"I'm not sleepy" 3 1/2 year old suddenly does not want to go to sleep!

[loving-my-babies]

WHAT CAN I DO?? Valentina won't go to sleep. She used to have no problem, she would put her jammies on, she would get her binkie (I have no problem with that even at this age, btw) and she would go to bed and sleep. We would put her music on and that was that.

Well, now everything changed! She will lay in her bed for hours and tell me she is not sleepy, or that she "can't sleep". She says she is not tired. Even at 10pm!! She gets up at 7am and doesn't even nap!! what's going on????

Last night we put her in bed at around 8, thinking maybe giving her an earlier bedtime would do the trick, but she said she couldn't sleep (and she wasn't playing, she cries if I tell her that she "HAS" to go to sleep) and then she got up for a while, had something to eat and then at around 10:30 she fell asleep.

What do you think it is? and how can I help her??

thanks!!!

[steff]

I think it is her age.

I know my children go to bed at 7 pm and wake up at 7 am. 12 hrs sleep anything less and they are cranky.

My son is 3 and he is starting every excuse in the book not to go to sleep. My daughter did this at this age too. I just put them in thier rooms at 6pm 6:30 ish and let them play or read books and by 7 they are usually out. i think its a stage they go through.

Do you bath them at night? it's tough, I know
Jamil is not as bad as Jayden was. Jayden would refuse to sleep.

If I come up with anything I'll let you know

steff

[annethcz]

Often times my 4 yo DS isn't tired at night, either. What we do (and have done for years) is have a set bedtime. But we don't require that DS goes to sleep. He's allowed to play quietly in his room until he's ready to go to sleep. That way he has ample time to rest and wind down in whatever way he needs.