Toddler takes an hour to go to sleep....

[NinaNeener]

This isn't a massive problem really but just curious if it's typical.

We have a one and a half yr old. Demands to go to bed at around 6.30 as he's shattered. So we're up in a darkened room in cot bed by 6.45. Once up there though he gets a second wind and starts pogoing around the mattress! Its playtime! Just going hyper and running from one end of cot to the other. In the dark! Around 7.15 he wears himself out and starts to settle down but it takes another 20/30 mins before he's reliably asleep.

We've tried stories, he just ignores them in favour of jumping around. He's probably too young really.

We ignore him completely by the way. We don't utter a word and he doesn't expect it as he doesn't really engage with us - he's one of those that are quite happy amusing himself. So he will make up cot games regardless in the pitch black.

He's still asleep by 7.30 though and sleeps through so like I said, it's not a massive issue.

Just wondering how normal it is? Our friends put their toddlers to bed much much later - range from 8.30 to 9.30. So too different to compare with, really.

Do you stay with him at bedtime? As he isn't upset, can't you just put him in his cot, turn off the light and go, leaving him to his little routine?

As an alternative, let him do his crazy run after the bath, wind him up and chase him if you have to, then have a prerecorded NG waiting and don't put it on till 7?

Well he was wrecked after lots of sun and play so took him up at 6.20.

He had been quiet for half an hour by then and looked very solemn so I had high hopes! But he did the exact same thing - had a party for half an hour, then chilled for 20 mins or so before dropping off.

He was asleep at 7.10. So basically 50 mins so no particular improvement despite a long nap and much ealier bedtime.

However asleep at 7.10 is still better than asleep at 7.30/7.45 I guess?

Oh and I lurked by the door for most of it rather than sitting beside him.

Unfortunately I don't know how successful I'll be in actually exiting the room as the landing is a sun trap so opening the door would blast the room with white hot light! Once he's asleep its obviously fine but not sure about when he's actually trying to nod off.

I'll think about how I can maybe nip out regardless as that has to be the aim in the next while.

My 2yo takes an hour. We have tried it all but nothing makes a difference. That just how long it takes him to switch off. It's boring and frustrating but not the end of the world.

Just leave him to it, I don't know why you have to be in the room.
He might settle a bit quicker without an audience.

I've got an 18 month old and his nap length varies in the day from between 45 mins to 2 hours. If he's had less sleep in the day and we've been busy I'll take him to bed around 6 ish and he's normally asleep by 7. I used to be able to just put him down and he'd go to sleep on his own but the last month or so he has to go to sleep on me or he just screams. I think this thread shows that they're all different and maybe just tweak your routine to see if a small change works, less playtime before bed and asleep earlier maybe?

We had a really quick one last night in the end but he'd only had an hour at nursery and was knackered.

Lurking by the door is quite a step forward towards leaving him to go to sleep.

They are all different and also they change so much. I remember at one point being basically certain I'd be feeding him to sleep until he was married. Then it just stopped working rather than me weaning him off.

Yeah we had a baaaaad year with him sleeping-wise until relatively recently. Lots of despair!

So am trying to keep it all in perspective. He slept through till 6.10 so literally 11 hrs which isn't so bad. And I'm going to keep up the longer naps as it didn't adversely affect anything yesterday so why not?

It also may be that I can't slip out unnoticed till the nights draw in and it's darker on the landing but who knows? As you say they will change the rules on you all of a sudden!

I'm hoping this "party time" thing is just developmental but even if it lasts a while, as long as he's getting a decent nights sleep and going to sleep before 7.30 I'm going to try not to stress.

Yes I am also going to try not to stress about it. If that's their little routine there probably isn't much to be done.

Take him to bath at 5.45 today then bed after. If he's sleeping until 6 he should be asleep by 6ish really