Bedtime is much earlier now, around 8 pm, but I'm still kinda wanting her to learn to fall asleep w/o nursing. Thanks for these tips.

[entiti]

We're kind of going through the same thing, too.

One thing that totally helped at least getting her to sleep was putting her to bed earlier. She was going to bed between 9:30-11, and during that time it would take me AT LEAST an hour to get her down.
Now I put her to bed between 7:30 and 8:30, and it takes 30 min. at the most.

I really think being overtired plays a big role, even if they seem okay.
Hope this helps, and you get some sleep soon!!

[strmis]

Originally Posted by entiti

We're kind of going through the same thing, too.

One thing that totally helped at least getting her to sleep was putting her to bed earlier. She was going to bed between 9:30-11, and during that time it would take me AT LEAST an hour to get her down.
Now I put her to bed between 7:30 and 8:30, and it takes 30 min. at the most.

I really think being overtired plays a big role, even if they seem okay.
Hope this helps, and you get some sleep soon!!

WOW!!! I might have to try this. maybe on the weekend. DD usually starts going down anywhere between 9:30 and 10. I'll aim for earlier. I just wish I didn't get home from work so late sometimes =(