17mo will not go to bed - what to try next?

[PastaBeeandCheese]

I'm at the point with DD where I don't know what to try next. She just will not go to bed and it takes upwards of an hour to get her down.

She has had a bedtime routine since she was tiny and has always gone down easily. For the past few weeks she has just been full of beans come bedtime and just wants to play.

So far I have:

Blacked out her room,
Tried putting radio on,
Tried cutting out her nap,
Tried putting her down later,
Tried staying with her,
Tried going in every 5 minutes saying 'bed'

I don't know what to do next. She sleeps really easily on the 3 days she had been at nursery where she has a 1 hour nap. I do everything to wear her out on days off but it seems to make no difference.

Please, has anyone got any ideas what I can do next?

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

Just to clarify - if she only has a 1 hr nap on non-nursery days does it make a difference?

[PastaBeeandCheese]

Hi Arabella, I have tried limiting her nap to 1 hour but not for any sustained period because when I woke her each time she was so angry, upset and tired. She seems to naturally want 1.5 - 1.75 hours.

I have introduced a rule to say no sleeping past 3.30 for any occasion where she naps late. I always get her home in time for a 1pm nap but sometimes she isn't ready.

I could try limiting nap for a week or so and just taking the grumpiness on the chin if it makes a difference?

[babySophieRose]

Fresh air makes them sleep like an angels. Let her run in the park or garden in the afternoon and see the difference. Also no Tv time or excitement before bed time.

[Bumpsadaisie]

What time does she get up on non-nursery days? If it tends to get later, could you wake her earlier, so she might be more ready for a nap prompty at 1pm? Then just limit it to 1 hour and take her out in the fresh air?

I think 3.30 is quite late for her to still be asleep tbh. My DS is 17 mths and he tends to sleep about 12 till 1 or 12 till 1.30 (and has lunch afterwards). He's then awake the rest of the time till 7.30 bedtime.

[Bumpsadaisie]

With mine it also helps to get them outside for 30 mins after supper and before bath.

[Overreactionoftheweek]

I'm having the same problem with 17 month old ds and apparently there's a big sleep regression around the 18 month mark, due to all the developmental leaps.

He naps well in the morning still but used to go to bed at 5pm...now it's nearer 9! Plus he wakes loads overnight and is up for the day way too early.

We're doing the same bedtime routine and the same thing of putting his dummy back in, cuddling him and saying night night every time he wakes. It has achieved bugger all in these last 3 nights since it's started but I'm clinging to the hope that it will all go back to normal once he's past this leap.

I'm putting him down an hour later at 6 and he happily chats and squeals until he drops...so I'm still getting a break! The overnight disruptions are bloody tough though.

Sorry I don't have any proper advice, just wanted to say that I think it's a normal thing that they'll hopefully snap out of in a few weeks ( hopefully quicker!). It made me feel better to realise it's pretty common, hope it helps you too

[PastaBeeandCheese]

Overreactionoftheweek.... We've just come out the other side of night waking and getting up at stupid o'clock! It is good to know we're not alone! I'm sure you are right about developmental leaps but it's knowing what to try next when the things that worked when they were babies seem to be loosing their impact!

She gets up at 6.40 on nursery days and about 7.15 on non nursery days. The reason she is sometimes still asleep at 3.30 is because it is sometimes so hard to get her to sleep. Lunch seems to give her a real energy boost.

Anyway, I have decided to take the advice and have put her down at 11.30 and surprisingly she went down. I've given her a cup of milk in the hope that will see her through to a slightly later lunch which will be closer to 1pm by the time I've woken her up, changes her and made it.

I love the idea of ensuring we always go out in the fresh air in the afternoon especially now weather is improving. We're real morning people so are always out early everyday but when it's cold we can get tempted to stay in all afternoon or just pop to shop.

Thanks for your help. I am pretty sure this is all the transition from baby to toddler. The funny thing is she is an absolute delight come 7pm. If I forget she is supposed to be asleep then she is really, really funny and I have to hide my smile and stop myself laughing.

[Bumpsadaisie]

Thanks for your help. I am pretty sure this is all the transition from baby to toddler. The funny thing is she is an absolute delight come 7pm. If I forget she is supposed to be asleep then she is really, really funny and I have to hide my smile and stop myself laughing.

This is lovely! Maybe just enjoy! Most parents are strangling their child by that time, so lovely that you can have a good time together then.

[DIYandEatCake]

This might not be something you're willing to do, but dd (just turned 2) had never had a fixed bedtime, just goes to bed when she looks tired. It's always somewhere between 7 and 8.30, so we're not keeping her up til midnight or anything, and she was like your dd in being particularly lovely and lively in the evening at a similar age (still is sometimes). We often found that after half an hour of chasing/tickling/other energetic games she'd be happy to go to bed. It works well for us - she often asks to go to bed when she's ready and goes to sleep quickly and happily.

[PastaBeeandCheese]

That's my other thought DIY. I've not wanted to do that because we eat late, after she's in bed but we are slowly changing that so she eats with us everyday except nursery days.

We've cracked the weekends and I'm hoping if she can get along with napping before lunch she will wait a bit later for dinner on the days I don't work.

[Jakeyblueblue]

I'm with DIY. Another one that let's ds sleep when he's ready. I don't do any sleep manipulation whatsoever and have a much easier time as a result. He's 21 months.
He just seems to be a night owl, Ive tried everything in the book to get him to bed earlier but it always turned into a battle so gave up. I now let him nap whenever he likes in the day and then put him to bed when he asks at whatever time that maybe. It's usually about 10 to be honest. . Will prob get flamed for this but it works for us. Also Dh works late so he wouldn't see him if he went to bed earlier. As it stands now, he goes straight to sleep and gets up 9.30am. Once he's asleep, he might stir for some milk (co sleep and still bf) but that's it. He's happy, content and well behaved so does him no harm and we get such lovely quality time with him in the evenings. We watch movies, read books, play with cars etc.
sometimes you have to chose your battles and I honestly believe some people are just night owls. Mil said dh was just the same.