DS is 21mo. This has been happening occassionally for quite a while now, sometimes it goes in spurts. We are in one of those spurts so I thought I would ask.<br><br>
He is in daycare full time during the week, so he's active playing with the other kids. On evenings/weekends I try to keep him as active and engaged as possible, IE going outside when it's nice out, letting him run around as much as possible, during the winter I would just take him to a big store or mall and just let him run and explore.<br><br>
He usually gets a 1-2 hour late morn/early afternoon nap in every day. He has fallen asleep on me after I get home from work. I don't like him taking a nap so close to bedtime but I figured if he's tired he's tired and I hate to wake him (plus it's nice just to be able to SIT!). But that doesn't happen very often.<br><br>
But when it's bedtime and he is not tired enough, what can I do? What happens is we do a nighttime routine, brush teeth (or not if we brushed them earlier), read books, and lights out. Then he nurses, and if he is not tired he bounces on the bed, looks out the window, flails around, kicks the wall, tries to get off the bed and leave the room, you get the picture. By this time I am extremely tired and falling asleep myself. It has gotten to the point where I just have had to lay there and he starts crying, then it seems I have to let him do that for a minute or two, then nurse again and then he will finally fall asleep. I really hate doing that and need an alternative and I have also had to keep him from getting off the bed by holding him which I also hate doing. I have tried nursing him right away (if it's obvious he's not tired) but that doesn't work.<br><br>
I HAVE to have a set bedtime so that is not negotiable.<br><br>
Does the NCSS for Toddlers address this issue, or other no-CIO sleep books?<br><br>
I'm also a bit concerned on how this is going to play out when he gets older, like 3-4-5 years old. I want to be able to put him to bed and then have some evening time to myself w/o him constantly getting up and then having that battle. Thanks!
He is in daycare full time during the week, so he's active playing with the other kids. On evenings/weekends I try to keep him as active and engaged as possible, IE going outside when it's nice out, letting him run around as much as possible, during the winter I would just take him to a big store or mall and just let him run and explore.<br><br>
He usually gets a 1-2 hour late morn/early afternoon nap in every day. He has fallen asleep on me after I get home from work. I don't like him taking a nap so close to bedtime but I figured if he's tired he's tired and I hate to wake him (plus it's nice just to be able to SIT!). But that doesn't happen very often.<br><br>
But when it's bedtime and he is not tired enough, what can I do? What happens is we do a nighttime routine, brush teeth (or not if we brushed them earlier), read books, and lights out. Then he nurses, and if he is not tired he bounces on the bed, looks out the window, flails around, kicks the wall, tries to get off the bed and leave the room, you get the picture. By this time I am extremely tired and falling asleep myself. It has gotten to the point where I just have had to lay there and he starts crying, then it seems I have to let him do that for a minute or two, then nurse again and then he will finally fall asleep. I really hate doing that and need an alternative and I have also had to keep him from getting off the bed by holding him which I also hate doing. I have tried nursing him right away (if it's obvious he's not tired) but that doesn't work.<br><br>
I HAVE to have a set bedtime so that is not negotiable.<br><br>
Does the NCSS for Toddlers address this issue, or other no-CIO sleep books?<br><br>
I'm also a bit concerned on how this is going to play out when he gets older, like 3-4-5 years old. I want to be able to put him to bed and then have some evening time to myself w/o him constantly getting up and then having that battle. Thanks!