2 Yr Old Is Fighting Bed Time

This sounds silly, but we got an egg timer and put next to my son's bed. We'd set it for 15 minutes, read him his books, and when the timer went off, it meant it was time to go to sleep. The fact that WE weren't telling him arbitrarily that he had to go to sleep seemed to do the trick.

Seriously, he had no concept of how long the timer had been ticking, so we were just arbitrarily choosing how long until he had to settle himself, but he didn't catch on. It just worked. It worked so well, we started using it to get him to clean up toys and move on to other activities.

Perhaps he doesn't need as much sleep as before, and if you tried a slightly later bedtime he'd settle down because he's ready. Just an idea.

Not sure what your bedtime routine is but my 3 kids always had a small reading light clipped to their bed so they could read/look at books until they fell asleep. I would get them settled first by reading one or two stories. This habit has continued as they have gotten older and now also includes listening to music (quietly, of course!)
The bottom of a bunk bed can be fun during the day but scary at night so a reading light may really help.
Good luck :)

I had girl, girl, boy. All I can tell you is maybe it is time to skip the nap for the 2 yr old. Boys seem to require less sleep to recharge.
He should then go down easier at night (for everyone in house), and maybe sleep all night. After all he is in a BIG BOY bed now. My son was so active but he fought naps so badly it became not worth the effort invvolved by the age of 2.
But you should be VERY clear that you are TRYING the skipped naps so that he doesnt do the hissyfit at night & that he should go to bed BEFORE the 7 yr old! I suggest 8pm max for the 2 yr old maybe earlier, he will be TIRED!, the 7 yr old can go right after the little one sleeps (8:30). I also suggest a nightlight. A consistent bedtime ritual is crucial: bath, brush teeth, story, kisses, night-night. Whatever, but definitely a regular, know what is coming ritual. Good luck.

Hi,

It may be scary for him to be in a big bed. My 3 year old daughter is very independant and has no sleep issues, but we just recently transitioned her to a big bed. I think she was nervous about being in the bed for about a month. So we let her decide when she wanted to sleep in the crib, and after about a month of back and forth, she's finally ok with it. Why rush it. He's only 2. If you really want to put in the big bed, maybe put some of his comforts with him... a lovey, a favorite blanket, one of YOUR pillows, etc, to give him extra security.

I hope this helps.

I think this is just a transition period. If he slept fine before he will get back to that at some point. My now 3 yr old went through the same thing at the age of 2-2 1/2. It's just a new sence of independence and control. What I did was just sit outside her room, every time she came out I'd put her back to bed and say nothing, sometimes this would go one over an hour. But after a couple months she has given up. Sometimes she will test me still but overall it has gotten better. I think your 2 yr old definately still needs the nap, that is too young to take the nap away. Just make sure he is not sleeping too late into te afternoon and you are getting him down not too late. We do nap from about 1:00/1:30-no later than 3:30 and then bed by 8:00. Going to late he will be over tired. Just be consistent with what ever approach you take and know that the transition will take time, maybe a few months. DOn't give up!

If he wasn't sleeping through the night before, he won't be doing it in his new bed b/c this is big adjustment for him. What does he do when he wakes up in the middle of the night? Hopefully you're not feeding him or he will always wake up. Sleeping through the night needs to be consistent. Seems his body still chooses to be asleep during the day and not at night. Make sure he gets 3 solid meals around 4 hours apart with one snack between lunch and dinner. Also, he should only be taking one nap (2-3 hours) in the middle of the day at this age. Kids need around 11-12 hours of night time sleep with one nap until they're 4-5 yrs old. I usually count the hours to see if it's enough hours of sleep. Make sure he's not getting too much sugar or too much sodium at dinner. Sometimes high sodium foods tend to make your blood pressure rise...i.e. MSG, nitrates...etc. which make it hard for anyone to sleep well. Hope some of these tips will help you. Take care and good luck!

If he is taking his naps without a hitch, then there is no real problem - this is probably a control issue or maybe he is not tired at bedtime. How long of a nap does he take daily? If his nap is too long, it is realistic to think he may not be so tired at bedtime. Try cutting back on naptime and see if he falls asleep quicker.

Good luck.

Something that worked for me during that kind of transition time was to promise my kid "visits" until he fell asleep. It comforts them to know that you're going to be checking in on them, and also enforces a bit of discipline, as they know they need to stay in bed because you'll be back soon. So you could try this: Do your normal bedtime routine, tuck your son in, then tell him you'll be back in x minutes to check on him (2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes? - whatever you think is right for his situation). Then be diligent about checking on him. Keep going back until he falls asleep - don't engage with him, just let him know you're still around. That way he gets the combination of the comfort of your visits with the independence of sleeping by himself. Slowly increase the time between visits until he's comfortable going to bed by himself. Good luck!

Hi,

It's very common for kids to feel separation anxiety, especially when transitioning from a crib to a toddler bed. My son, too went through this phase when he turned 2 , and we moved him to his toddler bed. We followed a bedtime routine, by reading him his favorite books, and singing some lullabies.He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming, and would come back to our room, and we would follow the same pattern again. We also tried sleeping with him in his room for a while, and that worked. Of course the whole thing took some time, was not an overnight thing, but it did help.Also try some of his favorite bed time things like pillow, blankets, we had bought a new night lamp, a fish one, that really helped us, since he would talk to the lamp, and go back to sleep.

hope this helps, all the best..

C.

It seems he is having a hard time transitioning to his big boy bed. At 2 yrs old, he can't really articulate his feelings so he acts out. I don't know what your routine is but try this: Sit with him in the room while he falls off to sleep. Either put a chair in the room or sit on his bed. You can bring your laptop in the room while he goes off to sleep.

I know how hard it is but try to be consistent in how you deal with him during this time. Take many deep breaths. Try not to let your 7-year old lose out on sleep time either. It may take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months for him to get used to his new bed.

Good luck!

I found that my son would go to sleep better when I sat in a chair next to the bed with the lights out. Then every night I would move the chair closer to the until I was finially out of the room. Yes I saw it on Supper Nanny, and it really does work. My son also now sleeps with the cat, she comforts him and he goes to sleep faster with her "protecting him".

Hi C.,
What time do you put him to bed at night? When my daughter was 2 she was asleep by 6:30pm most nights with a nap around 1pm. You may have moved him into a big bed too soon, though if he is taking naps in it with no problems it sounds like the bedtime could be too late, causing him to be overtired and unable to easily fall asleep. He should be going to sleep much earlier than his 7 yr old brother. Letting him cry it out with an early bedtime may be the only way to re-establish a good bedtime. Do they have to share a room? If you could temporarily move the 7 yr old to a different room until you get your 2 yr old back to falling asleep easily it might make a difference. Some children aren't easily able to share a room at this age, I know my 3 yr old would NEVER fall asleep if someone else was in the room. I HIGHLY recommend reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. It is very useful in helping understand biological sleep rhythms and sleep development stages. I use this as my sleep "bible" even now, as the first few years are all about changes in sleep needs and development. Email me if you have questions, always here to help.
Sincerely,
L.

definitely not an expert but what about the fact that his brother is in the room at night and not at nap time and that maybe he wants to play and be entertained instead of go to sleep? not much help but could be the prob.