21 month old - need sleep help!!! (long)

amother

Mon, May 04 2009, 9:08 pm

I have a 21 month old DD.

A little sleep background...She had A LOT of difficulty sleeping as an infant (difficult to soothe, only slept in the stroller) and as a result was very cranky. We let her CIO around 7 months and she turned into a MUCH happier baby. She is a very active and verbal toddler!

Until recently, she has been going to bed with no problem (approx 7:00-7:30) and waking up around 6:30-7:00. This works out very well for me because I get to have time with her in the AM (I work)when we're both well rested and then I have the evening to get stuff done. She has been taking one nap per day (approx 1.5-2.5 hrs) since about 18 months. We try to be very careful with her sleep schedule because she is very affected by changes in her schedule.

She used to say night-night, "Ma" (I.e., Shema) and then snuggle right into her crib. Recently, she has been resistant to bedtime. We do the whole bedtime routine, bath, stories, but she's just not into going to bed. She wants more stories or a snack, or wants to play. I can't tell if her bio clock is changing and she needs to go to bed later (8:30) or she is tired but doesn't want to stop with the activity (I.e., asserting her independence). Truth be told, she doesn't look super tired. Tonight was really hard getting her to bed. I felt like the whole bedtime routine was super drawn out and I just wasn't enjoying it. Also, I feel awful because I am resenting the fact that she doesn't want to go to bed earlier because I am so tired I have trouble enjoying the time I get to spend with her. Also, she has been getting up later in the AM, so I'm missing our special morning time.

Does anyone have experience with sleep changes in a toddler this age? What is the best way to deal with this?

manhattanmom

Wed, May 06 2009, 5:56 pm

My son (22 months) is generally a good sleeper but every so often does something like this for a few nights where he decides not to fall asleep--so far it's never lasted more than 3 or 4 nights--he eventually goes back to his regular schedule.
I also don't take him out of the crib--I keep going in to check on him though--making sure he has his security blanket and some books, I put music on in his room...
Could she be teething (getting molars)? Is she congested?