My kid HATES to sleep!

[femalephish]

My 18-month old hates to go to sleep. She is upstairs right now, trying to nap with Papa, but she is just screaming/crying. It's snowing- so I can't take her for a drive, which is what I've been doing more and more with her. I try to nurse to sleep, and she hates it. I try to snuggle- she won't sleep. I hold her down and she kicks and hits and cries.

 My DH works nights (but Fri, and Sat.) so I do nighttime and naptime every day. DH is doing it now because I'm so stressed out. The Dr.Sears book says, "If you resent it- change it!" I resent it! I'm starting to resent her. I don't like how I'm feeling, I don't like the stressed-out-over-tired-mom I'm becoming.

[Pookietooth]

How about trying some indoor walking around wearing her? We are in a similar position except we can usually drive dd around at night here.

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

No help here, but my 9 month old is EXACTLY like your DD except for one thing - she hates the car too.  We generally do a combination of papa walking, mama nursing, and just giving up for a while if she's too worked up. We read to her and sometimes that calms her, but other times, it does nothing. We are going to try to introduce a more rigid schedule to see if that helps.  I would give her a bath before bed, but she hates being dressed SO MUCH that I think that dressing her after her bath would undo any calming effect a bath had. We are also going to have to revisit her napping schedule to see if maybe she is just napping too much (unlikely since she doesn't really nap for long or often) or maybe just waking up for the day too late.  Anyway, you are definitely not alone. 

[McGucks]

It did me a world of good to read that another mom is starting to resent her child, not just the situation.  DS2 had one of his worst nights ever last night and I am at my wit's end.  I truly was mad at him when he'd woken up for the tenth time inside of two hours.  I raised my voice and said YOU MUST GO TO SLEEP (which, of course, didn't work and made me feel terrible).  Whoever came up with the phrase "sleeping like a baby" must've been talking about a baby doll.  You can't always change what you resent, though I like that sentiment in general.  Somethings aren't going to change until, for whatever reason, it is time for them to change.  We can't control everything.  I am not truthful about DS2's sleeping to either my MIL or our pediatrician because I don't want to hear about how he "should" be STTN by now (yeah, I know!) or MIL's unsolicited recommendation du jour.  I do feel like I have failed in this aspect of parenting.  DH doesn't make me feel badly about it even though he has to get up early for work, perhaps because he is a sound sleeper (which, also, I resent--"Oh, did he have a rough night last night?" when it was loud enough to wake the dead).  THE SLEEP THING SUCKS.

[Super~Single~Mama]

I don't have time to say much, but mama, I have BTDT.  Now, my ds is 2 and I literally cuddle him for a few minutes, tuck him in, give him kisses and walk out of the room.  I know EXACTLY how you feel!!!  It is a phase, and it will end.  I don't know when, but for us it was a few starts and stops, but it got much much better around 20mo, and then just in the past week I've been able to leave the room.  I promise this will not last forever.