Several Sleeping Questions.

I read your original question and man I feel bad for you. I have a daughter who turned 2 on Xmas and I have NEVER had the sleep thing as bad as you...so sorry. I will tell you what we did/ and are still doing. One night of putting him to bed will not magically work but after a few days (more like 7 days) of consistancy, you will have a sleeping baby. Babies/toddlers NEED sleep.if they are deprived of sleep it does affect how their brain functions and developes. I dont know what you feed him but if you are like me, its just watchever we are eating. Mine seems to only like hotdogs/nuggets with dip, mac and cheese and yogurt....desserts I give her yogurt covered raisens. My baby does go to daycare so they get her for the naps 5 days per week but I keep the daycare schedule on the weekends. Here is our schedule. Please PM me if you want to talk more.
7-715 baby is up
we watch sesame street while Mommy has coffee
8-830 breaksfast (she is eating turkey sausage, bananna, cheese slick and last nights leftover pasta as I type this)
###-###-#### we clean up breakfast, do an activity in the house to benefit me (folding clothes...today we will be taping the trim as I plan to paint the hallway) She drinks 2% milk and will maybe ask for a snack
1130-put on the diaper and put her down for a nap. I have it set in my brain that she will not get out of her crib til at least 1pm. she usually goes to sleep until 1 and then will play by herself for approx 10 mins before calling for me.
after the nap, I usually take her somewhere...usually its the grocery store or a play date if the house is complete. She gets her milk and usually a snack sometime around 2 or 230 which is whole grain gold fish and her milk or puff popcorn
Dinner is at 530 or 6 and is usually our leftover noodles from the night before, a hot dog or nuggets, canned veggies and very cherry canned fruit (hubby works late so She eats dinner without us)
630- up to the tubby. she LOVES her tubby and yes it does excite her while she is in there, it does relax her to sleep.she has toys in the tub she plays with and I have also bought tablets to color the water if she has been good all day or a big bubble bath. I now shower myself at night (sometimes with my daughter to save time) and I sleep really well.
715 done with tubby..we go to her room and sing songs that are on a repeatitve cd(abc's and nurserary rhyms)
745-8pm we read books to her. she used to be really good about listening and now she wants to (attempt) to read to us and will get squirmy...we have to refocus and tell her "its time to read. If you dont want to read, we will just go night night"
8pm in the crib...down to sleep
WE DO have an aquarium in her crib that she loves...when she wakes up in the middle of the night, I will hear her turn it on and sooth herself back to sleep. She also has a pacifer and 2 lovey blankets, a couple of dolls in her crib.
We have been doing this routine since she has been about 3 months old...every night, even if we are traveling we still do the 'routine' as once 8pm rolls around, its nice for me to have 'my time' and do what I enjoy. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, I wait 5 mins and then go check on her. if she doesnt have a fever or is not sick, I leave the room and I do NOT go back in until morning (630am is my minimum wake up time) but she usually sleeps til at least 7am (today was a gift and she didnt get up til 745)
Doing this will help you but you need to be consistant..I think after 4 or 5 days of this, you will see your boy start to conform and get into a rythm.
PM me again if you want to chat. I feel terrible for you...your family must be exausted.
Also, on the sugar thing, as long as you are not feeding him loads of sugar, you should be fine. I dont know about the splenda thing...I dont feed my baby sugar subsittues but I dont think it would fire up your baby like real sugar.

Sometimes after a bath kids can become more wound. It may be a good idea to do the bath at 8 let him run around for half an hour then try to unwind with a good book.
As for the sugar issue, yes splenda has the same effect on yeast and can cause people to become hyper just as easily as sugar. Just because it's supposed to be non calorie, doesn't mean it won't effect the yeast or the activity. My mom had severe yeast issues and she was told to go off sugar and any artificial sugars completely. The only thing she can have a little bit of is Xylitol. She also doesn't eat much of anything made with flour either white or wheat. She uses Almond flour.

Too much stimulation with toys is probably not helpful. Soothing music might work but I imagine you tried that. A bath is usually soothing unless it's too exciting with toys.

Splenda is a terrible chemical for adults, let alone kids. Same with aspartame, saccharine and sucralose (generic names for Sweet & Low, Splenda, Equal, etc.). Get off it right away! There are all natural sweeteners with zero calories and no chemicals - rebiana is one, sold under different brand names. There was a recent news report on diet sodas being linked with heart problems - again, it's the chemical additives.

Yeast infections are fed by a lot of things - refined carbs (such as "enriched" white flour/bread/pasta, potatoes, even fruit) so cutting out pure sugar isn't the only thing!

Otherwise you are on the right track with a schedule that is consistent. Quiet time with books before bed so he can settle down is really important. Soft talking, soft music, dim lights, rocking without talking. Stay as calm as you can and hope that transmits to the child.

