Daily Routine. HELP!

Carol - posted on 12/02/2010

I think Toddlers tend to entertain themselves in that they are at that exploring stage, so every little thing interests them. Maybe you should try playing with your toddler, maybe he/she might be bored playing with toys, but playing with mommy might interest him. To combat his sleeping habits, you should try setting a strict bedtime. I know when 8:30 comes, I would not allow my son to leave the bed, I would usually put away the toys and just allow him to put himself to bed. I think once you get rid of the stimulation they can find it easier to wind down enough to sleep. Do you bathe him/her before bed? I find a nice bath, and maybe some milk or water will put him/her to bed.

Anita - posted on 12/01/2010

He needs a routine. I recently found this out. I always hated the idea of having a routine with my son, but toddlers really do eat and sleep better when they have some understanding of how the day will go. So heres my routine with my 18 month old
Wakes up between 6:30-7am(sometimes that means actually waking him up)
Breakfast 8am
First nap of the day 9am(only for an hour to hour and a half)
A very light snack
Playtime 10:30-noon
Lunch - noon
Second nap 1pm-3pm(again may have to wake him up)
Snack 3pm
Playdate,library,storytime,or just playtime
5:30-6 TV time(so I can make dinner)
7pm bath
7:15 storytime
7:30 Lights out
He usually sleep till about 1am before he wakes up for a brief moment
My son has yet to sleep through the night, but before this routine life was hell at night.

Sandra - posted on 11/28/2010

Naps are critically important, as is a consistent bedtime routine. Months ago, I needed help getting my little guy into a routine. Someone recommended a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. For us, it's worked wonders so now I'm recommending it to you and anyone else battling sleep issues with little ones. The book is great because Dr. Weissbluth starts offering hands-on advice early in the book, so you don't have to read all the way through to get your problems solved. We followed his advice and started seeing results very quickly. It's been a godsend for us, so now I'm highly recommending it for you. Best of luck!.

Alvic - posted on 11/15/2010

My son who is 18 mo is sometimes exactly the same as you describe, He is very much awake during the times that we were so sleepy so I just read him a story and roam him around the house, dim lit ,until his eyes get tired of looking at the dim surrounding and I just noticed that he is already in the dreamland...

Susan - posted on 11/10/2010

Keep it simple for everyone involved. This will help if you ever get a chance to utilize a babysitter or different family member and actually get to go out one night. : ) Keep it simple. Oh, I have a 3 1/2 yr old daughter and 18 month son.

CRYSTINA - posted on 11/08/2010

I have an 18month old daughter and when we finally got our own place, I finally had to put her on a schedule because she was going to bed well past 9 and waking up in the middle of the night, as if she was taking like a 5hr nap or something. We usually eat around 5-530 every day, then go outside if possible or go play in her play room, around 715-730 it's bath time and then when we get out, time for pjs and a sippy glass of milk or something. She will usually sit on the couch with me and relax, she knows its time...usually you have to break them in, so instead of starting at 715-730, start at 7 to give your son enough time to relax and play in the bath. Hope this helps.

Laura - posted on 11/08/2010

My daughter is 17 months. She's been on a routine for quite some time. There are days when she deviates from it (weekends), but for the most part it stays the same. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (and snacks) are at about the same time everyday. She naps after lunch for about 2 hours and has a bed time routine at the end of her day. I usually transition from play time to bath time with a song I made up that she finds silly. I do the same for bed time... We recently moved, so I tried to get her into a routine quickly so she'd feel more comfortable in her new surroundings. To combat boredom, I will start playing with her and her toys. I introduced her to crayons recently and she just loves to "color". I spent some money and bought one of those giant 'post-it' pads. I take one and put it on the floor and tell her she has to stay in the paper. She loves it. Also, to calm her down, we listen to soothing music. Sometimes you just have to try different things to find out what works for your child. Hope this helps!!

Tami - posted on 11/07/2010

Try to tire him out as much as you can. My 18 mo. old son loves to push things. He likes to walk his big sisters doll stroller up and down the sidewalk. He has a toy vacuum and a little ride on car with a handle in the back for him to push. I think we'll get him a toy lawn mower for xmas. Take him to an open space like a big grassy park (or the mall if the weather is bad) and just chase him. Also pick a time when he usually gets tired and make that his absolute bed/nap time. If you use the same time every day, his inner clock will set to this time and he'll eventually get to need sleep at that time. Usually they'll sleep around 11 hours at night with a nap of around 2 hrs after lunchtime.

Valerie - posted on 11/06/2010

Seth with be 18 mo. on the 20th. If I dont' put him down for one nap he is wired, grumpy, eating like crazy. I usually try to follow his cue, if I see him yawning I know he's almost ready or if he's getting cranky. I like to keep him up until 9:30-10 p.m. This is so that he sleeps in until 7:30-8:30. Yesterday I fed him lunch (@11) and he sat down in "his chair" watching a Boz dvd. I was sitting on the couch w/my DD and saw him close his eyes. So, I took him to bed.
If he's up at 6 he'll get an early nap. I let him wake up on his own and he might get a 1/2 nap around 4 or 5. This is so that he doesn't fall asleep early and so that he is not so tired that he can't sleep.

