My girls just turned two. They were previously pretty good about going to bed, but for about the last two weeks they have NOT wanted to fall asleep at night. They are all in the same room and still in cribs (haven't learned to climb out YET). We were putting them down between 6:30-7, and lately pushed that closer to 7 to see if that helps, but lately they won't go to sleep until 8:30 some nights. Then of course they still wake up between 6-6:30 (they have always been early risers). They rarely ever cry - they just talk, sing, do laps in their crib, play with the shutters, etc. One of them slams her feet over and over into the crib to the point I'm pretty sure something is going to break one of these days.

Napping is still okay except one refusing to nap the last two days but that is rare, hopefully not a trend or I'll lose it (she does cry for the naps, and keeps her sister awake).

Any words of widsom? Is this just another part of the 2-year old phase we have to live with? Do I just continue to ignore it? The one time my husband went in to stop the kicking it resulted in everyone screaming and made it worse. I thought maybe also since it is normal for their hours of night sleep to decrease that might be part of it, but they are always so sleepy early since they get up so early -- that just doesn't seem to translate into actually sleeping. Do we push bedtime later?

Thanks!
Lara
Mom to GGG born at 25+4 on 12/25/09

Drop naps? My kids started doing this when they were about 3. They may be pretty young to drop naps but remember, kids need less sleep as they get older. Chances are you either need to drop naps or deal with a later bedtime. Before we dropped naps, bedtime was as late as 8:30-9 PM.

Karla

6/29/08
Amelia - 2 lbs. 12 oz
Marcus - 4 lbs. 11 oz
Jocelyn - 3 lbs. 15 oz.

born at 32 weeks 6 days
http://mybabydrama.com/

hi Lara,

i hesitated to reply because i realize all kids are different, but we just turned two and we start the bedtime process (as we all know it is one; brush teeth diapers books etc) around 7pm. getting to sleep by 8-830 at the latest. i dont know what time they get up or nap but if our nap is too late in the day it surely throws off bedtime. just a thought? perhaps push bedtime back more? good luck. welcome to the 2's

Meg
ID BB&G 11/5/09
35.5 weeks
Juniper Brown
Callum Ilex
Acer Leonard

I had one drop naps entirely three days shy of their 2nd birthday and the other followed suit several months later. BUT...they both just ended up tacking that 'lost' sleep onto the morning. Do you have somewhere you could stick a pack n play to nap the one who is balking at naps? I had to separate my kids for naps so that the one who needed less sleep didn't wake the other, and when he started pushing bedtime later I started cutting his nap short just so bedtime could be the same for everyone.

Allison

Mom to:
Madeline 09/2001
Jack, Evan & ^Alex^ 03/02/2008 @ 26 weeks

One of my girls started doing this right around her 2nd birthday. She'd gotten to napping for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, then bam, out of nowhere she was waking up 30 minutes in, 45 if I was lucky. I'd let her sit there and cry to see if she'd go back to sleep, but 30 minutes later still crying. This went on for a couple of months, and then she suddenly went back to regular naps. So it could be just a phase that they'll grow out of.

You don't say what time they wake up from their nap, but you may need to fiddle with how long and how late you let them sleep. For us, nap is usually over at 3 (even if I have to wake them), 3:15 if they were up super early or we went down late. I've found that if I let them sleep even 15 minutes past that, they don't fall asleep when I put them down (though like your girls they don't really cry, but it stresses me out nonetheless).

Amy

Julia, ^Caitlin^ & Gabrielle



Visit us at http://onealaskanmom.wordpress.com

Increase the amount of physical activity they are getting, then tweak your schedule. Either shorten the nap or make bedtime later. It is normal for them to need a decreased amount of sleep as they get older, but they are still only two and I think a nap is still needed. Mine got about 3 hours of outdoor hard physical activity each day.