My son doesn't go to sleep anymore

[lukeiamyourmother]

DS nearly 2, was always a great sleeper. We have a good routine in place, he would go down at 7, sleep through 12 hours and had a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

The situation now is that he has no daytime nap at all. He lies in there for up to 2 hours. Up until now I have been getting him up after that because I feel its cruel to leave him there any longer. Then he is awful to me and everyone all day because he is tired and has to be put down at 6pm. But he doesn't sleep then either. He lays in there talking till about 8pm and then he wakes up again at 7. So his overall sleeping time has been cut by about 3 hours, he is grumpy all day, and WHY??? Nothing has changed. It's now been a month.

Don't know why for sure, they do strange things children don't they. Have you tried lying down with him for a few minutes in your bed to see if he would fall asleep? Or maybe try to do something different with him in the afternoon - I read that somewhere, maybe Sears book, that some children don't want their afternoon sleep in their bed at that age, and that they might prefer a little 'den'. A little foam mattress on the floor with a special afternoon pillow and a special afternoon teddy. He is clearly over tired, and that's very hard.

I also remember that at about that age both my children started having more vivid dreams and woke up at night because of bad dreams. Could that be it?

Also could it be his big teeth at the back coming out?

I have tried :

Later nap time
Earlier nap time
Not talking to him when I go into settle him
Talking to him when I go into settle him
Calpol before bed incase its teeth
Sleeping in the car
Laying him in my bed
Laying him on the sofa

Its affecting his eating too. I could cry.

Would he sleep in the pushchair in the day?

Oh dear you have tried everything. The only thing I would do is to let him watch TV for an hour or so in the afternoon sitting down on the sofa to try and get him to have a rest, and stick to a routine at bedtime. I really feel for you!

you poor thing! They do often drop the daytime nap altogether by 2, you could try an hours 'quiet time' on the sofa as a transition - soft blanket, maybe a favourite DVD or programme or music on, soft toys, sometimes they 'rest' rather than nap and that can help. I would stop putting him in his cot or bed though, he's obviously not going for a full-on day sleep anymore. Mine dropped his daytime naps around 22m, same thing - for weeks I would put him in his cot as usual and wonder why on earth he was either crying/shouting or using the bed as a trampoline instead of sleeping!! Turned out, once I kept him up all day he was fine (after the first few days where he was a little grizzly late afternoon) and started sleeping 7-7 like a dream and we havent looked back, he's 3 this month. Still occassionally has a quiet hour on the sofa or a small nap in a pushchair or car, not often though. Loves bedtime, is always properly tired and ready for it! :) best wishes

Poor you! We had a portable dvd player and she would lie in bed with it and watch peppa pig for an hour. It seemed to help and meant that everyone got a bit of down time. She still occasionally does it now despite being 4.

After no nap yesterday and no dinner, or lunch as a result of grumpiness, he crashed out at 6pm and was awake this morning at 6pm. So I'm thinking if ever he needs a sleep today is the day for it! He is completely shattered and walking around like a zombie, his eyes are all red and he keeps falling over. We have even gone for long walks in the hills to try and completely exhaust him and still nothing.

He's in his cot now (has been for 30 mins now) after a really raucous messy play session, and I can hear him singing about bunnies. It's not going to happen is it.... if he doesn't sleep today I will drive round till he does sleep (although it can take up to an hour and a half of driving for that to happen) He really needs it, he's a changed little boy. A beautiful sleeper since 10mo and now a complete insomniac.

I have just been in there to put a sleeping bag on him to stop the cot kicking. I adjusted the black out blind and it fell off the sodding wall. I have sellotaped it to the window while DS jumps about in excitement. Sodding blind... sodding husband for such shoddy work.

Victory dance!!! Hes ASLEEP!!! I can't tell you how pleased I am! Thanks all for your advice!

In the end I just left him to it, and he nodded off! Lets just hope it works tomorrow too

Sorry, I laughed out loud at 'singing about bunnies'. I know you're in agony (were) but it's very funny- thanks for entertaining me.
Mine whoops, jumps and mentions everyone he knows. He hasn't dropped it though it takes him about 15mins to fall asleep. He's 2 end of the month. I have it all ahead of me.