Need help with nearly 3 year old dd

[tumblejumble]

Dd who is nearly 3 is taking a long time to go down to sleep. I've tried bath and story before bed, making sure she isn't hungry or thirsty.

Sometimes she will have a nap at lunch and sometimes no nap but regardless it always takes at least an hour minimum to get her to sleep. We are currently lying beside her till she falls asleep. She will try to get a reaction out of us by laughing, talking or trying to get out of bed and run around the room. She acts really hyper and I don't know what to do to get her to go down on her own and also sleep on time.

My child refuses to go to bed before 8.30pm if I try to put her down at 7/8 she will take up to 2 hours to go to sleep.

Any advise what I'm doing wrong.

You are in charge here, not your child.

If child is messing around and trying to play at bedtime, then ahesnot requiring you there for reassurance. It's just a power game - procrastinating instead of lying silently and still to go to sleep.

It sounds like she needs much firmer boundaries at bedtime with higher expectations of her behaviour.

Your expectations for her behaviour should be that she lies down in bed, stays still and stays silent on her own. You can't make her sleep, but you can insist she is still and silent (until bored enough to relax and go to sleep).

You won't get there 'just like that', it will take some work. I would do Rapid Return. Develop a mantra you say: "sleep time now, we lie down quietly to sleep. Nan night" (or whatever). Every time she gets up, back in, repeat mantra, leave and close door.

Set her expectations earlier in the day, plenty of warnibg of what will be happening at night.

Expect her to treat it like a game at first. Just remain repetitive, boring and utterly consistant - back to bed, repeat mantra, leave. All. The. Time.

It may well start as a battle of wills. You have to show her that you are willing to dig your heels in more than she Is. Because you are in charge, she is not.

My almost 3 year takes about an hour to go to sleep too. I do the same routine every night and she is in bed by 7 regardless , I sit with her for five mins give her a cuddle and story and then into bed she goes. She knows not to get out of bed or play and she generally sings and chats to her teddies. I see it as my job to get her to bed but I cant force sleep. But she knows the rules bedtime , be consistant with clear boundaries set the right conditions for sleep and leave her to it.