2.5 year old refusing to fall alseep in own bed...

[Carty76]

HELP!!!! My lg has always been amazing at going to bed. Has a story and sing song then lights out and out I go and she settles herself. This week she's totally refused to fall asleep in her bed. I let her cry however she keeps on making herself vomit through crying so hard. She hasn't been ill and nothing, that I'm aware of anyway, has changed. Last night she absolutely refused to go to bed until 10:15pm. Any advice or thoughts very much appreciated as it's driving me potty!!!!!

What is she doing between going to bed and going to sleep?

Just sitting in her bed screaming or getting up? Is she asking for you or for something?

How long has she been in a bed?

Is she toilet trained?

She's falls asleep pretty much as soon as we walk out the room. She just cuddles her comforter and nods off. She's never, ever gotten out of her bed, bizarre I know, but has started to this week. Only thing she's asking for isn't to come into our bed or to come downstairs. She's been in her bed now since she was about 17 months. Not toilet trained, we've tried but she's just not ready...

While she is refising to go to bed until 10.15pm, what is she doing?

She basically want's cuddles from her Daddy and I. We've tried cuddling her in bed and she's just not having it.

Can you lie with her until she falls asleep?

Have you or her dad been staying until she is asleep giving cuddles?

She literally won't lie down in her bed for us to even get to that point. She just goes bananas to the point where she makes herself vomit until we take her out of the room and either downstairs or in bed with us. The weird thing is is that she's never slept with us, ever.

I let her cry however she keeps on making herself vomit through crying so hard

This is probably a lot of the cause of the current problem. Then when leaving her to scream didn't work, you bought her into your room. So now she knows if she screams for long enough you will bring her into your room.

Leaving her to scream isn't the answer for a 2.5 year old toddler. But there's been an element of trust destroyed since uou did leave her to scream enough for her to be sick. So it's going to take gentle patience and time to move on from this.

Firstly that means not leaving her alone to scream. She can (and probably will) scream in frustration. But she needs to know that you care, haven't just abandoned her and left her alone and most importantly that your boundaries are immovable

So tomorrow explain that she will be sleeping in her room tonight. All night and that you will stay with her until she is asleep.

So some playing in her room today. Play together on her bed. Maybe have a picnic together on there.

Then at bedtime, do your normal bedtime routine and you lie down on her bed or next to it with her. Have a mantra and done deviate from it:

^"Sleep time now, we lie down quietly on our bed at sleep time. Nan night"

That need be the only thing you say, over and over again. Keep returning her to bed, keep lying with her, keep cuddling. M9st importantly, keep your boundaries clear and don't give up. Keep going relentlessly until she is lying down in bed asleep

Yes, it may mean you get very little sleep yourself. Just try to find ways to catch up on sleep the next day.