Nap time/bedtimes are breaking me :(

[eatsleeprepeat123]

Please can anyone help?

My little one is 19 months and for the past couple of months I dread every nap and bedtime!

Once he's down he sleeps fine, but has to be cuddled to sleep and takes up to an hour (if not more) to actually go down. He's clearly tired but just absolutely refuses.

It's really stressing me out and I just don't know what to do anymore. If I put him down awake he will just stand and scream/cry. If I cuddle him he just fidgets and does anything he can to avoid it. He wakes at 7am and I start nap time at 12.30 with the hope he'll be down by 1 for an hour. If he sleeps past 2pm he doesn't go to bed until 9pm or later. I feel like we're in an awful cycle and just don't know what to do!

I don't really want to drop his nap as he needs it. But I can't keep spending an hour plus getting him to sleep at lunch then the same at night!

Should I wake him earlier? Then hope nap time/bedtime shifts earlier too?

This will sound mean, but what happens if you just walk out Los room for a few minutes or so after you put lo down? I know you say they cry and stand. But giving lo proper time to see if they settle. Sometimes my lo does it when she's overtired. And she's the same a fidget in my arms. Likes her own space to sleep. Or maybe sit in the room by cot??

Jeeze 9pm. Is lo overtired? Going that long is a long time. Obviously you know your lo more then me.

sometimes we skip nap and do an early night, then the next day have nappies and later bedtime. depends what we're doing and it's a bit haphazard but I prefer it to nap or bedtime battles.

Could you try a pushchair nap instead?

Mine is also 19 months and bedtime is a battle too. The falling asleep part can take half an hour some nights. Also clearly tired but tries to dick around. I do notice it's worse if I try for bedtime to soon though. Nap time is fine as I stick him in the pushchair and walk round the block. As long as I've timed it right it only takes a minute. Then I just bring him in. I'd have zero chance of getting him to sleep any other way during the day!

If yours seems to need 7 hours awake in the evening I think you're just setting yourself up for a battle if you try to get him to nap after only 5.5 hours. Perhaps just start a bit later and cap his nap? I know it's miserable having to wake a baby, I'm also getting to the stage of needing to too as he easily manages 6 hours awake, so you have my sympathy!