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2 year old suddenly fighting sleep

1 reply

jolene8 · 16/10/2023 12:38

DS has just turned 2 a few weeks ago. Always been an amazing sleeper, had a good lengthy nap and slept through the night with no wake ups from being tiny and never had a sleep regression. For the past week (apart from 2 days when he was with childminder) he has totally refused naps despite him being very tried, he could barely keep his eyes open in the car yesterday but as soon as we got in and I put him in the cot he kept standing up and telling me he wasn't having a nap. The day before, he was exhausted so I drove up and down the coast road 3 times just to get him to drift off for half an hour, he's always napped in the cot but this wasn't working. I really don't think he's ready to drop it, as when I get him up having refused the nap you can see his eyes are glazed with tiredness and when I talk to him he will sometimes stare at me in a trance.

Night times are also a big struggle, as well as refusing naps he's also fighting sleep at bed time and again keep saying that he isn't napping and asking for me to get him down. He doesn't want a cuddle. I sing to him, hold his hand and stroke his hair but sometimes he will push me away despite wanting me there in the room. If I leave he gets really upset, but when I'm with him he just wants ti play. It's been taking over an hour, on Saturday it took 2 hours just to get him to sleep despite not having naps. He's also been crying a few times in the night in his sleep, soon as I go in and see to him/stroke his back he settles and always has his eyes closed.

Just hoping for some advice as I'm really not sure what to do and we've been lucky to never really have any sleep issues but I'm a bit worried about him as this has all come at once.

OP posts:
DuploTrain · 16/10/2023 12:42

I don’t have any particularly good advice, but am in a similar situation with 2.5 year old. He’s started refusing to nap at home but still clearly needs one. Also waking up in the night most nights after sleeping through for a long time.

I’ve had to start taking him out in the car or pram for naps on the days he’s with me. On the days he’s at the childminder and doesn’t nap we just put him to bed as early as possible.

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