Had enough

[SJC1992]

I am SO sick of this battle. I’m just over 5m pregnant and my first born still isn’t sleeping properly. She is 22m. I stopped breastfeeding her at 21m due to many night wakings out of habit. She slept great for 2 weeks then got unwell, nothing major and ever since, even now she’s fine, she is resisting bedtime!!!!!. I have tried everything, same bedtime routine, less nap time during the day. Never past 1.30pm etc. tea at 6pm, bed time 7.30pm. She has been resisting bedtime altogether and not going down until 10pm. I’ve managed to get her to go back to sleep at 8pm but then she wakes up a million times until I eventually give in and have to go to bed with her in the big bed and then she sleeps through. My backs sore, may partner isn’t great at getting her to sleep. I am just not enjoying anything at the moment. So sick of it. It’s been two years of bedtime HELL.

Drop the nap completely. The odd ten min car nap in the afternoon if you've gone somewhere, but otherwise drop it.

Hold on…. Better times are coming. My 2yo was a terrible sleeper and still isn’t great BUT at 26 months he has just slept through for several nights in a row and I’ve found he has been consistently better since turning 2. I think part of it has just been age and development, other part has been shorter day time naps and also just making sure he’s really physically exhausted (hard when you’re pregnant I know!)