I know it's normal. I know it's a developmental period, and I know 2 year olds are just too busy for certain things, sleep included. I also know that it is a phase that will pass, but I have a problem of sorts: my son doesn't nap, so he is running on a deficit! A few months ago, I would put him to bed around 7:15 and he would sleep until 8. He didn't need a nap, because he was getting enough sleep at night. But recently, he has decided to stay up until his 4 year old sister goes to bed, around 8-8:15. Since he is going to bed later, he of course gets up earlier. I'm lucky if he gets 11 hours.
I tried to get him to go to bed early last night, around 6:30. He usually says he is ready around 6:30, when we are finishing up dinner. So last night, we didn't wait for my husband to come home for dinner, and instead we ate around 5, and I had my son ready for bed by 6:30. He even commented that it was his bedtime at one point, but he refused to go to his bed until his sister's lights were out! He ignored his giant yawns around 7, let the adrenalin kick in, and he finally went to sleep around 8:20.
We will be moving him into his sister's room soon (in the next few months)..so I need to figure out someway for him to get enough sleep. Naps aren't an option. He doesn't' even always fall asleep in the car in the afternoon. He is done with naps, and now fighting bedtime.
He has a very easy going personality (thank god), so he isn't that difficult during the day (unlike his sister who turns into a monster when she is tired), but I know he needs more sleep. He has also always been my sleeper (7 hours at 5 weeks!) The toddler that took himself off for a nap, etc.
Suggestions? I've been trying to move my daughter's bedtime up a bit, and I have, she use to go to bed around 8:30/8/45, but I can't push it past 8, she just isn't ready.
What do you mean he refused to go to bed? He refused to go to sleep or he refused to go to his room? You cannot force him to sleep, but you can force him to stay quietly on his bed. It isnt a good policy to allow him to dictate when he gores to bed. Tell him he can stay on his bed and look at books and not get up.
Enforce nap time. Even for your 4 year old. She's not too old. I shut off everything in my house, closed the blinds, and would lie down on the couch with my kids after lunch for a "rest." I never called it a nap. They were usually out within 15 minutes.
Bedtime is bedtime. There are no arguments. If it's 7:30, he should be in bed. Doesn't matter what he thinks about it. Light out, curtains shut. I actually put up a pull switch on the ceiling light so the boys couldn't turn the light on using the wall switch. That REALLY helps. Shut his door if he's too worried about sissy being up. Keep putting him back, don't talk to him about it. He'll eventually get the point.
Best of luck!
Hmmm, this is tricky. Well, I've been pretty happy that both my kids need a lot of sleep so my 2 y/o and 4 y/o go to bed at the same time every night and it's anywhere between 7:30-8:15, depending upon how tired they are, but it's usually around 8 or a little before.
Maybe start the bedtime routine earlier, like as far as pajamas and brushing teeth and get them both ready for bed. Then maybe start letting the little one pick out books and read a few books to him and put him in his bed, maybe by that time your older one will be ready and you can read to her and then tuck her in and turn her light out. You can leave the little one in his bed with the light on, but he's in bed and quiet while you're dealing with sister and then you can come back and turn his light off? I know it sounds sort of convoluted when I write it down, but I was trying to think of a compromise! ;)
Other than that I say that you just tuck him in earlier and if he refuses to go to sleep you just let him play in his room. I would however just close the door and walk away, let him put himself to bed. I personally feel like he will eventually put himself to sleep earlier if he's that tired.
How is he during the day? He may just be growing out of needing that much sleep. My just turned 3 yr old doesn't really nap, wakes up between 6 and 7am, and goes to bed (right now) somewhere between 8pm and 9pm (sometimes she finally falls asleep around 10pm!). She has plenty of energy during the day, and she plays outside in the hot FL sun (just not for long periods of time).
If he really does need to go to bed early, maybe try room darkening shades. and have your daughter play quietly until her brother is asleep?
With my daughter it took about a month of putting her to bed with her being up before she actually started to actually go to sleep.
We had some other issues with her (She woke a lot during the night), but with the intial time for bed we used a combination of rewards and take aways. If she went to bed and lay there quietly she would get a reward the next day. If she kept getting up, singing, making noise etc. then she would lose her favorite toy for the next day. She was allowed to lie awake quietly, you can't force them to fall asleep after all :), but after a while she started falling asleep very quickly... when they are that tired and in a dark room it starts to happen on its own...
Good luck!
Since you have 2 children near the same age I have found it really will not work to have them on 2 different schedules. They both need to do the later bedtime. Put dark shades and curtains in his room so he won't know it's morning yet. But if you are getting her up to go to school in the fall there is no way he will be doing a different schedule than her.
It's too bad he is done with naps. That would solve the issue. Some kids just do not fit the cookie cutter shape we want them to fit into. Sounds like he is just not tired and is not going to go to sleep on command...lol.
I still enforced nap time at this age. I worked a lot of years in child care and some pre-school time too and I know that kids still need naps or at least a formal rest time in the early afternoons for their body to work at their peak. They just don't get restored very well if they go all those hours without laying down and taking a break.
We would lay down on the couch and watch a movie sometimes. It occupied their minds but their body was able to slow way down and get some rest. They didn't have to go to sleep but the did have to lay down and do something each afternoon.
They still take naps in kindergarten until after Christmas Break. Because it is still required. They don't have to sleep but they do have to rest and be quiet. If they schools make the kids do it at age 5 you know that it is still important to do for your 2, 3, 4, and even 5 year old child.
My two are 3 and 6 and they have been going to bed at the same time (8pm) since my little guy was probably close to 2. I enforce quiet time with my oldest on the weekends or when she's home from school and my 3 y/o will nap occasionally - though most of the time he too has quiet time. They both get up between 6:30-7am so you may have to kiss those days of "sleeping in" til 8am goodbye :) Their wake up time is perfect during the school year, but it is rough in the summer, lol! Good luck, mama!
