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2 year old bedtime issue

newbeachbridenewbeachbride
in Toddlers: 24 Months+

I have a question for you ladies.  Our DD turned 2 in May and she sleeps in a bed now and for the most part is fine, however the bedtime routine to get to bed is getting more and more drawn out where the process is taking about 25 min or more each night.  Tonight she had hysterics over milk, she had half a cup while we rocked and read a book , so it's not like she didn't have any and she just had eaten dinner and drank milk then too about 45 min prior.

So after about 40 min of hysterical screaming we gave her another half a cup...then she asks for water!  We've tired letting her cry it out  but she gets out of bed turns the light on or will lock the door on us (it's easy to get opened since we have those little keys) So what do we do? I hate giving into her demands becasue I feel like this is only going to get worse.

Here is an example of bedtime routine:

1.Bathtime and Jammies

2. Read a book and rock (she sometimes also has to get up and bring all her stuffed animals over the the chair too) or she will try to get up as we rock but if you try to bring her to bed, she cries to be rocked

3. Milk

4. Kiss all the babies she sleeps with good night

5. She lays down and I have to rub her legs for a few minutes

6. She asks for a tissue

7. She wants her legs rubbed again

8. If she doesn't go to bed we usually get requests for milk and or water at this point.

Am I crazy for thinking this is way too drawn out?  How do fix this? This is usually the nap time routine as well.

Thanks.

 

 

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Re: 2 year old bedtime issue

  • meldoo2002meldoo2002 member

    I just have to laugh because it sounds like us... no suggestions just when you say "no" mean it.  We tend to do:

    1. Bath

    2. Pull up and jammies... often requires chasing around the room

    3. Read 2 stories... can be up to 4 if they ask appropriately for more.

    4. Sing 3 songs while rocking.  Then I am often asked to sing more, but don't... I still to the 3 rule.

    5. If a song brings up something like "the Muffin man" they both need muffins.  Or if it has mice in it they often need a cheese stick.  I do tend to get them food because they eat well and I figure if they eat it they must be hungry.

    6. In to cribs... but this involves me flying them in to their cribs while singing "fly fly little bird fly fly little bird fly fly little bird fly in to your cribby."  If my mom is home (she lives with us) instead of the bird thing they climb up her legs "like a ladder" to get in.  

    7. Lots of kisses, sometimes they need another book or cars in bed.

    8.  Finally close the door.  From bath to bed is about 45 min.  It all sounds so crazy I know... and that's just the stuff I give in to not all the other crap they request.  

    I don't know what to tell you.  It sounds insane written out.  Nap is better... just 3 songs and in the crib but still. 


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  • sunandsandsunandsand

    We are not much better...

    1. bath

    2. Diaper, lotion, jammies

    3. hold him down with my legs while I brush his teeth

    4. Read 3-5 books

    5. Turn off light, turn on music

    6. Sing songs. But ask him which songs he wants to sing. He doesn't always know, so I have to ask him...EIEIO? No? ABC? No?

    7. Rock. Attempt to put him in toddler bed. Rock some more

    8. Lay him in bed. Tell his Lion not to get out of bed. Have Lion kiss DS. Cover him up.

    9. Attempt to leave while he screams. Go clean up the bathroom while he goes and lays by the door.

    10. Go back in his room, put him back in bed. CIO for about 5 minutes...sometimes he stops (about 5 nights a week)...sometimes I have to go in and rock more or rub his back.

    Gah...we have to shorten this before the baby comes!!! 

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  • Raspberry222Raspberry222
    imagesunandsand:

    9. Attempt to leave while he screams. Go clean up the bathroom while he goes and lays by the door.

    O.K., I thought my child was weird... :)

    She usually throws open the door, and it crashes into her closet doors...and kicks the floor...and then looks at us above the gate... "mommy, plweeze?", (which is code for "mommy, come in here and lay with me"... :P

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  • tqsbridetqsbride
    imagesunandsand:

     

    9. Attempt to leave while he screams. Go clean up the bathroom while he goes and lays by the door.

    10. Go back in his room, put him back in bed. CIO for about 5 minutes...sometimes he stops (about 5 nights a week)...sometimes I have to go in and rock more or rub his back.

     

    This is us.  Except, if we don't address the crying, he will cry for up to an hour.  Just posted a rant about bedtime.  I'm in the same boat since we're expecting a second child.  Praying that the second one goes comatose at bedtime when he/she is 2!

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  • KelliLyneeKelliLynee member
    We just had a major breakthrough in our bedtime issues by letting go of the routine and letting DD guide the way. We still do bath, teeth brushing, diaper, PJs, but then instead of always reading books, then hugs & kisses then bed, we just let her choose something quiet to do (in her room). Instead of saying "3 more books" we say "3 more minutes" and let her decide between us reading to her, her "reading" to us, singing, cuddling, or lately she likes to pretend to go on all the rides we went on vacation (merry-go-round, boats, etc). We give her reminders that she has X number of minutes left before bedtime, but have totally losened the restraints on what our routine is. Now, instead of screaming, she says "I am ready to lay down now."
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  • VatticaVattica
    Boy, that was us a couple months ago! We started singing together, only very quiet songs, nothing really exciting, and we would only sing 3-5, then into bed. The key for us was to keep it very quiet and as non exciting as possible, or she was wide awake again. We also bought her a new stuffed animal and told her that her new baby didn't know how to sleep, so she needed to show him how to sleep in bed all night, and that worked really well. We now do the "x minutes to bedtime" thing and that works really well too. She still gets up during the night sometimes, so I have to walk her back to bed, which she doesn't like, but it works great to keep her in bed till morning, when we allow her to sleep with us a while. Why bother get up when you will just have to go right back to bed?
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