Getting My 2 1/2 Year Old to Go to Bed!!

i HAD THE SAME problem with my now 4 year old I even tried letting him cry but that mad it worse for me.. I them tried a calming lotion into his bedtime routine ( i think Johnson and Johnson) and then let him pick out one toy to go to bed at night.. that seemed to work

Maybe try laying down with your little one? When my little guy has had a hard time falling asleep, I lay down next to him. Then he falls asleep pretty quickly. Also, you could try toning things down by reading a book just before sleep time. I love that age! They are so cute.

I also have a energetic 2 1/2 year old who does not like to go to bed. What is working for us is following a routine. After we get pjs on we read for about 15-20 minutes. After that I set a timer for 10 minutes and let my son "read" his favorite books by himself. I go clean the kitchen. When the timer goes off I go in and say goodnight, turn the light out and hope for the best. We also added a nightlight to his room.

Try shooting for 8 o'clock instead. Research shows that children that age (I have a 2.5 year old son) need around 13 hours of sleep each day. It's hard to give advice though when I don't know what's already been tried. Do you have a bedtime routine? We do pj time with our son and then read 3 books and then up to bed. We will rock him for about 2 minutes in his bedroom (which helps his heart rate and breathing slow, and then it's lights out. Is the problem a big boy bed? Is he in one and then keeps getting out of it, or doesn't he want to go to bed to begin with. You can try something fun and have flash cards that you put on a string (hang the string up). After each task (brushing teeth, drink, books, etc.) he can go and flip a card over that corresponds with that task. Once he's flipped all of the cards over, it's bedtime.

Hi O., What time does she get up in the morning? You may need to start your day earlier. How about naps? Is she still napping and is it for a long time? You may need to wake her up after only an hour. If she is not sleepin late in the morning and not taking a nap, you should dicuss this with your pediatrician; she may have a sleep disorder. You don't say if you have a bedtime routine or if you just expect her to wear herself out and fall asleep somewhere so you can carry her to bed. Children need a routine. Try relaxing, down time activities before bed. Don't bathe her too close to bedtime; for some children it IS relaxing, for others it IS NOT relaxing to have a bath at night. Get her into her p.j.s, read a book or two or three, say goodnight to her toys and to each other, and say bedtime prayers. Do this in her room. Then you won't be getting her stimulated when you try to transition from a different place into her bedroom. Try to have her in her bed while you read to her; she can snuggle down in her blankets and get cozy and warm and comfortable. Then say prayers and kiss goodnight. I hope this is helpful to you. Kids need routine; they like to know what comes next and that is what you are teaching her with the same thing every night. It may take some time if you haven't been doing this, but it's worth the effort. Mommy needs some rest at night or even some time to read a book for herself! Ginnie

I acutally have the same problem with my son (almost 3). He seems to get a burst of energy around 7:30 at night. I stopped giving him naps, or cut down his naps to every other day instead of every day and now I put him in bed by 7:30. It also gives me a little extra time with my 7 year old once the younger one goes to bed. good luck!

To answer your question, I would wonder about how late she sleeps in, is their caffine involved in her day, how long and frequent are naps, is bath/bed time relaxing? Has she watched TV all day, or has she tired her brain out with active thinking play?

Get a routine and stick to it. Sleep is very important to developing kids and should never be compromised. At 2 1/2 years old she should be getting an average of 12 hours of sleep a day - all at once or including naps.

Be firm. Dinner, bath, book, bed. No ifs, ands, or buts! If she puts up a fight, ignore it - do not fuel it. If she gets out of bed return her to bed without converstaion. This will take some time but once you get it it will be awesome.

Supernanny demonstrates this method well. I do not know if it is still on TV but try and see it if you can.
Good luck.
A.

I just read the book "healthy sleep habits happy child" and it really helped me get my little one to sleep longer and better. It recommends putting infants and toddlers to bed very early, before they even seem tired to prevent them from getting over tired. I started putting my little girl to be around 6:30- 7:00 and low and behold she went right to sleep after a few minutes of fussing. I really recommend the book if you can buy it or get it from the library.