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Parenting

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I think I’ve really messed up bed time - where to go from here?

3 replies

Cla7 · 13/07/2026 20:55

Our 22-months old still sleeps in a cot in our room, next to our bed. Although at some point in the night he’d cry and we’d take him into our bed, this worked well until recently. We put him in his cot at 7.30pm, laid down as well and he’d fall asleep almost immediately. For the past 4 weeks, that’s not the case anymore. He refuses to go into his cot and wants to be in our bed instead, but there he plays with us and won’t sleep. It’s a 2-hour battle each night until he finally sleeps around 9.30pm. In the morning he gets up at 6am and he does one nap, which I tend to cut at 1:15min but nursery will not wake him and he naps for 2h.
I realise that this is my own doing and we should have moved him to his own bedroom at 6 months old like every sane person does. What shall I do now, how can I get him used to sleep on his own at this age?

OP posts:
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Toddlergrumps · 13/07/2026 21:05

I am by no means an expert, I have a nightmare to get to sleep toddler, but at about 22 months we found his cot was too small for him which is why he was refusing to go into it. We had a standard size cot rather than one that converts to a toddler bed. Had a similar experience to you where he would only sleep in our bed. We got him a bed of his own and most of the time he will sleep in it.
We had a similar experience at 5 months when he grew out of the next to me.
I would move him into his own room and maybe get a standard single with a bed rail, and just get him used to going off to sleep with you there with him, a standard single and you can fit in bed with him. We do bath, books and bed which was the same as when he was little.

JohnLapsleyParlabane · 13/07/2026 21:07

At that age sleep is not static. There could be any number of reasons from teeth to temperature to nap routine that could be affecting bedtime. Give yourself a break. If you are getting stressy at bedtime your child will also be picking up on that energy.

Lougle · 13/07/2026 21:09

It's boiling hot. I wouldn't think it's a routine issue. It's a 'sleep is hard' issue. All of mine took ages to get into a sleep routine. They all sleep independently now (teenagers). This too shall pass.

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