Any tips on how to get a 2 year-old to go to bed???!!!

[Rorytigger]

DD2 will be 3 in june but seems to be suffering from a belated bout of terrible twos. She will NOT go to bed. She always used to be great but in the last month she has decided that's not going to be the case anymore. I've tried all the usual (bribery, pleading, putting her back into bed everytime she gets out, sitting with her etc) but nothing seems to work. She'll stand at the top of the stairs shouting until either I or DH cracks and goes up to her. She's waking her older sister up and then we have the two of them wanting to come down and sit with us on the sofa. Any tips?

does she still nap? My dd1 had to give naps up at 2.1 as she would not settle at night? Also if I sense she is getting overtired then I send her to bed earlier than normal (shes 3.7 now and bedtime is 6.30-7pm but if shes getting stroppy etc then 6pm)

oh and she got a cd player for her 3rd birthday so after I have read a story to her she gets to pick a story cd/quiet music and then she has that on which seemed to make her stay in bed

yes she does have a nap when she's with us. not sure about nursery days - perhaps we just wear her out more
Trouble is I'm not home from work till 7.15 so she's probably being allowed to stay up later than she should so we can see each other. She used to be tucked up in bed around 7.30 but now we are lucky if she's asleep by 8.30. You can imagine what she's like in the morning when I have to wake her at 6am......

pmsl when i saw the thread title, mine is 22 mths and wont go to bed, he has taken to shouting no no no when its bed time, and stand up on his bed and wont lay down.
i have banned afternoon naps hoping he would be tired but no joy as yet...

Put her to bed a bit later? She's older and bedtimes get later with age?

Tell her you will come and put her back to bed but you will not speak to her?

Do the rapid return stuff; absolutely no eye contact or facial expression; one phrase only in a neutral tone - night night - see you in the morning"

Give her a tape player with some story tapes and put it one for her to listen to? Record some of her favoutite stories yourselves so she can hear your voices as she falls asleep?

Star chart for staying in her bed (not for going to sleep - too difficult is she's not tired).

It's a bit harsh if you get in at 7.15 and she is expected to go to bed straight away. She's staying up because she wants to be with you? Seems very reasonable behaviour (htough tiring).

Under those circumstances I think an 8.30pm bedtime is very good!

I know she'll be tired in the mornings but she may be better at dropping off if she goes to bed a bit happier and later?

The only thing that worked for us (and we tried EVERYTHING) was a CD player playing a bed time story, plus the threat that it would get turned off if dd messed around! Good Luck. We wasted many an hour stood on our landing waiting to put her back into bed again .

thanks everyone for the tips. will definate try and get her a CD player for her birthday - she loves her sisters nightlight so was thinking of getting her one of those. what little time I have of an evening with DH is getting less and less as I spend most of it trying to get my cheeky monkey to go to sleep!