Noooo toys. That only gives him incentive to stay awake. The ONLY reason why my son has stuffed animals with him is because he loves to snuggle with them and sleeps longer with them.
Anything with splenda in it I would stop giving it to him 3 hours before bedtime. I would get a sleepy time cd. I like the nature's lullaby's from Fisher Price. My son goes right to bed when he hears it. Sticking with your schedule will help out A LOT. One night wont fix it.
Baths actually signal my son that it is almost bed time. That is the only time that he has them (unless he's really really gross during the day) So if you make that a bed time habit, cues will be a normal thing for him. Reading books, especially calming ones. I like I Love You Through and Through and How Do I Love you? Both wonderful books that don't ignite a lot of sense that are really cute. So our routine is food, bath books, bed. Follow that for the next week and you'll have a sleeping 2 year old.

I highly recommend this book: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp.... I read it when my twins were younger and it was amazing. Some of what we take for granted does not apply to the little ones like we think. This book will walk you through step by step. It may seem counter-intuitive, but an even earlier bedtime could help. If I let my kids stay up even 30 minutes later than their regular bedtime, they're up 30 minutes earlier in the morning and that's an hour of lost sleep. Every child is different, though, so what works for me may not work for you. Good luck!

Make sure you keep a good routine/schedule during the day including a nap time/rest time each day. If he isn't napping during the day this could be your problem. I would cut out all sugar and artificial sweeteners and see if this helps. Give it 30 days.
I would also talk to his pedi and discuss the possibility of your son having ADHD. Many children with ADHD have a lot of difficulty sleeping. It may be that a mild med would help immensely.

Here are some tips with more info at the link below on sleeping issues:

http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2010/01/09/...

* To instill good sleep habits remember that consistency matters so much:

o Bath Time
o Goodnights
o Tuck and Talk Bedtime Story
o Lullabye (yours are best)
o Goodnights

Melatonin
I'm going to bet in a few years you will have an ADHD diagnosis for him.
Toys to bed is not a good idea , it could be keeping him up.
try giving him "reading time" time in his bed with a few picture books my 9 yr old is in bed by 730 and reads until 830 when the lights go out. Add in some soft music, and low lighting and he'll settle down.
Also I know this sounds weird but try giving him a cup of coke zero and see how he reacts, if it settles him down you're looking at ADHD.

hi
i don't really have too much advice just personal experience:) my almost 2 year old cannot take a bath before bed (it makes him crazy!). i also won't let him take toys to bed. he plays with them and they keep him awake. i have gone thru much trial and error (that i didn't go thru with my older 2) with figuring out how to calm him down before bed. we finally decided to give him a later dinner, dim light, bedtime music and calm atmosphere for at least 30 minutes. after dinner we have 15 minutes of rocking in his dark bedroom (even reading bedtime books gets him riled up). and then it is bedtime-he is usually asleep in 30 min or so. i do not sway from this or it takes forever to get him to sleep even when he is exhausted. it took me a long time to figure out what "worked" for him-we tried many different bedtimes and routines. some kids are just wired differently and you may need to try a few different ideas until you find what works for you and your son. sleep issues can be so frustrating. good luck!

Try a little chamomile tea with him. That always calms my little ones down. Sometimes I make it with a bit of apple juice for natural sweetener. He may not take it at first but tea is such a big thing in our house know it would be the end of the world if I forgot to brew a pot. There are also night time teas made specifically for children. Traditional Medicinals makes a Just For Kids Nighty Night tea my kiddos like. For such a little guy, 4 oz of prepared tea would be more than enough. I would avoid splenda. While it's not completely chemical like most of the other artificial sweeteners, it's still a chemical process so why put it in your body? I understand the need to avoid sugar. My oldest son is on a low glycemic diet and it certainly isn't easy. Try using stevia instead. You need a very small amount or it can be so sweet it tastes fakey.

For yourself, try taking a bath in apple cider vinegar that still has the mother (it will say so on the label). It so soothing for irritated delicate tissues and helps to restore the balance that yeast wreaks havoc on. You'd only need 1 1/2 c for a full bath. As for baths and the little guy, it's true that sometimes a bath can rev a child up. I'm so thankful it's the opposite with my horde. I keep some good essential oils around such as lavender, chamomile, rose, basil, etc. Those are all very calming and just a couple of drops in the bath can make a difference.

You'll have to decide on a routine and keep to it at least a month before deciding if it will work for you. Just remember that it will get worse before it gets better so don't get discouraged and give up. Big hugs.

First of all, good for you for seeking advice and reading up on ideas to help your little boy. Sleep issues at night can be so frustrating and puzzling. What works for a few months may suddenly stop working and you have to figure it all out over again, but you can get through it!

It's great you stuck to a schedule today, it will help so much. It is going to take time though (I would guess a week to ten days) for him to settle into the pattern of playtime and sleeptime. Remember that tonight things went differently than he is used to, so it's natural for him to fight it. (Also 2.5 year olds just like to fight stuff, it's the age of independence.)

Many kids are soothed with a bath at night, but for some it revs them up. I would try the bath for a week at the same time and see if it starts calming him down. If not, nix it from bedtime routine.

Splenda shouldn't rev him up. Maybe only water and milk after five just to be sure. He may be getting by whatever food or drink the splenda is in. Perhaps if you try just milk or water near sleeping time it will help give him night time cues.

I would take the toys out of the bed. If he can be entertained then he is going to stay awake as long as he can. His bed should just be for hearing stories and sleeping- nothing else. One last thing you may want to try, and it worked like a miracle for our kids, is a small white-noise machine. Good luck to you momma!