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DD (nearly 2) not napping and refusing to settle at night - feeling desperate!!!

3 replies

PickleAndPudding · 11/01/2007 17:16

Please can anyone help??!!!

DD has been a great sleeper until Christmas. Since then she has been impossible to settle at night-time and has been refusing her afternoon nap (which was usually about 2 hours long).

I think it's because she got out of her routine over xmas ( we were staying with friends and family, and she doesn't sleep well away from home).

We've been persistently reinforcing her old routine and doing supernanny-style returning her to bed, but it's just not working. We have had limited success on nights when (in desperation) we've sat in her room with her til she sleeps, but she's cottoned on to the fact that we leave at some point, so that doesn't work anymore.

She's basically refusing to sleep until she's too exhausted to resist. She is sleeping for about 9 hours (max) a day/night (not even in one stretch as she's waking up during the night.

I also have a 5 month old DS, which makes daytime nap battles even more challenging.

Can anyone give me any advice? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase????

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moneytree · 11/01/2007 19:21

Hi, sorry cant really help but having a similar problem with my 2 year old DS. Just moved him to a bed as I am 5 months pregnant and its been a nightmare! He wont settle for his daytime nap (normally 3 hours) and consequently is a monster during the afternoon. He refuses to cooperate with anything and is even kicking & biting me which is most out of character. I am very hormonal hence finding it hard to keep my cool with him. Trying to settle him in the evening was hard but I have to confess that I now put him down at 7pm and keep the door shut by holding the door knob, let him cry for 5 mins then go in give him a cuddle and he passes out with exhaustion. I so wish he would go back to napping so I can have my charming little fella back. I wish someone could help!

hotandbothered · 11/01/2007 19:45

I'm not much help really, but feel really sorry it's so hard going....
When my dd wouldn't sleep/nap I was tearing my hair out. Fortunately after a couple of weeks of mega strong willpower, she realised I meant business and started to sleep properly again. Hooray! Dread moving her from cot to bed tho!

PickleAndPudding · 13/01/2007 10:36

Thanks for the sympathy Night-times seem to be improving slightly - maybe the naps will too. Moneytree - hope things get better for you. I know how particularly exhausting it is dealing with sleep problems when preggie.

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