Any advice on toddler sleeping please ! Desperate !

[fussytodd]

My almost two year old DD ( 21 months ) used for nap from 10-12 and then would have lunch and go to bed at 7. No fuss. She's then wake at around 6:30-7 am. Bliss for mummy, lovely evening to myself from around 7 pm.

She's now started to nap later and later in the day and usually I can't get her down to sleep until 1pm. I now give her lunch before she goes to sleep.

She literally won't sleep until 9 pm every night now though. Sometimes even after 9 pm! It's killing me. I'm stressed and feel like I have NO time to myself anymore.

I've tried leaving the room, she goes absolutely nuts for a very long time and it's just cruel. She used to cry for 5 minutes sometimes, but I can't let her cry for more then that. So I stay in the room and she just thrashes around for ages and ages and ages.

Sometimes I have to leave and my husband stays with her and she seems to settle quicker with him. What's that about ? She cries when I leave, but then just goes to sleep straight away, as long as he's in there.

Does anyone have any advice ?

I forgot to add:

I try to wake her from her nap by 2-2:30pm, but I know she'd sleep longer if I let her.

Also, she wakes up at around 7:30 am in the morning.

Both of mine stopped napping at this age. I let them not nap...or stopped trying because it meant they would sleep at 7.30.

Sometimes they'd nod off if we went on a car ride during the day but there was no more putting them to bed for a nap at all.

@FortunesFave

Both of mine stopped napping at this age. I let them not nap...or stopped trying because it meant they would sleep at 7.30.

Sometimes they'd nod off if we went on a car ride during the day but there was no more putting them to bed for a nap at all.

Oh really ! Yes some days she refuses to nap. On those days it's sometimes easier to get her to sleep at night. But not every time.

It's tough when you had a routine that worked and gave you a bit of peace and then it's upside down again.

I'm also pregnant again, it's going to be incredibly hard going through the first year again.

And I have to warn you that if you manage to fix the routine, it will all go wrong again at some point soon. So much of parenting small children is about constant adjustment.

Stick to your routine...let your DH put her to bed! If she goes down better for him it makes sense.

Then when the new baby arrives, you can deal with them and there will be less disruption for your older DD.

My 19 month old has suddenly become a nightmare with naps and bedtime. He was up until 11pm the other night!

I have done so much reading on sleeping for toddlers I feel I could write a book!

In a nut shell I read that you should put them down for a nap 5 hours after they wake in the morning, no more than 3 hours sleep but preferably 2-2.5 hour nap and then put them to bed 5-6 hours after they wake from nap.

All good in theory but I have just come downstairs from spending an hour with a toddler who has screamed, wrestled and cried until he fell asleep.

I felt cruel doing this the other day and decided that I’d just let him not nap, set off on the school run at 3.30, he was asleep within 1 minute. He then refused to wake up until 6pm (I tried multiple times to wake him up and he was inconsolable). This is the night he stayed up until 11pm.

Sigh, I am having a quick sit down and a cup of tea-that was stressful.

Same situation, also pregnant.
Not much advice - it's got better over the last few weeks. We stopped sitting in her room with her because it made her worse when we eventually left. She now cries for maybe 60 seconds before realising it's time for bed.

Oh I see... so this is a common phase then, at this age ....

@User310

My 19 month old has suddenly become a nightmare with naps and bedtime. He was up until 11pm the other night!

I have done so much reading on sleeping for toddlers I feel I could write a book!

In a nut shell I read that you should put them down for a nap 5 hours after they wake in the morning, no more than 3 hours sleep but preferably 2-2.5 hour nap and then put them to bed 5-6 hours after they wake from nap.

All good in theory but I have just come downstairs from spending an hour with a toddler who has screamed, wrestled and cried until he fell asleep.

I felt cruel doing this the other day and decided that I’d just let him not nap, set off on the school run at 3.30, he was asleep within 1 minute. He then refused to wake up until 6pm (I tried multiple times to wake him up and he was inconsolable). This is the night he stayed up until 11pm.

Sigh, I am having a quick sit down and a cup of tea-that was stressful.

I'll try these gaps.

It is super stressful. Enjoy your cup of tea, it's hard work !

Today I didn't even bother trying before 1 pm. At least it worked. Usually I try form around 12 12:30.

She's asleep now and didn't fight, because she was tired.