2 Year Old Not Wanting to Go to Sleep

This may sound strange, but he may be overtired. Once a child gets overtired, the get a "second wind" and it is very hard for them to go to sleep. Try making his bedtime earlier (if possible). Also, try to have a consistent bedtime routine (such as bath, stories and then bed). I hope this helps.

Nutrition- check WestonPrice.com- if he gets all the nutrients he needs he'll sleep- usually it is the b vits, sometimes it is minerals, It is soooo hard to make sure everything is in your diet-- fodd processing 's purpose is to make a long shelf life- nothing to do w/ everything you need to grow a body big and strong
best,k

I would suggest establishing a routine that your 2 year old will get used to. I used to do things like a warm bubble bath, warm milk to drink, a short story time, all on a schedule. Start at a specific time each evening and develop a routine. Avoid noise from the t.v. and sugary foods and drinks that make sleeping difficult. Monitor your child's nap time during the day. You may want him to avoid taking a late nap in the afternoon so that he's tired at bedtime. He may also need some one-on-one-time where you create a soothing, quiet environment that helps him calm down at the end of the day. If he comes out of bed, gently but firmly let him know that he should not leave the bed. Hope this works. You need your rest time so that you can be a good Mom as well.

We use a tension gate on my daughter's bedroom door. She stays in her room but sometimes falls asleep on the floor or on top of her covers. It takes a while to get used to it but at least he won't be able to escape the room 500 times.

fins out from day-care provider/nanny/sitter/whoever is taking care of him during the day
when he takes a nap?
what time?
for how long?

he needs to go to be EARLY. maybe even 6:00pm! my little ones went through a stage like this (so bed time of 6:00pm does not last forever!)

also: sounds odd, but is he taking-in a LOT of milk/dairy products during the day?? might be time to cut back on cheese, yogurt, milk, etc...

I've had plenty of sleep issues with my now 4 year old twins. I tried everything. The only thing that really helped was the method in the book Good Night Sleep Tight. I cant remember the woman's name that wrote it, but you could google it, and I'm sure you can find a good idea of her routine. It's better than they cry it out method, easier on you! I've always put my kids to bed around 8, or around 7 if they don't have a nap. Also, try to tire your munchkin out (walks around the neighborhood or something), then do dinner, bath, reading, bed, or whatever routine it is that works for you.

Hi M.,
I am actually having the same problem with my twins, they are 3 years old. The latest we tried and seems to worked so far, is giving them positive reinforcement, in our case, is offering them prizes, if they go to bed and stay in bed all night. They have to earn 5 stickers in order to get a "big" prize! So far we are in night #4 and is working out pretty good for us. We also decided to start the "process" a little bit earlier. I hope this can help.
S.

Have you tried shortening his nap or making sure it happens earlier in the day? And having a cutoff point after which he doesn't get a nap? Two is young for no nap, but it does happen. If he does sleep well when he sleeps at night, this might be the thing to try. I know that giving up naps is hard, but it might be what you need to make sure he gets to bed early enough.
If he's in day care, ask them to wake him up after an hour. Do they have trouble putting him down for nap? Try limiting his naps for about a week and see if that helps.
Can you give him books in his bed, as long as he stays in bed? Then maybe he can read himself to sleep.
Good luck.