15mo DS messing around at bed time - rapid return type thing?

[ChairmumMiaow]

DS used to go to sleep beautifully at bed time (flexible according to timing and length of daytime naps) but recently he's started really messing around at bedtime.

Most of the time I have fed him to sleep, and we're all happy with this. For a while when he didn't want to sleep he would settle down with a bit of crying and some cuddles with us lying down in his toddler bed with him (which he went in at 13mo because he hated his cot and was sleeping really badly in our bed).

He basically wants to play and poke at us the whole time now. Several time over the last couple of weeks we haven't been able to settle him till after 9 and we're just not happy with that!

Anyway, we've decided to do a sort of rapid return thing where we just keep putting him back in his bed every time he sits up or climbs out. Does anyone have any experience of this with a baby this age (or older) or any hints about how, practically, we might do it. (Do we stay in the room the whole time but keep returning to DS to lay him back down, or leave him alone for a minute (or more) between returns?

We're pretty sure he's not teething and is healthy at the moment, so please advise!

bump

he might not be tired. have you tried limiting or cutting down daytime naps?

Hi Chairmum Just thinking of you...

I was going to say naps too.

My dd did this and I used to turn her round so she had her back to me and put my arms round her, she couldnt see me so couldnt interact with me and got bored of it and learned to go to sleep. Once she had learned that I moved to the end of her bed then could eventually leave the room. She now calls this a special xxxxxx cuddle. She is now 8.

We have considered that it is a nap issue - if we stay at home he has 2 hours of lovely nap in his own bed between about 10 and 12 then goes through till a 7 or so bedtime. If he has less nap early, we have an afternoon nap at some point, which possibly messes things up. However, not always, which makes me unsure whether that is the problem!

I think we'll try not starting bath till 7.30 if he's had any sort of afternoon sleep and see if that helps.

LaT - hope you're doing well too. Other than this he's sleeping beautifully with just one night feed most of the time.