My daughter won't go to sleep "happy" anymore.

Anna - posted on 07/24/2010

my daughter has been doing this for several months now as well... we just let her fall asleep in bed with us.. wait about a half hour & move her to her bed. her sleeping with us was a tough habit to break but once shes out shes fine. if she wakes up she just runs into our room & crawls in bed. then once shes out shes back in hers again. or if shes tired enough she'll crawl up in our lap in the living room, watch some tv & pass out. just wear them out all day, especially before bedtime, makes it soo much easier. =)

Heather - posted on 07/24/2010

We also went through this phase just a couple weeks ago. It lasted about a week. We just made sure to stick to our routine better than ever and he got over it pretty quickly. Good luck!

Dawn - posted on 07/24/2010

Hi sorry me again when my son started not going to sleep after previouslsly sleeping I was just firm with him and told him that mummy and daddy were not having this bahviour then as i said we laid him down after his milk and a big cuddle and came out and when he statred crying we just went back in (after 3mins) and laid him down
Dawn

Dawn - posted on 07/24/2010

Hi
we had this with my son, he is fine now he was just trying his luck, we put him to bed and left him to cry for 3mins and kept going in and laying him back down for a week and we won good luck Dawn p.s hes still in his cot and he'll be 2 in August too

Erin - posted on 07/23/2010

It must be an age thing. My son is also coming up on 2 and he has been the perfect sleeper for so long until recently. He screams and then just gets up and plays around his room for hours. I don't know if he is just trying to assert his independence, by thinking he gets to chose when it's bedtime but I hope it passes soon!

Kasey - posted on 07/23/2010

My little boy has done the exact same thing. He has been a happy and good sleeper since he was 2 months old and then a few weeks ago, he started crying at bedtime and naptime. He will also be 2 in August. If you figure something out, please let me know. For now, we just let him cry himself to sleep and at naptime, I put books in his bed with him, so he can look at those instead of crying as much. :)

Jessica - posted on 07/22/2010

my daughter is the same age and we go thru a routine at bed. I'll give her so many chances to lay down and if she doesn't let me cover her up, we try to let her cry it out. she used to go to bed just fine but then started in with the same thing about a month ago, stalling at bedtime, etc. I think she just wants to stay up and play and is much more aware that we're awake after she goes to bed. I think she doesn't want to miss out on what mom and dad are doing. once she is asleep, she is out like a light for the night. only reason she ever wakes up is if the temp in her room isn't right. I try to wear her out as much as possible so she is good and tired.

Kelley - posted on 07/22/2010

I've heard it's just a developmental thing. My daughter did the same thing at 17 months and since then we've had some very rough nights. She still sleeps with us and some nights she sleeps well, others she is up every 2 hours. It could be development, cutting teeth, stuff like that. I hope that just giving her time and being patient with her will help her eventually grow out of this phase and sleep well. I feel that being grumpy and demanding with her will only make it worse. JMO.

Emma - posted on 07/22/2010

I've had exactly the same thing with my daughter for 2 weeks who will be 2 in August as well. She would go to sleep for my partner but not for me so I let him settle her down for the first week because I was getting too frustrated with her but the next week I went on a trip without him and the only way I could deal with her was to let her cry it out until she finally went to sleep. By the time I came home a week later she had gotten over her tantrums and is now happy to go to sleep when I put her in her bed. I also bought her some new elmo slippers that week and kinda bribed her with them and let her cuddle them when I put her into bed which surprisingly helped.

Elaine - posted on 07/21/2010

Im having close to the same issue, mine is a little different because my baby (will be 2 in August) and my 5 year share a room.... so when the baby starts crying, my oldest gets up and they start playing. sometimes they are so quiet so I dont know but then I go and check on them before I go to bed and they are both still wide awake and playing.... Im not sure how to stop this, at first I didnt think anything of it, but then as its been going on longer Ive noticed crankier kids the next day. Plus my 5 year old starts kindergarten in september so I really need to break this habbit.

