2 year old suddenly doesn't want to go to sleep ...

[Serp]

Our 2, nearly 3 year old has been self settling for bed and naps for a long time (around a year) all of a sudden, out of nowhere, she is now calling us back into her bedroom for at-least an hour before she falls asleep. She's not upset or distressed, just calling us back for random reasons, asking for more stories, more hugs etc. I'm responding to her at the moment, but why is this happening and will it stop?! Is this a thing?! She is still in a cot. We have tried cutting naps and nothing seems to make her tired enough to go straight asleep...

Both of my kids went through the same thing. Around the age of 2, they suddenly didn't want to sleep. It was difficult but we stayed persistant with the routine and it was a phase that passed after 2 or 3 weeks.

They are 5 and 3 now and still go through this sometimes - especially now as it gets dark later. Could that be a reason maybe?

cut naps and persist.
Have the same boring reaction every time, so calling you back is not interesting.
they will eventually resettle

@Astronaut1298 @steppemum thank you both for your replies! I'm glad it's not just me. Good to hear that it was just a phase. I really hope it passes soon 🤞🏼 going to be extra boring when I see to her tonight.

Interesting read as my LO is 2 years 3 months old, has been going to sleep with minimal issue for the past 12 months but all of a sudden takes about 45 minutes to have a nap, gets upset at bedtime/lies awake rolling about for like an hour, and waking really early. Don’t know what’s going on, I thought maybe she needed to cut the nap but she is waking so early she would be a mess by the time bed time came around. I figured maybe with the weather being warm it might be throwing her off ? No idea, we are in a similar boat though.

I should say that all 3 of mine had dropped naps before 2.5 years.
They were good night time sleepers, and they did need a 'quiet hour' which we usually did by curling up on sofa with a dvd, they would fall asleep about 3 days per week, but I couldn't put them down for a nap.
(or with youngest took her for a drive in the car and less than half a mile and she was asleep, and I would park up and listen to radio 4 for 45 minutes.)

I think not being ready to go to sleep at night goes with being ready to drop/shorten naps. But it is a hard transition as they still need that nap sometimes.

Thank you both for your replies @Astronaut1298 it does sound like we are in the same boat. I did wonder if it was the weather/early evenings too, but my gut is saying drop the nap 🙈 @steppemum thanks, that's really helpful to know. My little one wakes early on most days which is why I've been trying to hold on to the nap to let her catch up on some sleep. Hopefully I can lengthen out her overnight sleep once she's cut down her nap

I’ve just come on here to post about this after it taking an hour to get my 2y 4m old to sleep despite him being clearly tired. This started a week ago and I feel like it must be to do with the heat 🥵 We’re going crazy! I really don’t feel like it’s a nap thing either as he’s suuuuuper cranky when he doesn’t nap. Mine sounds so like yours @Mum7644885

I’m picking up a blackout blind tomorrow and try to cool his room down a bit more. Then praying for a miracle that this passes! 😅

@BeaKind
Its hard work isn’t it, I’m currently watching my LO roll around in bed, no idea what’s going on but I am literally putting it down to the heat because I don’t know what else. We have a black out blind up, her room is really dark but she was wired during bath time, so I do worry she needs to drop the nap but I don’t know, it’s only just become an issue and seems a coincidence with the heat

Not at this stage yet of going from self settling to regressing but my sister's older ones have all been through it. Sometimes it lasted briefly but for one of them it went on from 3-5 really. I think it coincided with the development of a wonderful imagination and separation anxiety around preschool.

Wow quite a few of us going through this at the same time 🙈 I do think the best could b replaying a part. Keep us updated! My little one didn't nap in nursery today but still took around 45 mins to settled. Hopefully it passes for us all soon 🤞🏼

*heat could be playing a part

@Flittingaboutagain you make some good points because my little girls imagination is really growing, she loves pretend play and has really changed a lot of the past few weeks in terms of how she plays and interacts. What a fool I was to think we had gotten past the stage of having no clue why they arnt sleeping 😂.

it’s a nursery day today and she probably won’t nap so going to see how bedtime goes tonight

@Flittingaboutagain agree with the imagination thing too! Last night while trying tov get my boy to sleep he was reciting all his nursery friends names and giving them all sausages 🤣 @Mum7644885 i thought it would all be plain sailing after the 2 year sleep regression 😅 we’ve got another on the way due November so I’m praying this one will be a better sleeper! 🙏 😬

@BeaKind
😂 giving his friends sausages, got to love that imagination

Ive got my fingers crossed your next is a sleeper haha.

My little girl didn’t have a nap today and went to sleep really fast, she cried going down but makes me think, maybe it’s the nap !

My newborn has certainly shaken things up with my older one but you'll be ok ladies! To be honest it was the guilt and sadness over losing that one to one bond and time that has been harder than the logistics including having awful bedtimes! Keep offering the nap. This is a phase and it'll pass.

@BeaKind laughing at their imagination. Sausages 🤣 my little girls said she "needs to clean the windows!" I was tempted to let her out of bed for that one 🤣 mine had no nap today in nursery and still struggled to go down, although it was less time than yesterday. I really thought we had put all the sleep issues behind us 🙈

@Serp aw bless her! I can imagine the couple of moments of thought from you 🤔 considering a window clean 😂

Mines been on and off napping at nursery. Yesterday no nap and he went down fairly well. Home today and did nap and has gone down ok again. I’ve got him in a much lighter weight duvet tonight. I think he really likes being snuggled up and that makes him sleepy and other nights he’s been pretty much on the bed rather than in it. 🤷‍♀️ maybe this will be a turning point.

Really don’t want to cut the nap altogether! I’m going to persevere and see how we go 😬🤞