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2 year old refuses to sleep

7 replies

Baileysandx · 15/07/2025 19:49

hi

im confused about bed time at the moment! My 2 year old just point blank refuses to fall asleep with me.

she used to only sleep laying on me and cuddling. Then the last couple of weeks she’s started asking to go in the crib, she cries when I cuddle her at night and says crib and points. I say do you want me to lay you in your crib and she says yes.

then I lay her down and she starts being silly and standing up laughing.

I’ve tried laying down on the floor pretending I’m asleep, keeping a hand on her, not saying anything and laying her back down then keeping a hand on her, bum patting, leaving the room and going back in when she cries… and I think that’s everything.

im a single parent and when my dad is here he will go up and do bedtime for me - she goes down almost instantly for him.

I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I know the first thing people will say is ‘is she actually tired’ - yesterday is an example where she had a 30 minute nap early in the day, she proceeded to do swimming and run around the park for hours on end with her friend, she was exhausted but still wouldn’t sleep.

I toyed with the idea of her being over tired, but the once lovely routine we had that included a lovely nap routine is all out the window. She acts like this for naps as well. But in nursery she lies down and goes straight to sleep…

im praying someone has some insight as I am exhausted. It takes me absolutely ages to put her down to bed these days - sometimes I’m so hungry (if it’s a day where she’s has dinner at nursery and I plan to eat once she goes to sleep), that I end up bringing her downstairs again with me just so I can eat sometimes and so she can burn some more energy - but even this doesn’t work.

my once wonderful sleep routine has turned into a dreaded nightmare.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Kayleigh01 · 15/07/2025 20:00

Hey.

Sorry you're having a difficult time! 😔 From what you've said it sounds like she is just testing boundaries.

If you haven't already I would introduce a bedtime routine so she knows it is time to sleep (bath, teeth, book and cuddle in her room and then into the crib).

Then make sure you do the same thing each night in terms of how you leave I.e. ask her to lay down, stroke her hair and then say night night and leave the room and only go back in if she starts crying. She will probably get bored of the standing up if she knows you aren't going to go in. It doesn't seem like she is distressed so no reason to go back in unless it escalates.

If she does cry just go back in, soothe her and then the same again. It won't be instant but consistency is key.

❤️

Kayleigh01 · 15/07/2025 20:02

Sorry I have just noticed you have said you have already tried those things 🤣. Tired mama here!!

Id suggest keep trying those things for at least a few weeks and see what happens. Hopefully someone else will come along with some better advice 😂

❤️

EleventyThree · 15/07/2025 20:18

Agh, that's so hard. You must be at the end of your tether!

Firstly, you're not doing anything wrong, I promise you. You sound like a really attentive and loving mum! Some children just resist sleep - and it often seems to be for the parent they have the closest relationship with. My son was like this too. I remember having to restrain his legs with my own so he'd stop slamming them into the mattress and wriggling them around 😅

I think the key might be to find something that helps to calm her and keep her still. Does she take a dummy? Or will she be calm/still if you read her a story or sing a lullaby?

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Superscientist · 15/07/2025 20:22

My daughter can't be tired out by activity and the days when she has been more active in the evening she's a lot harder to get to sleep. She's older now and the days when she has a club or outside time after 5 she's a nightmare to get to sleep. Especially at this time of year with the longer days. Her bedroom curtains don't get opened during the week and at the weekend get closed before we got up to bed so her room is always dark when we go in.
I have to eat before I do bedtime, I would adjust your evening routine to allow you to eat before bed time but also to give some her some down time before bed with quiet low stimulation activities like jigsaws before bed.

Genevie82 · 15/07/2025 20:32

Yes - what time are you putting her to bed? And what time does she wake?
The summer months are tricker with kids and I agree with previous poster about room being darkened and black out blinds being essential to set the mood for bedtime.

Thistooshallpsss · 16/07/2025 00:19

I sing hush little baby don’t you cry on an endless loop for my granddaughter but it takes forever!

EleventyThree · 18/07/2025 17:14

Any luck @Baileysandx ?

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