How do I get 1 year old to sleep at reasonable time??

[janeybooks]

DD has always fought sleep and naps. Consequently have always breastfed to sleep which I know has made rod for back. She rarely goes to sleep before 10pm and screams if I try to put her in cot awake. Help please?

[LucyJones]

I would down bath , feed and bed at 7pm. Then just keep going in and reassuring her everytime she screams. Don't take her out of the cot, just shush and pat. It'll take a few nights but eventually she'll get used to the idea that 7pm is bedtime.

[janeybooks]

Trouble is she just seems to be at her most playful in the evening. Nothing seems to get her into the calm, sleepy mode!

[LucyJones]

is she having a nap too late in the day?

[janeybooks]

Maybe. Because she doesn't sleep enough at night she often has a long nap in morning, then will get grizzly at 5ish and have a short nap.

[alicep]

They say don't let them nap after 4pm if you want them to go down at a reasonable time... but our 11 month old often naps in her pushchair after that, and there's not a lot i can do!

[dcb]

would it be worth waking her up after 45 mins in the morning so she can have an earlier nap in the afternoon? i do this sometimes with dd - i think she's generally worse at sleeping overnight if she has a long morning nap. she doesn't seem too bad if woken gently after 45 mins as i think this is when she comes to the end of a sleep cycle. then your lo might be ready to go to sleep earlier if had earlier naps.

[Tartanmam]

My ds is the same, fights naps all day (won't even be bf to sleep) but nighttime got much easier when i decided he was going to bed at seven instead of half nine, now as long as i don't let him nap after half three he will go to sleep about seven. Its makes for some pretty stressful supper times if i can't get him to have a nap at lunchtime but i prefer that to him being up all evening.