I've always put him in his crib at nap time. I used to cuddle him when he nursed. He's gotten used to me kissing him, laying him down, and telling him, "Night-night." Usually he's ready and doesn't fuss. There has been a time or two that he's fussed, but no more than a few minutes. On rare occassions that he's wailing, it's b/c he's wet and wants to be changed. As soon as I change him he hunkers down to sleep with his blanket. I HAVE to cover him up wheter it is hot or cold. He likes his snuggly blanket.

Before bed time we try to follow a routine, brush teeth, pray, give kisses to everyone. I take him to his room we read his devotion (look at pictures mostly) and snuggle some. If he wants to play I tell him that it's "night, night" and if he continues, he goes to bed. No fussing, b/c that's what he's used to. He did have to cry it out at first but now it's routine and everyone is happy. =)

Erin - posted on 11/06/2010

Hello. My son will be 18 months on Nov 21. We have a rough schedule. He is normally awake at about 8:30 am and I give him some milk. after that some kind of yogurt, or granola. then we play, read, whatever is wants to do, nap time from about 12-2. When he wakes up he eats lunch. After lunch again it is more up to him, sometimes a walk, sometimes stay in and play again. Then dinner around 7, a bath if he needs one. Then I start to give him warnings that it is almost bed time (Riley 10 more minute, then it's time for bed). Then I put him in his crib, and I lay down next to him and put my hand in for him to hold and he settles down for sleep. We had a lot of trouble getting him to sleep. I actually slept in his room for a bout a week, and more or less did the cry it out. i was just there the whole time, just not holding or picking him up when he cried. Good luck!

Jelena - posted on 11/05/2010

Hi Danielle!
I am a mother of 17month old boy but, before that, I was also an infant/toddler/preschool teacher, and the reason I am mentioning this is only to explain why we have a "schedule". I do follow the needs and wants of my child, but also, gently, help him transition to whatever is going to happen next...Right now the hardest transition is from playing and toys to eating :) Ok, here we go, Luka usually sleeps once a day, and, while before it was earlier in the morning, now it's moved so now he eats lunch before the nap(around noon)versus lunch after nap before. He wakes up in the morning between 7 and 8, we eat breakfast at 9, after potty time, it's 1 of our 2 windows in the day when we can go out and about, so it's usually play date or park, after we come home lunch, potty, nap time(around 1 he falls a sleep), he wakes up between 3 and 4, and when he does, we shortly sit on a toilet, have a snack, and here is our second opportunity to go out, so we do some errands or see friends, when he is ok being inside, morning or afternoon, we do "activities" like drawing, painting, singing songs with finger play, collages on a sticky(contact) paper, water play, or whatever he is in the mood for. Then around 7 it's diner time, every second evening 8 is for bath, 1-2 episodes of thomas or builder bob and ready for bed by 9. He falls a sleep on his own, but I hear him talking to him self, and playing his music attached to the crib, I guess that's his relaxing time before he falls a sleep. I hope you find what's working for you guys, and, like Anne said, if they are getting cranky there is a reason(tired, hungry, wet, bored...), also, Routine is, I feel, very important for them, since it provides predictability and security in knowing what's coming and when(after what, since they can't tell time).
Cheers

Jackie - posted on 11/05/2010

When my son gets bored, usually an hour before a nap, we go walk around walmart. He likes looking at all the new stuff and a 30-45 min walk is A LOT for an 18 mo old. It gets him just tired enough to take a nap without a fight.

Anne - posted on 11/05/2010

my daughter is 18months nad has a schedule she imposed on us. she always eats at the same time and always naps and go to sleep at same time too. If we do not go by this schedule, she starts to be cranky and neither she nor us are having a good time...
so here's the schedule:
get up at 6am (or 7 depending on her)
breakfast when we're all dressed up
snack at 9h00
eat at 11h00
nap at 12 (till 2pm, but depends on her)
big snack at 3pm
bath around 5h30, PJ's
Eat around 6h15, when she's hungry.
then it's nightime story and she's starting to realise she'll have to go to bed and tries not to.
but enventually, we brush her teeth and she collapses in her bed around 7h00 and usually never complains before falling asleep.
We are blessed with an easy going child, but we also realise that when she's cranky, there is always a reason and ususally it is that she needs a nap, so whenever she feels like it she can have one, even if it's only 20min and she awoke only an hour ago, it changes how she interacts with everything.
Some time ago though, she didn't want to sleep at night, so we let her cry, and I checked on her every so often to make sure she knows I'm there, but that she needs to stay in bed caus' it's nightime.
hope i was helpful...
good luck!

Rebekah - posted on 11/04/2010

Do you have any kind of bedtime routine? Bath, read books, etc? We take my two kids up to the bathtub between 6:30-7pm. They brush teeth after PJs, then read 2 books. By 7:30pm my daughter (17 months old) is in her crib and usually asleep by 8pm.

Does your son take a consistent afternoon nap? Maybe the problem is that he's overly tired and so it's harder for him to settle down at night.

Danielle - posted on 11/03/2010

plus he throwa in a attitude?