My Two-year-old Daughter Refuses to Go to Sleep...

Don't worry! My toddler has never slept, so you're lucky! I've got a great group of incredible pediatricians and they all say he's just a go-getter! He's very smart and advanced for his age. People are always telling me how shocked they are that he knows so much. I've never spanked him or given him time out (try time-in instead), and I don't recommend this type of discipline. However, I hope those are not the cause of her unease. I am betting she's just got a lot on her little mind. She's probably learning a lot right now!

If you don't want suggestions, don't post questions asking "what should I do?". That should solve it for you.

My first thought is that she isn't getting enough physical activity during the day. Also, since she isn't taking a nap, she may be over tired.

Try taking her outside after breakfast and before nap time. The fresh air will make a difference. I always used to take my GD for a little outside time (30 - 45 minutes) before lunch and nap time. A little fresh air and a fully belly makes for a good nap. A good nap can lead to a good night's sleep as long as she's not over tired or over stimulated when she's put down for the night.

Is she getting enough physical activity to tire her out? Her schedule may be the same as always but she is growing and may need tweaks in her routine now. Also, the blue light in TV's and electronics prevents us from producing melatonin and going to sleep, so make sure she isn't watching TV, DVD's or using a computer for a few hours before going to sleep.

I wouldn't hesitate to talk to her doctor about this, you are never obligated to put her on medication, even if it is suggested.

My son is the same way. His pediatrician seems to think it's because he is learning so much he can't turn off his thoughts when it is time for sleep so he becomes restless.

I wish that I had a good answer for you, or a solution but just know that you aren't alone!
Hang in there!

My kids have gone through stages where they have a hard time with naps and sleep and then it gets better. You may have had a stage but then things got really messed up. Now I think she may be overtired at night and that is causing her to have trouble sleeping.

For naps I think she could go longer before you put her down. My 2 year old gets up at 7:30 and goes down for his nap at 1:30. If I put him down too early he will not fall asleep, even if he yawns a couple of times. Sometimes if we are hanging out at home he will not need a nap as we are not doing to much. Make sure she is running around for a couple hours in the morning. Go to the park or have her walk when you go to Target.

sounds like she is ready to axe the nap. my daughter would do this around that age. what i would do is have her in her room for 1 hour of quiet time. in her crib she can have her cup, book and quiet toy nothing with noise. then in an hour go in there and take her out. if she does not sleep then put her to bed 30 mins early. she seems over tired and such.

Every kid needs a different amount of sleep and no one person will have the right answer for you. You will have to try different things to see what works for your daughter. My daughter is 2 also (2 and a half exactly) and she just does not seem to need as much sleep. Her brother took naps till he was 3 and a half. But my daughter just is not sleepy. I was having her nap till recently..she'd wake up at 7am and would not be able to nap until about 1 or 2 (so 6 or 7 hours awake before being able to nap). Maybe your daughter just is not tired enough after only 4-5 hours of being awake? In the last month my daughter suddenly stopped napping. There has been nothing I can do to make her fall asleep...she just rolls around and talks away and seems wide awake. Finally after 2 weeks of that I gave up...she does not nap anymore. Yes, this has meant she is a bit more cranky in the evening...but not really all that much. She is a happy girl most of the time. The awesome thing about dropping naps is it used to take her FOREVER to go to sleep at night...and I mean forever. So, I know what you are going through. She now falls right asleep at bedtime (7:30 or 8pm). It takes about 10 minutes. I never in a million years would have thought a 2 year old would not need naps but this is the way it is. Maybe you should consider this...see if it works for your daughter.

Could she be cutting her 2 yr molars? My son was about to turn 2 and turned into an irritable, drooling, sleepless mess as he was cutting his molars. A dose of motrin or tylenol wouldn't hurt if that is the cause. I feel for you for I also had a poor sleeper and was sick and pregnant with #3 (our boys are now 2 and almost 4 and lets just say IT DOES GET EASIER). Nurse Midwife Mom of 3

Things change. Babies grow up.
All three of my kids dropped their naps around the age of two. As soon as that happened they started sleeping more at night.
We still did "quiet time" every afternoon for several months, laying down, snuggling, reading stories, sometimes they would fall asleep, and so would I.
I understand morning sickness (totally!) but she needs more stimulation than watching cartoons.
You don't need to play with her, just take her to the park every day so she can run around and burn off some steam. You can sit on the bench and (unfortunately) feel sick. But at least she will get a bit more worn out.
If preschool is an option SIGN HER UP. It's boring for a toddler to be at home all day with a pregnant, sick and tired mommy!
Not trying to be harsh, but can you see it from HER perspective?

