dd will only sleep on sofa.

[MikeLitoris]

18 mo dd will only fall asleep on the sofa. We used to be able to move her to bed where she would sleep all night most nights but not anymore. now she wakes up screaming and have to start the whole thing over again. it's a bloody nightmare.

she wont sleep in our bed she just tossing and turns all night and wants to chat. so No one gets any sleep.

I've had enough tonight and she is now upstairs crying I feel bad but I don't know what else to do.

You're doing the right thing. She can't sleep on the sofa forever can she? She'll be too tired to fight it sooner or later and it won't matter where she is then. Good luck!

She cried for about 15 minutes after. Felt like so much longer at the time though.

She slept right through til i woke her at 8am.

I dont know if i have the heart to listen to it again tonight.

It was lovely to have a full night in my own bed!

Well done and persevere!

Do you have any sort of bedtime routine? Mine always had dinner, playtime, bath and to bed - they don't come downstairs after bathtime so watching TV/falling asleep on the sofa wasn't an option!

Could you do something similar? She'll quickly realise that that's the way bedtime is and sleeping on the sofa is not going to happen (and bed is quiet, dark and comfy so much better anyway).

Persevere, although it sounded horrible, 15 minutes is not that bad in the scheme of things and it'll be less and less each night !!

We try our best to have a routine but its difficult with 2 older dc and dp working shifts.

I couldnt do it again tonight. I told her it was bed time and she ran to the sofa with her blanket and laid down.

I need to grow a pair and sort this out. She is only just going to sleep now and it will take about an hour to get her into bed.

I dont get a minute to myself.

I agree with Sidgee re. routine. Bath, story, bed. Don't come back down again after the bath.

Why couldn't you do it tonight? If she goes to the sofa with her blanket, you just tell her (every night if necessary) that she's going to sleep in her own bed and take her to her bed.

I agree with the others! Routine and STICKERS!

Make a sticker chart, you could involve the other DCs too. Give her a sticker for her chart each time she goes to bed properly. It could be in her bedroom, to encourage her to be there. They don't need to be expensive or complicated stickers, but when she's filled the chart, promise her a small reward.

Other suggestions could be a nice new duvet cover or something to make her bedroom special, fairy lights maybe? Or one of those Ikea leaf canopies?

Good luck!

She just looked so sad laying on the sofa, i couldn't move her.

Will a sticker chart work at this age?

Ive just got a new duvet and will get a new night light on the weekend.

Good idea to do something to make her bedroom more 'special' - perhaps a new cuddly toy that only likes to sleep in the bed...
Is this really about her prolonging the time she gets to spend with you before bedtime? My DD was and still is an absolute master at spinning out bedtime!

I actually find having 3 children (one with SN) and a DH away at sea for great lengths of time a routine is essential and actually makes evenings and bedtimes easier! The girls know what needs to be done and when there's no coming up and down stairs, no arguments, no questions. At weekends the routine is slightly less rigid in that they can go up a bit later, read or watch a DVD in bed for example, but once they're up they're up!

It will be a bit hectic whilst you get it going but once it's up and running you may find your evenings much smoother.

Do you want to tell us the ages etc of your other children and see if we can help you work out something that would suit your family?

I'm sure DD1 liked stickers at that age, even if she stuck them in other places!

Dc are ds (11), dd1 (8) and dd2 (18mo).

Elder two have various clubs that they need to be picked up from when dp is working. Usually around 7.30-8pm. Makes a bath/bed routine quite hard.

Realistically how long would I have to persevere with letting her cry?

Dp really struggles with hearing her cry but I'm thinking of having a proper go when he's working 2-10pm next.

Can you not sit with her in her room whilst she falls asleep and then do gradual retreat?

She freaks out and has a massive tantrum when shes anywhere near her cot. Have tried staying and comforting her, but it seems to make her worse. She tries to climb out :(

If she is still in the cot maybe it is time to either take off the sides or she may be ready for a bed.