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Help with 20 month old routine/bedtime

9 replies

Diamond263 · 17/02/2022 20:39

Hello,

Wondering if someone can offer any wisdom please. DD currently taking over an hour to get to bed and after losing my patience with her this evening I'm looking for some help!
My second child, first DD. Neither of my two were good sleepers as babies but slept through pretty reliably from 12/13 months and for that I am grateful, honestly, after going through some super tough months. Just wanting some advice here.
My second child, first DD, is 20 months and will not go to bed until 8.15pm. She's then up not long past 6am. She will nap, but has to fall asleep on my shoulder and takes about 25 minutes to do that (it's hard to leave my 3 year old for that long too, screen time it is). If I put her in her cot she'd either take longer or scream and not nap. There are days, after a particularly long night sleep, where she won't nap, the afternoons sometimes long and hard but she gets through and is asleep in seconds at 7pm (would probably be sooner, that's the earliest I've done it). Once I've put her down for her nap I wake her after an hour or so. I've tried longer, shorter, doesn't seem to have an affect on evenings. If she's napped, she's a nightmare to get to bed. She sings, chats, kicks her legs, and makes sure im constantly there. If I leave, like I tried to tonight, she's very quickly sick. So tonight I cleaned her up and sat back down next to her. Starts clicking her tongue again and i lost my patience. Feel like I don't have any evening and then she's up early. Tonight was particularly frustrating because she seemed shattered before bed, we've had a busy day. Her eyes just don't close!!

Would anyone be advising to drop naps?

Sorry for the long message and thank you so much if you've read to the bottom

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Penvelopey · 17/02/2022 21:02

Oh you're doing well!! (Or I'm doing incredibly badly ) it takes 2 hours plus here at the moment

Vicky1989x · 17/02/2022 21:02

What time does she nap?

I find my 21 month old needs at least 6-7 hours awake time before bed to go down easily, otherwise she won’t settle until gone 8 too!

Diamond263 · 17/02/2022 21:05

@Penvelopey

Oh you're doing well!! (Or I'm doing incredibly badly ) it takes 2 hours plus here at the moment
How do you have the patience for that, you are doing well! What time do you start bedtime? Does your little one still nap? I get frustrated when they take ages to get to bed, then wake up early and seem tired.
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Diamond263 · 17/02/2022 21:07

@Vicky1989x

What time does she nap?

I find my 21 month old needs at least 6-7 hours awake time before bed to go down easily, otherwise she won’t settle until gone 8 too!

Thank you, maybe it's a bit late. By the time I get her to sleep it's 1pm usually, and wake her up just before 2pm. She absolutely does not sit down all day and is like a duracell bunny! 3 hours at a trampoline park today and it's still a battle at bedtime.
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Penvelopey · 17/02/2022 21:08

How do you have the patience for that, you are doing well! What time do you start bedtime?

  1. Some days they fall asleep really quickly but this last week has been a nightmare. They nap about 1/2 but sometimes don't bother....
Vicky1989x · 17/02/2022 21:10

@Diamond263 Yeah, I’d say it’s too late. If my DD wakes at 2 from her nap, she won’t settle for bed until at least 8.

Oh same! We went to a trampoline park last week, nap was late (1:30-2:30, which I woke her from) but wouldn’t go to sleep until 8:30… wish I had the energy these toddlers have 😂

QforCucumber · 17/02/2022 21:12

Mine is 20 months this week, his nap is usually around 11:30/12 for around 1.5 hours. He’s then in bed by 7 and asleep by 7:30. FT nursery so I assume busy every day for 5 days a week (doesn’t sleep though though. Wakes around 3 ish for milk and a cuddle then goes back to 6ish) so around 11 hours at night and 1.5 in the day.

Diamond263 · 17/02/2022 21:13

@Penvelopey

How do you have the patience for that, you are doing well! What time do you start bedtime?
  1. Some days they fall asleep really quickly but this last week has been a nightmare. They nap about 1/2 but sometimes don't bother....
Are you able to leave the room during bedtime? I think I don't have enough patience to sit there quietly, unable to do anything whilst DD faffs around. Don't think I can be bothered with naps anymore either like this! Just a long day for them without isn't it. Although DD gets more sleep overall without a nap
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Diamond263 · 19/02/2022 08:01

Thank you for the advice everyone. Shifted nap forward an hour to 12-1pm, easier bedtime and asleep by 7.30 👍
5-something-am start but you can't have it both ways can you!!!

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