If it's not one thing it's another, or all!!

[gemsie23]

My DD is 2 years 5 months and night times are just horrific lately! She either won't go to sleep (she used to be an angel), she stirs in the night (often because she has lost her duvet) and she is an early riser (6 is good) or we have all of these in the same night. We take her upstairs at 7. She still tends to nap about 11:30ish but only in the car and I haven't been able to transfer her lately. She has between 45mins to 1hr 20, usually the latter. But twice a week when at nursery she doesn't nap but this doesn't make the nights any better. I'm not sure if she should not nap but then I wouldn't be able to go out as she would fall asleep in the car! Just wondered if anyone has any ideas?

She could have a sleeping bag instead of duvet - she won't uncover herself then.

A 7pm bedtime is going to give you a natural wake up time in the range of 5am onwards. Earlier is going to be more likely if over tired, when children struggle to sleep through the early morning lighter sleeping.

I realise baby is probably flagging by 7pm, but a longer and/or later nap might help with that.

How does she go from awake to asleep at night? It's probably time to change what happens here, because it's clearly not working if taking so long to go to sleep.

Finally - keep baby in a cot. I don't know if you are thinking about (or already have?) Changed her to a bed. That will only make matters worse. If you have behaviour issues at bedtime then they are likely to be harder to solve in a bed, so keep the cot.

Oh, and as a post-script, 2 and a half is about the time when they start cutting second molars - the most distressing and painful if all teeth to cut because they are big and rounded.

She has been in a bed 8 months now & she has had all her teeth for about 4 months now.

She used to just easily go to sleep after milk & wind down downstairs then up to brush teeth and stories in bed. I would then just leave and shut the door and she would go off to sleep.

Until about a month ago I could transfer her from car to bed at nap time but I can't anymore, she wakes as soon as she goes inside & won't go back off.