2 Year Old Sleep Battles

The big boy bed may be your answer. Put him in it with a gate on his door, and tell him that as long as he is quiet he can play until he falls asleep. He's in his room and out of your hair. Good luck!

As much as you would hate to lose his nap maybe try cutting it back from 3 hours to 1 1/2 would help. My guys quit naps altogether at about 2 1/2 - 3 years old because they didn't want to go to bed until 11:00. Now they go to bed at 7 like a dream...they even ask to go to bed! It is great! It gives my husband and I that much needed time together before our exhaustion sets in and we fall into bed!

Another thing you could do is make a really big deal about the big boy bed and get really cool sheet set for it like Thomas or Cars or something he is into. Make it really exciting, but it is only for BIG BOYS who go to bed like big boys! You could also get him a new buddy to go to bed with or something that will make it fun, but he doesn't get it unless he is big.

Ladies..the gate idea-worked great for ours as well. None of our kids ever climbed over a gate, it kept them in their rooms. None of ours climbed out of their cribs either though. We put them in Toddler beds when they got to more of an independent stage. Never had a problem except for the not wanting to go to bed and cutting out their naps was the trick! A little adjustment at first (whiney and all, but totally manageable!)

It is probably just a stage and with the transitions to the west coast (time change?) and everything it may just take a little to get into routine again.

Good Luck!
A.

I had like three separate people suggest that I read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley when my baby went from sleeping 10-12 hours a night to waking up every 2-3 hours. I realized there were a few things that we didn't realize we were doing that were not helping matters. Within two days of following her suggestions, he was back to sleeping through the night again! (Without the heartache of listening to him cry it out even.)

She has two versions - one for infants and one for toddlers.

I highly suggest giving it a try!

Perhaps try cutting back naps to 1-2 hours with naps at least 4 hours before bedtime.

Little one's body has to be cued into thinking it's really late. I generally turn off the TV and put on a movie. General TV programs have over stimilating commercials and cartoons. I fast forward the movie to about half way through. I also turn down the lights and gradually after dinner, kitchen and living room lights are off. I leave on one lamp on (with a dimmer bulb) near the hallway to the bedrooms.

Also, you might consider putting baby gates on his bedroom doorway. If you want him to cry it out and stay in his big boys bed, then you probably don't want to tuck him in bed 10 times a night during the transition. Try putting one baby gate on top of the other. He can still see through it, but he just can't get out.

This worked for my girlfriend and eventually they didn't need the gates anymore. I still use the gates even though my boys are 4 and 5. They try to wake up at night, but they do not get any further than the door. At least that way it's easier for me to tuck them in... rather than having to carry them back to their rooms after they fell asleep at the end of my bed. Also, whenever they see the gates, they don't try to tear them down anymore. They just stand and wait because they know they are not supposed to be in that area of the house. That has become really helpful when I am studying and cooking.

We had problems with our son wanting to be rocked to sleep, also. He had terrible reflux and we were instructed to keep him upright for half an hour after he ate so it became routine for him to end up falling asleep on us after he ate when he was really small. The night he climbed out of his crib, we decided the following night he'd be in the toddler bed. It scared me to think he could fall & hurt himself. So we made it into this really big deal and told him he could sleep in his "big boy bed" from now on and told him how there was no jumping, etc. and he loved the newness of it and forgot all about the rocking that he'd had his entire life. We would put him down when he was still awake and I am still unfortunately sitting there with him for about 10 minutes every night just to make sure he knows I'm there and he often holds my hand.. as soon as he's asleep I leave and he sleeps all night the same way he did in his crib! We put a gate up at his door so he can't leave the room and go all over the house. He now stands at his gate and says "mommy" when he wakes up- the same way he stood in his crib before. I thought it would be a total nightmare and it ended up really helping us out! good luck!!!

I bribed my 2 year old... LOL! Sounds terrible but it works! She has been in a twin bed since she was 1 1/2. She did great for a long time & then got sick so I would lay with her to help her go to sleep & then bedtime as I knew it was over. LOL! She would get out of bed & run out of the room. She would scream & cry like she were being beat for a good hour. Like you said, it becomes unbearable. So I did our nightime routine & layed her down & covered her up. Then I showed her a special little container with some goldfish crackers in it (one she can't open easily). I told her if she stays in bed like a big girl, she can eat them in the morning. I would leave the room for a few seconds & jump back in making sure she was still in bed. I started off doing it for about 10 minutes. It became a fun goodnight game for her & having the crackers there helped. Now I don't have to jump back in her room at all and she hasn't noticed the lack of crackers on the night stand! It's been a few weeks. But these few weeks even with the jumping & the crackers has gone so much better! I'm thrilled. I have my evening again! Good luck!

We have the same thing with our 28 month old son. We chalked it up to the fact that I had a baby on 11/20 and DH and I stayed in the hospital together for 4 days while our families took turns coming to the house to stay with him during our absence. We called to talk to him but he was not permitted to visit us at the hospital due to H1N1 policies. This has been happening at naptime and bedtime and he will stay awake for hours. We are also still in a crib with no incidents of him climbing out. I plan to use the baby gate technique when he is in his big boy bed though.

I have no suggestions but will check back to see what other advice you are given. I just have been treating it as "This too shall pass".

R.,

First of all, let me say that I feel your pain. I have been through this lately also. The transition to big boy bed is a difficult one, but ended up helping us with the bedtime routine. We had my son help pick out sheets for his big boy bed. Then we put a baby gate at his bedroom door so his door could be open but he could not get out. It helped.
I will say a prayer for you though. I know that it is extreamly emotionally tiring. Hang in there!

yes, a 3 hr nap is too long for a 2 yr old. shorten it to one hour or 1 1/2 hrs, but he may be grumpy when you get him up since he is used to sleeping longer. Let him know the rules, get in bed, you will read or rub his back for 15 minutes and then he must sleep on his own. No getting up or he will get "..." for punishment. You can make the punishment for the next day and then keep putting him back in bed until he goes to sleep. Or you can make it a punishment for right then, like stand in corner 15 minutes, then try to put him in bed. It will be a battle. You will have to force him, but after a few days, he will start cooperating.

It could be that he got used to you rocking him to bed. But if you're putting him in his bed, and leaving the room, he could be having some anxiety over thinking you're leaving him.

One of the "go to sleep" techniques that Supernanny uses is to put the child in his bed, and sit down nearby in such a way that the child can see the side of your face - but you're looking down. 1st time out of the crib, tell him "It's bedtime darling". 2nd time out, "It's time for bed" - each time putting the child back in bed. After that, keep putting the child back in bed - saying nothing, no eye contact. The first night it might take 2 hours before he finally wears himself out and falls alseep, but after that, it'll get shorter and shorter. But still - this way, he can be somewhat comforted in knowing that you're still in the room. Each night move closer and closer to the door, and eventually you won't have to stay in the room.

For what it's worth - and good luck!