Holly - posted on 07/21/2010

my daughter too, will be 2 in August...& having the SAME issues...in fact, she's been wailing for almost a good half hour now refusing a nap..
it's hot & we have no A/C, but she always sleeps with a fan in her room for even just white noise, always has...but i did strip off atleast her shirt (when diaper is all by itself or not covered, she Will take it off, so i know to always keep some bottoms on her)

i would love to have her in a toddler bed, but with barely any means of money, it's been difficult to get it done sooner than later...
but if my parents are willing like they seem to, maybe they can get that for her on her birthday...perhaps that will help a little...
other than that, i do get down on her level & talk gently to her, telling her to close her eyes & go to sleep, i will be right there when she wakes up... giving her gentle kisses on her fingers & hands...but as soon as i get up to leave, she starts wailing again...

this being a nap, it IS harder...we try to darken her room as much as possible...i gotta admit nighttime is better, but it's not as easy as it used to be...

so if you find a solution that works, lemme in on it :) hehe

Kathleen - posted on 07/21/2010

My son will be two in August, and we went through something similar. He went from being the perfect sleeper to waking up crying or not wanting to go to bed at all.

What we discovered was that he was actually ready to move into a "big boy's" bed. I think he was outgrowing the crib and would wake up in the middle of the night because he didn't have enough room to sleep (he tosses and turns ALOT). Since we've moved him into a "big boy's" bed (about 3 wks ago), he drops off immediately and sleeps all night. The only problem is nap time during the day -- he wants to jump all over the bed -- don't know how to fix that issue yet.

Nadine - posted on 07/21/2010

My daughter is also 2 in August and we went through this exact same stage a few months ago she is still in her cot and i worked through it and stuck to same routine for bedtime and after a couple of months she has stopped her screaming and settles fine and goes down happy. it is easier working through this while she still in cot as she cant get out of it as easily as a bed. good luck

Patti - posted on 07/20/2010

My daughter has gone through this stage a couple of times. I just reassure her, and lay her back down. When she really cries, I lay down with her for a few minutes until she is calm, and then I put her in her own bed. For us it usually only lasts a few nights, up to a couple of weeks. Just be consistent, and try not to start any bad habits (i.e. Letting them fall asleep on you, ect.)

Bobbi-Jo - posted on 07/20/2010

I switched my daughter to a big girl bed when she was a year in a half. Her crib kinda fell apart so we made the switch instead of buying a new crib. She loved it it was so easy to get her to go to bed she loved the idea of sleeping in a bed the way mommy did with her very own pillow. However she is going to turn two on aug 17th and we are going through excatly what you are screaming and crying until i get scared to the point that i have to go back into the room. I think we are just doomed and that is just the natural pattern of childhood.

Ashley - posted on 07/19/2010

My daughter started doing the same thing a few weeks ago. Nothing had really changed with our schedule so there wasn't really any reason for it. She has gotten over it for the most part now, but anytime she fights it I sit there with her for only about a minute and rub her hair or her back and then she is calm enough to relax and eventually go to sleep. She has been in a toddler bed for a few months, but she has always loved going to bed or taking a nap.

Angie - posted on 07/19/2010

Are they playing outside alot during the day? And is it really hott where you guys live? Try putting them to bed in just their diaper and a sheet! I know when my daughter dont get a good nap in during the day she will throw a fit at bed time and She dont sleep real good through the night...:)

Erin - posted on 07/18/2010

I am facing the same issue! My son would go to sleep so easily and without a peep and now for the last two weeks he has a major major tantrum at bed time and cries and cries. Maybe it is just another phase? He has had the same routine and bed time for over a year now and he isn't sick or teething.

Angie - posted on 07/17/2010

I agree with all the others but I would also get her in a toddler bed too! My daughter was ready for a toddler bed when she was 15 months. Every now and then she gets up but I tell her its nite nite time and she is to go to bed. Sometimes I have to sit in there with her till she falls asleep but all is well, she Says she is a big girl now, and is just now this month telling me when she has to potty, so I think she is going through all the steps very fast and quickly! Which is good for me, I hope you can figure it out! Take care! Angie

Pamela - posted on 07/13/2010

Could it possibly be the weather? i noticed with my son he was cranky going to sleep because of the hot humid weather he was sweaty and uncomfortable and therefore very fussy. i let him sleep in just a diaper on cotton sheets with a fan, we don't have a/c so on the super hot nights he and i slept on a mattress in the livingroom which was cooler then our bedrooms.

hope that things work out for you!

Clare - posted on 07/13/2010

Has anything changed in her life? this could be causing the upset?