2.7 yr old nightmare to go to bed any advice?

[loucee]

DD is 2.7yrs old and has a 9mth old younger brother. She is a very energetic toddler with really good speech and imagination. She has had the same bedtime routine for the past 10/11months for lately (IIRC 4 months) is a nightmare to put to bed. when I go downstairs after putting her down she starts screaming for me, I go to her and she rambles on about wanting different cuddly toys in bed or that she's worried about her toy downstairs or that she needs the toilet or that she needs a drink of water, or she wants another story/book etc etc. I am up and down stairs about 4 or 5 times before I get a bit ratty and then end up saying she'll lose a toy if she doesn't go to sleep

Any idea how I should be handling this? She often wakes up DS when she is shouting for me.

Can you have a big chat just before bedtime warning her that bed is in 5 mins and she must choose ONE toy / book etc that she can take with her blah blah and then when you put her in to bed, a big chat about your day, how much you love her etc etc and then when she calls for you, pop back in and ignore all requests and tell her it's time to sleep, goodnight etc. then leave and when she screams again, just pop head in and say time to sleep (and nothing else). Repeat ad nauseum. The next night, she probably won't bother as it is too much effort for no return . It's her stalling tactic that needs to be rendered useless. At the mo it works because you respond to it

thanks for your reply

I think you're right, I will start that tonight with a build up to bed and then every time she calls I'll pop in and ignore whatever she's asking but at least she has the reassurance I will come to her.

How did you get on?

hi TYAG

touch wood those tactics worked a lot better. She still needed to get up to go to the toilet (even after she's gone before she went to bed). I had to go in a few times but kept saying what you suggested and I think she got the message.

Thanks for your support, now just onto the baby who stands up and cries when I put him down - his newest trick!

Brilliant, well done . It's hard isn't it?

I would allow one toilet trip because I usually need to do that myself !

Same tactics with the 9 month old.....

You need to become boring mummy!!