My 2 1/2 Year Old Going to Bed Issues

My son is 3 and play would always win out over sleep no matter how tired he is, if he got a vote that is. Every day at naptime he walks to the window, pulls back the curtains and says, "Do you see? There are no more stars, there is no more moon, it's not bedtime!" But I know the sleep is necessary for him and for us when he gets so tired at the end of the day that he is impossible and we are frustrated.

If it IS that when she wakes up you are gone for the rest of the day until the next (for her I mean) I have an idea. What if you told her that when she woke up she would have a magic kiss. But she would have to go to sleep to get it. Then before you leave and after you get home at night, while she is sleeping, put on lipstick and leave a kiss on the back or palm of her hand. That way when she woke up she would know that you had been there while she was sleeping and loved on her. It would be a special thing between the two of you, like a ritual that lets you be a part of her waking up and going to bed, and it could provide her with assurance if that's what she's missing. If you don't want to do kisses, you could do heart stickers or something else like that.

If it's just fighting sleep, and you know she still needs the naps, you may just have to battle through it. Our son lets us know, loudly and effectively, his feelings about sleep, but he has to sleep anyway.

Hope this helps,

L.

My daughter is younger than yours so I could not speak to whether it's a phase or not but has anyting changed about your schedule? Or have this always occured and is this new behavior? I'd also suggest like the other reader a earlier bedtime. Overexhsustion can make it hard to get to sleep.

She could be missing you, so she doesn't want to go to bed before seeing you. But, if she is tired, what about earlier bedtime/naptime? That has worked for me in the past. Just making things a little earlier. Do you have a routine? We do bath, pjs, brush teeth and hair, read book, bedtime.

talk to her about how you will leave while she's sleeping and you will come back home. maybe she doesn't understand why you leave, and thinks that it's because she falls asleep.

I don't know if 2 1/2 is to young for this but when I was a kid I never wanted to go for a nap at Grandmas. She would put a clock that ticked next to me and told me I just needed to rest (not sleep if I wanted to) until this long hand hits this number. So I would sit there and watch that clock until...I fell asleep, worked like a charm every time, however I don't know at what age we started this.

If you can, make some prepartions of your own for going to bed so that she can watch and KNOW that you're going to be going to bed, too. This way, she may not feel she'll miss out on something.

Secondly, MAKE IT FUN. Let your conversation be about how much fun it is to get ready for bed, picking out stories, "I'm so excited about reading...........tonight."

Have some transition time (maybe just before storytime, if you can. We do SEEK & FINDs ....IN BED. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY. She looks forward to the Seek & Find and knows that even though she's in bed, she doesn't have to go down just yet. Many times, she'll lay down on her own. It's a great transition and keeps their minds OFF having to go to bed.

Don't forget to have a special nite....maybe one or two nights a week......where you make UP the stories. This is FUN and REALLY helps to develop their imaginations. You start and say a line and then let them tell the next part. Go back and forth....give Dad a turn, if he's there, too, and see what you come up with. It IS fun!

I used to nanny and we used to do this all the time. The kids LOVED it and BOY......did we come up with some GREAT stories!!! Make sure you remind them to use descriptive words, colors, size, etc. It'll help their cognitive development, too.