I need my evenings back

[CeriGwyther]

My 2 yo has been a nightmare when it comes to night times. For a while, we could put her down, she'd cry for about 10 minutes, then she would go to sleep. I don't know what changed, but she started banging her head on the cot to get our attention. Finally, she learnt how to communicate verbally, but now she won't go to sleep until 9. I am a working mum and my OH lives several hundred miles away so I have no help at bedtime. It is about a 40 minute drive from nursery to home so we generally have tea late and then she skypes family, then it's bedtime routine. But tonight, even though she was dead tired, she still took 2 hours to get to sleep. We have a routine. It goes, bath (sometimes), pjs, milk, teeth, 2 books, cuddle, bed. Once in bed she kicks her legs, sings to herself, hits the side of the cotbed, talks to me, or just has a tantrum - anything to stop herself going to sleep. The annoying thing is, she spent a week with her grandparents and slept from 7pm-7am! I've tried cutting out her nap in the day, but she just slept in the car on the way home. So she's back to a 30 min nap a day. I just don't think that 10 hours sleep a day is enough for her age. Any suggestions please?

Could you stay with her while she goes to sleep, cuddling her in her cotbed?

I do stay with her. I sit in the old nursing chair until she goes to sleep. I used to lie down next to her but this is part of my slow retreat - it still takes me about an hour to get to sleep.

What time does she have her nap?

I hqce this problem with my 2yo. Except she is in a bed, or should I say out of it.

However tired she is it takes an hour or two for her to go to sleep. It was better when she had a cot but that is not really a solution.

We are riding it out but I'm dreading a planned evening out on sat

We don't stay with her; I think it would not help remotely. Nor for her sister who is in the same room - and goes off to sleep when it suits her.

She naps from about 1.30 to 2.00. we have restricted nap time in nursery to try and make her tired in the evenings. On the weekends, well we have the same problem with naps as we do with bedtimes. She won't go to sleep unless she is exhausted.

I have to stay with her when she goes to sleep or she'll get out of bed. I would leave her to it if she read her books or played with her toys, but she just comes and finds me and/or cries.