bedtime question

Tracey.S

DD is 2 and we try to get her into bed between 7:30-8pm because we have to wake her up around 6am so that we can get out the door and to work/daycare/grandparents.  She normally falls asleep 10-15 mins after we leave her room but lately she's been laying in her bed either playing quietly or flipping thru books.  I wouldn't mind this except she's up past 9-9:30pm and is a total bear in the morning.  I'm not sure what we should do.  If we check on her she expects us to stay and read to her or lay in bed with her.  And if we do that it usually ends up in a screaming/crying fit when we leave again. 

Is it better to let her calm down/relax before she falls asleep and deal with the crankiness in the morning?  Or how can I make sure she falls asleep when we leave her?  Taking out all her toys isn't an option, there's just not enough room in our house to keep them somewhere other than her bedroom.

littlemermaid

You didn't mention her nap schedule.  Have you considered that maybe her nap is lasting too long into the afternoon and so she's not getting enough "wake-up" time between her nap and bedtime?

Tracey.S

Her naps have been screwed up the past couple weeks.  Normally she takes a 1.5-2 hr nap starting around 12:30pm

But yes, lately she's been taking a nap later in the afternoon, so that is probably a big reason for it. 

She goes back into daycare next week (off for the holidays) so hopefully she'll get back on track.