DD and bedtime, please help.

[Knickers0nMaHead]

Posted a while ago about dd and her sleeping habits.

She wont settle on a night and we have tried everything.

Laying with her until she drops off then sneaking out hoping she doesnt wake back up.

Letting her 'cry it out' heartbreaking so cant do that again.

Leaving her downstairs until she is very tired.

Laying her in our bed.

We have tried all these a couple of weeks on each thin and nothing seems to be changing.

Cannot really think of anything else we can try.

I am seriously considering putting her sides back onto her bed to make it back into a cot.

Has anyone got any help as to what we can do to make nighttimes any better.

How old is your DD?

Sorry, she is 19months.

Is she tired when you put her to bed, or maybe even too tired? There's that tricky bit when they should drop a nap that's very hard to get right - can't quite remember what age that is. And is she stressed about sleep, or happy to go to bed? Tell us more details, I'd bet you'll get some good wisdom back. So many on here have been where you are.

Well, we've tried different times for bedtimes, and different times for naps time. I am going to try her nap at 11am as this is what time she went before all this.
She is quite happy to climb the stairs and go into her room but kicks off as soon as I leave the room.

Knickers

We had the same with dd2. We hoped we could get her out of her cot before dc3 arrives.

She is happy to play and read in her big bed which is in dd1 bedroom, but as soon as she wants to go to sleep she will cry, wonder up and down the hall untill we put her in the cot and she will go straight to sleep.

I would put the sides back on the cot and try again later. She obviously feels safe in her cot.

Lizziemun, I am very tempted to do that but fear she will just kick off even more.

Whenever this happened with dd I found that bringing bedtime forwards worked. It was like she was overtired and couldn't get to sleep. Have you tried an earlier bedtime?

I think you have to put the sides back on the cot then, but don't leave. I used to sit with a book and ignore my son. If he lay back down and was quiet I'd tell him a story, then sit and read again until he dropped off. ie reward calmness, ignore hysteria!
She will kick off, and it might take a couple of nights, but she'll get the message that this is how it is. You just have to cope for a couple of nights with a very cross kid

Right, have put the side back on her cot. She is deff not a happy toddler. Will sit in there and feed ds and hope she drops off.

Good luck - ear plugs may be essential

Surfermum, have tried earlier and later bedtimes but to no avail.

What time does she go to bed and what routine leading up to bedtime.

DD2 routine at the moment is

wake up 6/7am

Afternoon sleep 12 - 3pm

Bed 6/6.30pm

Do you have a quite time to winddown of an evening

I do dinner 5pm then only quite toys/books after until 5.30/6pm depending if we are have a bath & teeth.

Then milk story then bed.

She can wake up anytime between 6.30-8-30

hopeful nap any time between 11-1 depending what time she wakes up.

Tea at 5pm

quite play till 6 then bath, milk, story then bed.

Dp has fetched her down and gone to work. She's still kicking off even though she is down here.

when my son was that age we had sleep therapist

we didnt nap after lunch dinner was 5-5.30

then quiet play and bath but still did things to use last of energy up

before bed a slice of toast was recommended which we did and it actually settled him longer

sleep therapist said to aim to have asleep for 7-30

story for 10 mins lights out then bed

we would sit by door with our heads down or back to him and ignore any attempts of chat

until he was nearly asleep we would then attempt to leave so he was actually settling by himself if this upset him we would just sit again until asleep

after few night he would be off in less than 5 mins and slept alot longer not all night but only woke once and was easily settled by sitting again on floor no conversation at all