What to Do W/ a 23 Mo. Old Who Will Not Sleep

Hello K.,

They sugar in the milk maybe what could be keeping her up at night, also does she still take a nap during the day? Also does she get any kind of exerice with you during the day? I knoe that she can't go outside right now, but maybe she just isn't getting enough running around time during the day so when it's bed time she just can't fall a sleep, and the reason why she is calling you is because you response to her when she does call, when my daughter went to a toddler bed i would lay with her for about 20 then i would let her know that i had things that i need to do and that i would see her in the moring, that really worked, and the only thing that i would give her to drink would be water. And i would put in a spil proof cup so that she could sleep with it and not have to get up for anything. My daughter is 4 and she still gets a cup of water, and she does fine at night, but i do know that if she hasn't had enough exierce or enough mind simulation she will stay up for hours as well, so i try to do my best with her, we get out exerice tapes and all, and then i tell her to run through my livingroom and dinningroom, or i take her to the mall for an hour or so and i make her walk, and i have done this ever since she was two, i've had the same problems, and i know that you don't want to do any of these things, but maybe a friend could help you out with trying to get her to have more exerice or something like that. I hope that this helps
good luck
S.

That doesn't sound very comfortable, on the floor next to a toddler bed! Why not bring her into your bed with you? She may be sensing the impending new arrival and be feeling insecure.

I don't want to sound mean but I had a similar problem with my son. We moved when he was 23 months. I had him sleeping on the couch with me for a little while so he would get used to the new house. Then I tried to put him in his room. That was a night mare. What we did was to turnt eh door knowb around and lock teh door until he fell asleep and then went in and opened the door. He did cry for a while. We would go in 5 mintues after the crying started. COmfort him and then go back out. Every night we extended the time that we let him cry. By the end of the week he was in bed at bedtime with a story and stayed in bed. No need to lock the door. He understood that when he called us we would be there. We also told him that he was a big boy and he needed to sleep in his bed. We did the same thing with my daughter and every one goes to bed with a story being read by either myself or my husband. Unless something is wrong they don't get up. I hope this helps.

Perhaps get her to choose a favourite toy to sleep with. Looks like she is perhaps feeling a litle insecure. Also try the night light, or some soft background music. You can even try to take her shopping for a new toy to sleep with, my little one chose a dog. Let her feel secure by telling her that the stuffed animal will be her sleep buddy and be there to watch her while she sleeps and make sure she has sweet dreams. Hope this helps.

i know this is going to sound bad but a friend of mine was going thou the same thing and ended up having to put back the crib and she stayed in it at frist she put her in a play pen in mommys room at night agian and sara sleep in sara's at nap time after 2 months the playpen went in sara's room then she went in the crib she got stoped after mommy had the baby and things got normal her doctor said she might have just been upset about the new baby and the changes b/c mommy couldnt always do the stuff she was doing. hope this helps! Ann was 4 months pregent when sara went back into the playpen sara i think was 26 months old. when the josh was about 4 months old sara wanted her BIG GIRL bed BACK NOW MOMMY! Good luck i hope this helps.