2 Year Old Doesn't Wanna Sleep

We had the same issue with my son when he first turned two. Here's what we did:

First, he needs a bedtime that is the same every night. Even 20-30 minutes different is too much. Our son goes to bed at 8:00am and wakes up at 6:45. It's the same every night/morning. Then, we got him a lamp that has a really low setting - it acts as a nightlight. Then we got him a flashlight - Target has a really great one. It has three settings and one of the settings makes the body of the flashlight "glow". Kinda like a glow stick. He keeps this in bed with him on the "glow" setting. Then, the last thing we did (and yes some will disagree with it) - we told him that if he cried, then we'd close his door at night. If he stayed quiet and stayed in bed we could leave the door cracked open. He resisted a few nights and we gave one warning before we closed the door. He would go to the door and cry then. So, we put up a baby gate so that he couldn't leave the room. That made him mad! So, we let him cry for a while, then came in and explained that the door could remain cracked open and the gate would come off if he quieted down and stayed in bed. And we told him that if he continued to cry, we'd take his flashlight away.

You may think that your child is unable to get this concept so young, but trust me, he's not. We had about a week of struggling with this, but then it got better. He's two and a half now and goes to bed with no issues now. However, he LOVES that flashlight and won't go to bed without the flashlight and his kitty (stuffed animal).

sometimes being overstimulated and overtired has the exact opposite from being worn out. My daughter did this at 2years old...in fact she would scream "OUT OUT". In her case, I THOUGHT she was scared (watched scooby doo that day) but i am not sure..she played with the "out out" a few times...never at bedtime..mine did it around midnight...
when she did this we had to invent something small and new to her routine. what we did, is when we layed her in her crib, we started to teach her to pray "now I lay me down to sleep"...we had her repeat if from us, verse by verse and that worked...once in awhile she will still get owly and non conform to what we want, so we ask her before we put her in the crib if she needs anything...if she says no, then I have asked "would you like to take one of your books to bed?" of course she said yes so we gave her a small book.
Food for thought too...my daughter would go to bed at 730 until age two..this is when she started to act out a little bit..her issue was she was waking in the mornings at 6, 545 or sometimes 515..WAY too early considering she would sleep til at least 7 previous to this...so we had to bump back her bedtime..bump back meaning we put her to bed at 8 or 830...something to consider if the first 2 dont work :)
Congrats though..its a good sign your little one is getting more independant. :)
Good luck.

Ugh- it is so hard to be sick when you're a mom to a LO! I really feel for you.
I went through something similar when my DS was that age. I read Dr. Ferber's book, and found it very helpful.

After the whole bed-time routine, and getting him tucked in, he would pretty much start crying as soon as I left the room. I waited 2 minutes before going in. I would go in, comfort him, tell him I was still there, but it was time to go to sleep. I even went through listing everyone he knew, one by one, and saying they were sleeping. "Grandma is sleeping, Uncle Matt is sleeping....." Then I even threw in a few animals- the birdies, the bunnies, etc. Once he was calm, I'd leave the room again- of course he would pretty much immediately start crying. This time I waited 3 minutes before going in. I'd go in and settle him (but not go through the whole litany of sleeping people and animals) I just reminded him that I was there- he is ok, and it's bed time. When he was calm again, I'd leave again. I'd wait 4 minutes the next time. Then 5 minutes the time after that. Just keep adding one more minute.

As you can imagine, it is exhausting- but the pay off is worth it. He will eventually wear down and go to sleep. He knows that if he needs you, you're there, but it becomes too much trouble after a while too fuss for as long as he needs to to get you back in. I think the 2nd night I might have started at 3 or 4 minutes. Anyway, a few days of this, and he started going to bed w/o any problem.

Hang in there!! You'll get through it. :)

Is he teething? My son started cutting his 2 year molars right around 2 years old...he's been working on them for about 4 months. They come and go, they bring cold/allergy like symptoms with them, HORRIBLE tantrums, a complete shift in sleeping habits and eating habits. They push for a few days and it's hell and then things go back to normal somewhat...then it happens again.

The pediatrician said that 2 year molars are particularly bad at night. During teething, babies and toddlers need a lot more cuddling and loving than normal. You're a single mom, have you considered just bringing him to bed with you? This way he has some security and loving during a painful time and you get some sleep.

It's rough, I know! If it is the teeth....Childrens Motrin, cold cloths, and lots of loving are what help best for us. But maybe see the doctor just to confirm before you start giving medication. In the meantime give him lots of love and remember that a toddler is going to adjust their habits constantly and test schedules and patience and everything else. Try to get as much rest as you can and be sensitive to that little developing brain and body. Just as an aside too, most all parents of 2 years olds I know have said that sleep habits shifted at this point...dropping a nap or going to bed later, etc.

Best wishes, I know it's rough!

is he getting a nap he may need one. Being too tired makes them not be able to sleep. Also is it possible he has an ear infection? Just tell him to lay down in a harsh tone. Don't play games with him. Be firm. He will cry when you tell him to lay down but generally they comply. good luck. P.S. I don't have a bed time routine. I just put mine down and make him lay down. He wants out cause he doesn't want to go to sleep. He is trying to fight sleep. Mine still tries this but when told to lay down he will.

Kids at that age go through so many changes. Bottom line, he wasn't tired. He wan't ready for bed. I think you have to just go with the flow a little more. We try to have our kids down by 8 or 8:30, but there are just some nights when they need a little extra snuggle time. Last night, the magic hour was 9:00. It's not the end of the world. My 2 year old slept until 8 this morning. I left the house about 8:30, and my 4 1/2 year old was still out cold. It helps that he's on spring break, so I'm not as concerned about getting him to bed by 8.

Routine is good, but sometimes they need some extra time to unwind. It does stink, especially when you're tired, but I've found we're all happier and more relaxed on the days that I'm able to be more flexible.