at the end of tether with non-sleeping 2.5 year old

[OhDearNigel]

So 2.5 year old woke up at 6am today. She has only just gone to sleep. She has been running around all day, we got in the car at 6:45 pm (me hoping desperately that she would fall asleep on the 40 minute journey home from PILs). She was still awake when we got home at 7.30 and I left her wide-awake in her bed 10 minutes ago. She is quiet so assume she is asleep now but she may well not be. She doesn't have a daytime nap because if she did she would still be bouncing off the walls at 11pm.

I try everything to get her to go to sleep. I wear her out all day, feed her proper food, she doesn't get sugar at all after 4pm, she has a soothing bedtime routine. She just WILL NOT SLEEP.

I am in absolute despair. DH and I both work an average of a 60 hour week and have to cram all my housework/cooking dinner etc into an hour and a half in the evening. I have Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sunday mornings with her and the rest of the days she spends either with DH (shift worker), my parents or at nursery where she does Mondays and Thursday afternoons)

I just don't know what to do. I can't go on like this; sister in law's son is exactly the same age as DD and is asleep by 6.30pm.

I had 2 like yours

they are now 3 and 5 and only now is the younggest going to her own bed, voluntarily until morning

I cant believe it

it WILL happen

I too got fed up that mates' kids were all seemingly perfect sleepers, but dont believe the hype, I think it's the age that they do this, and I think you have only a few mths left of this before she settles more easily

prob not helping am I?!

what I did that helped:

1. bought her a cute duvet cover set gushed about it, that it would help her sleep
2. carbs at teatime, another carb snack (toast) for supper and milk.
3. nightlight from ikea the star shaped one

4 wall stickers fairies who would sleep with her

1. bribery - if you sleep until morning, i will get you a surprise!!!!!!!!
2. kept up the walks, exercise etc

some kids are just intelligent, energetic little things, sounds like you have one

if all else failed, they came into our bed and shared my pillow (we have a superking) if i needed my sleep i didnt move, they came in and just slept beside me between us

not ideal but DH wasnt bothered, as long as we all got sleep

it will pass. trust me.