Maybe try a later nap time. You didn't mention what your night time routine is. Have you tried bath, story, relaxing music. When my daughter was little she loved to go to be to music, so I had a music box near her bed. It worked great. I wouldn't hesitate to ask the doc, I do not think a doc will prescribe anything or medicate her, but may give some suggestions. I have also heard that some children can take Melatonin before bed, (check with doc first) it is natural my husband uses it. One other suggestion is maybe a small glass of milk and a small snack, maybe some crackers. I know it is hard, but I think it is going to be trial and error to see what works for her now. My kids gave up nap by two, so I did a rest time. They had to get their pillow and blanket and rest on the couch. I would put a disney movie on and most times they dosed off. If they got off the couch they had to go in their beds, it worked for me, and also gave me a break, during the day. My son (27 now) watched the movie Lady and the Tramp EVERY NIGHT LOL!! before bed, I knew every word!!!! but it relaxed him. Our ritual was bath, a snack, then on the couch for part of the movie and when he got sleepy I put him in bed. He would sleep from 7 to 7. Some kids have different ways to unwind, and it sounds like she is having trouble doing that so I think maybe a distraction is what she needs. I get insomnia and the worst thing for me is to lay in bed, all I do is toss and turn, so maybe try not to put her in bed until she is completely relaxed. I have probably confused you more!! Sorry, but just throwing out some thoughts, GOOD LUCK!!

I would recommend Melatonin! It is a HUGE life saver. Melatonin is what the brain produces naturally when it is dark. Some kids as they get older stop producing enough. So they have put it into a pill or disolvable strip. It is 100% natural. There are no side effects (in fact it's actually been proven to help prevent some cancers). If you talk to your doctor they might be able to recommend a dosage as it varies per kid. But my 5 yr old takes only .5 mg. I'll buy the 1 mg and cut them in half. It's perfect, it helps him fall asleep at a decent time (7:30 pm) and he wakes up at 7 am (like he always does). He's not sleepy or groggy any more than normal (in fact less so since he got enough sleep). It won't work at nap time because melatonin only tells the brain to sleep when it's dark out. I also use it on my 3 yr old when she has taken a nap at day care and is not tired because of it at bedtime (7pm), but needs to get some sleep so she can get up at 7 the next morning. It will help I promise. You can even take it if you want to try it for yourself. But take a higher dose I say at least 2 mg since you are an adult.

My LO gets like this when she gets an ear infection! Well....she also gets really fussy during the day to though usually. I would go to the doctor to rule out any thing like an ear infection. When they lay down ear infections will get worse.

If this isn't the issue...lol! I know my LO went thru a couple sleep regressions. One of these did happen a couple months ago when she turned 2! Also tylenol makes my girls hyper and not sleep. (it did the same to me when I was little) I use motrin and it seems to calm them.

Never worry about looking like "that mom" if you have a good doctor they will appreciate you wanting to make sure your LO is healthy! I have been to a couple who were not like this, but found the one I love who puts my family happiness first and is more than happy to make sure they are healthy!

My LO also goes to bed at 8... both my kids do and they have NO issues. My older did quit napping just before she turned 2. She is now four and hasn't napped since. She was such a growly butt for three months!! Once she adapted she was great lol! My younger on the other hand HAS to have her nap lol! She has had a couple rough ones where she has to cry it out or will play for a while and then go down. She takes a nap around 4 after she wakes up and it is about 2.5 hours. Then she is up for 3 hours before bed. Some nights she goes right down. Others she up until 11 playing.

Tip that helped me for morning sickness citric acid!! OJ, oranges, real lemonade whatever citrus you can find!! Also the health food store had this stuff called morning sickness magic. I never had to actually take the pills...I could just open the jar and smell them!! I felt better everytime! GL!

Also we tried melatonin with the older one and it would help her get to sleep, but not to STAY asleep.

Many times.... at about 2 years old, sleep tweaks happens.
It is developmental.
At this age, they are changing a ton.... physically and cognitively and their emotions as well.
It can really tweak their sleep.
It is a major age change per these aspects.
They are no longer a baby, but not yet a "big kid."
And "expectations" upon them, increases.
It is growing pains... of which growing-pains is not only physical.
Sleep "patterns" are also not, finite or static.
It changes, as a child changes and gets older.
But yes, she still needs the nap.

I really do not think this a a "naughty" behavior.
Not at all. So I don't believe she should be punished for these difficulties.
Because she seems to really try and sleep, but can't.
She is having, to me, developmental changes reflecting her age. And it does, impact sleep.
And it is a phase.

She sounds overly tired to me.
If she's getting up at 6, taking no nap...then 8:00 is WAY late for her bedtime. Earlier to bed, is my suggestion. Sleep begets sleep. An over-tired kid is not going to go to sleep easily or stay asleep all night.

I'm going to keep my answer short:
Just from reading your post, my best guess ( any sickness aside) is that she is way overtired from not napping and from falling asleep so late combined with the constant waking. When children get overtired they produce cortisol in their system and it actually make them hyper-alert and keep them from sleeping well. I'd suggest putting her to bed earlier- at about 7 pm. Try easing the bedtime back by 15 minutes every couple of nights until you hit a time that works. You can also check out the book The Sleepeasy Solution by Jennifer Waldburger.....it's a sleep training book but it also has wonderful sleep advise for those inevitable "sleep-speedbumps" all kids run into at some point. And don't give up on the naps just yet....
Sorry if any of this is repeat advise as I didn't read anyone else's comments..... Good Luck!