2 year old talking hours to fall asleep...

[MegMogandOwlToo]

DS (2.5) is taking hours to fall asleep. Literally.

Routine is evening meal, bath, story, milk, teeth then into bed.

He has always been a pretty good sleeper, although had had phases of night wakings.

He's been in a toddler bed for a few months. At first he saw it as freedom, and wouldn't stay in bed, but soon settled down and would stay in bed while I pottered about upstairs, checked on him etc, and he'd probably fall asleep by himself within 15-20 mins.

Recently he will only stay in bed if my husband or I actually sit with him. He wants stories, or a song, and we try not to indulge him and just shh/pat like we did when he was a baby.

We have tried leaving him to it for a couple of minutes but he gets himself so worked up. He literally leaps out of bed the moment we go to leave the room.

I'm at my wits end. We tried dropping the nap, but if anything it's made it worse, and he started walkin in the night for an hour or so!

Help!

Have you tried cutting down the nap or brining it forward. My DD used to take hours to fall asleep in the end we shortened her nap to 30 mins and brought it forward so she was always up by 1.30pm latest. That ways she was ready for bed at 7pm. We used acupressure to help her drop off quickly too. Now she's asleep in seconds literally. We've never left her to fall aslee on her own as she gets worked up too. But she sleeps really well once she's asleep. Here's the acupressure technique if you're interested. mydaughterwontsleep.com/2013/12/27/the-sleep-inducing-power-of-acupressure/ Good luck!

Have tried dropping the nap but it just makes him overtired, which makes it harder to get him to sleep at night!

Can only sympathise. DD is 3.8 - DH put her to bed tonight (I was travelling home) at 8pm. I got in at 9, and she was yelling for me. I've been up twice since then and she has just this minute gone quiet.

What time does he have his daytime nap? And what time do you put him to bed? I've found from experience that if DD goes to bed before 8, she'll be awake 'til well after 10pm. She finds it hard to 'switch off', so rather than have us all suffer, she gets wind down time, quiet play - an evening much as you have described, and then bed with a story at 8.

Am going to resort to chanting the MN mantra "This too shall pass"