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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

2 yr old not going off to sleep till 9pm

18 replies

IHeartIona · 12/04/2010 13:31

Hi all
My dd is just 2 and over the last couple of weeks is taking absolutely ages to go to sleep in the evening. For the last few days she has not gone to sleep till 9pm, despite taking her up for a bath or hand/facewash at about 7.30.
She still bfs and we read together then she has milk and goes to sleep. But despite obviously being tired she wants to read more or go downstairs and all kinds of things.
She has her 2nd molars coming through at the moment, and we always give either calpol or calprofen at bedtime when teething.
Any ideas to help with this or shall I just consign it to "this too shall pass"?!!

thanks

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thisisnotwhoyouthink · 12/04/2010 13:35

Does she still nap during the day? If so, have you experimented with dropping it? It might be hellish at 5/6pm for a few days, but she will get into a new routine and sort herself out soon

Original poster

IHeartIona · 12/04/2010 13:39

yes sorry forgot to mention that, she sleeps for about an hour/hour and a half, from about 2pm when at home with me (4 days inc. weekends). but goes down at about 12.45 or 1pm on nursery days. won't go to sleep that early for me though!

I was wondering if such late sleeps are affecting her bedtime sleep.

Will try and see if she can go through the whole day one day this week. We have a busy day planned on Wed so maybe then.

thanks!

OP posts:

Goingspare · 12/04/2010 13:40

I agree about the nap. And this doesn't happen to have coincided with the clocks going forward does it? Is she lying awake in her cot, or are you doing things with her until 9?

Original poster

IHeartIona · 12/04/2010 13:41

even before the clocks she wouldn't go to sleep until about 8.30 really.
I sit with her until she goes to sleep, but I am quite boring

OP posts:

maxybrown · 12/04/2010 13:54

Don't wish to panic you but dropping afternoon nap made no difference whatsoever to my DS [grin} we just keep him up later tbh, then he goes straight to sleep and wakes up 9 hours later!

Original poster

IHeartIona · 12/04/2010 13:56

No please don't panic me maxybrown!

she doesn't sleep through either so 1 hour to myself before bedtime forever does not appeal!!!

OP posts:

maxybrown · 12/04/2010 13:58

sorry, it is hellish I know. Apparently I was the same, in fact my Mum says DS sleeps more than I did and that i didn't sleep until I went to school. Sh says my DS is pay back for me when I was small

By half past nine I am climbing the walls for me time!!

Rockbird · 12/04/2010 14:00

What time does she wake in the morning?

DD (2.3) goes up at about 8pm if she hasn't had a nap or 9 - 9.30 if she has. Either way she wakes between 7 - 7.30 so the nap definitely makes a difference to us.

maxybrown · 12/04/2010 14:32

My Ds sleeps for 9 hours regardless of afternoon sleep or what time he goes to bed so we have to just work on that!

Original poster

IHeartIona · 12/04/2010 14:38

Rockbird, currently she wakes several times through the night e.g. 1am, 4am, 6am (though only once last night, phew) then usually up for the day around 7ish or so.

maxybrown yes I guess we just have to take what we can!

OP posts:

MumNWLondon · 12/04/2010 15:37

By age 2 I had to cut down the lunchtime nap to a strict 30 mins or he wouldn't go to bed.

By 2.5 it was a strict 15 mins (in buggy on way home from nursery), and even then not every single day, and by age 3 no daytime sleep at all.

You don't need to drop the nap altogether, ask the nursery to drop it on those days and let her sleep for a bit when she's with you.

MumNWLondon · 12/04/2010 15:39

IheartIona - why is she waking up in the night? Is she being fed? Seems a lot at that age. Probably old enough for incentives to sleep all night?

maxybrown · 12/04/2010 18:20

I was going to ask that. DS only started sleeping through when I stopped offering a feed. he does wake up sometimes now but generally goes back off again (though mostly in with us)

MissWooWoo · 12/04/2010 18:37

I'd say drop the nap or phase it out gradually (cut the time down) - you'll probably have to go through a transitional period where your dd gets cranky towards the end of the afternoon. My dd (now almost 3) started to show signs of dropping her nap just before she was 2, it became increasingly difficult to get her to sleep and naptime became later and later. My policy was if she wasn't asleep by 3pm then it wasn't going to happen and did everything I could to keep her awake - usually by taking her out to the park - and then getting her to bed asap after 6.30pm depending on her mood. DD still doesn't sleep through the night (but we're getting there but she does (usually) get to sleep by 7.30/8 and then is up for the day approx 11 hours later.

Some people would argue for letting your dc "decide" when to drop the nap but really I have to say that I am a much better mum for having some "me time" in the evening.

Original poster

IHeartIona · 12/04/2010 21:28

Thanks for your replies - interesting to hear about limiting naps MumNWLondon. I hadn't really thought about that. DD wakes up very miserable at the monment (from nap) and takes ages to cheer up. Maybe it is because she has slept too much rather than too little, i.e. the opposite of what I always think.

Yes she still bfs at night, though I have had some success recently with getting her to go back to sleep without milk. When this bad patch is over I will definitely go on with that.

Thanks maxybrown that sounds encouraging about your ds sleeping better when no feed offered.

Thanks MissWooWoo - over Christmas she did go without naps on several days with all the excitement, and I do remember she went out like a light those nights.

Went to sleep at 8.40 ish tonight so a slight improvement, yippee!

OP posts:

maxybrown · 13/04/2010 15:31

I hope she improves

Original poster

IHeartIona · 13/04/2010 20:40

weeeell, after an interesting (?) day when dd had a funny allergic reaction to something at a friends house and we went to hospital in an ambulance, she only slept for about 10 mins in the day and went to sleep at 7.45 tonight.
of course this could be more to do with not being well than no sleep, so I will see how she gets on tomorrow.
thanks for your wishes maxybrown!

OP posts:

maxybrown · 13/04/2010 22:23

NOw that is a atad dramatic to get her into bed lol. Hope she's ok, sure you will get there. DS went to bed about 15 mins ago.......am shattered good job he's good as gold!

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