HELP! Toddler Sleep Hell!

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Oh dear God I don't know how much more I can handle.

I was encouraged to stop the daily naps for my daughter so she will go to bed earlier. Perfect, I thought. I give up a couple hours in the middle of the day for a couple of me hours in the evening. 

Here's what has played out:

She gets horribly cranky, no cranky does not do that justice. She gets extremely bitchy late afternoon which in turn makes me bitchy.

She falls asleep by 7:30PM...Yippee!

At around 11PM she wakes and walks her  butt into our bedroom.

Around 2AM she is wide freaking awake demanding something: water, teddybear, blanket, tv.

7AM she wakes all ready to take on the day. Which means I have to set an earlier alarm for myself so I can have at least one cup of coffee in complete silence. (I hate mornings!)

Is there a secret code I need for this to transition more smoothly?
Am I just completely off my rocker for attempting to mess with someone's sleep pattern?
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6 comments:

  1. I would still let her nap at 2.5 years old. Taylor napped up to 4.5 years old. Both of my kids are night owls and don't go to bed until 9:30-10pm, and they function just fine the next morning. (waking up around 7am-8am) Now that Taylor started big K, she usually falls asleep with exhaustion by 8:30pm. I never had my children on a real sleeping pattern, cause I don't want to change my plans at night to get them home by a certain bedtime. Call it selfish, but I think kids should follow the parents schedule. And if they are tired, they will fall asleep. Good luck my friend!! Nikki

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  2. @Nik Oh she could still nap during the day easy. I just got tired of her being up my rump all the way til I go to bed. I need some quiet time!!!

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  3. My little girl is almost 4 and is just barely getting to a point where she can be pleasant in the evening without a daytime nap. When she was 2 we did a nap and a 7:30 bedtime. I think you have lots of options! If you're skipping a nap you could try a 6:30 bedtime (and keep returning her to her room at 11 and 2). Maybe a "quiet time" where she colors or reads or watches a show for 30-60 minutes after lunch would help? Good luck!

    Carla

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  4. How old is your daughter? Both my oldest gave up naps on their own around 2 yrs. old. They'd occasionally still take a nap if they really needed one but for the most part I just put them to bed around 8 or 9pm and they slept thru the night. If your daughter is waking at night tho' it's because she's actually using that as her 'nap'. Also when kids are over tired they actually sleep worse. Good luck!

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  5. Susie B. my daughter is turning 3 in June. Last week and this week I've tried the no nap and once I stopped taking her insanely angry tantrums and outbursts personally I got the cue to put her to bed. Tonight she was sound asleep by 8pm. Unfortunately she also had her first bedwetting experience since she's been pottytrained. Oy!

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  6. Oh Carla, a quiet time? Did I mention my daughter is 1/2 Italian? :-) There is no quiet time around here...not even when she's sleeping (she snores!). :-) I did try to explain meditation to her the other day but she couldn't shut up long enough for me to fully explain the need for silence!

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