two year old will not sleep

[jody1]

Someone help me please, I have a two year old girl and the last two weeks I just can't get her to sleep!
She use to go to bed at seven lay down in her cot and sleep and also have a sleep in the day at 12 till 2. Then she learnt how to climb out of her cot!! That was it now it's impossible.
I have changed her over to a bed as i was worried that she might hurt herself falling from the cot my night routine is this the wrong thing to do?
My routine is this bath, milk, book, small song (Peter rabbit) this involves stroking her face then kiss goodnight and out of the room. Then one hour of Walk in Walk out to when it gets to the stage that i don't even leave her side and shes out of the bed then one hour or more sitting with my back to her (this sometimes work eventally) when i do finally get her to sleep it not far of ten, I'm an emotional mess and i still have my other two to put to bed (though this is not hard). She wakes again at 12.30 same routine as stated above two and a half hours later i finally get back to bed only for her to be up at 5.30-6.00 thenthat is it there is no way i can get her back to sleep then, my other two children are suffering they can hear her and she often wonderer's into my sons room to get into bed with him. Nap times are the same put her up at 12 routine as above sometimes she falls asleep sometimes i give up she never has more than one hour though if i do succeed.  know the main problem now is she gets so overtired but i have no more ideas and am running out of patience I have a full time job and just feel total knackered please help. Jody xx 

[mari]

I wonder if her nap is a little long now that she is two?  What age is she exactly?  Alex is 2 and a half and dropping it some days already, but if I let her sleep for 2 whole hours, she won't go to sleep for ages.  Although I will admit that it sounds like overtired       
It is a strange one, maybe the early wakings are to blame, but hopefully, if you cut her daytime nap a little it won't rob her of her nighttime sleep so much.  That's my guess, but see what others say. 

[em_here]

My 2 year old DS has a good nap in the day, but at 11:30am for 1 1/2 hr, then bed at 7:30pm, this seems to work for us. No nap = mess    Too late nap  =  Not wanting to sleep (for us this is).

I wonder if putting the nap early like 11:30 and limiting it will help you. xxxx

[jody1]

She was two in July, I was up seven times with her last night this was a very bad night, thanks i will try and put her to bed at 11.30 for nap today and let her have a hour- hour and a half (If i can manage to get her off) I just keep telling myself it can only get better!!

[**Clare**]

Wow... I could have wrote that post!! Even the same reason that we moved to a bed!! And from the day he got that bed he's been a nightmare!!

At the mo I am pregnant, have another son who is 7 who it is not effecting luckily but I am exhausted so I have been 'accidental parenting' to get him to sleep, anyway possible, I just have not got the energy at the moment to deal with this... he wakes up at night and if we put him back he wakes 30 minutes later so now we just let him climb in our bed but he still keeps us awake
We will have to sort this out soon, when I have some more energy and am less tired I plan to do the walk in walk out but I can see it taking hours, Ive tried it before and it drove me crazy!!

He wasn't a good sleeper as a baby but from 11 months he was put in his cot awake, was a sleep within minutes and slept 11-12 hours, same for the day but 2 hours. It was fantastic, it was the bed that was the problem.

It sounds like you are doing a fab job though, sounds like you have alot more patience than me!!! Harvey also has a 2 hour sleep and I'm wondering if that adds to the problem though I'm certain cutting will not stop the night wakings, the other day he had an hour and still woke in the night!

He was 2 in June so a very similar age also.  Ill be watching with great interest ready for my turn!!

Good luck, you'll get the best advice here thats for sure!!!

[Layla]

Jody, its probably just the novelty of being able to get out & explore. Have you thought of a baby gate???

What about sitting with her to start with rather than doing wi/wo for the 1st 1hour & with every 3 nights or so you could reduce the amount you sit with her. Finally, rather than sitting with her, you could tell her that she needs to stay in her room (she doesn't have to sleep in the bed.. she could sleep on the floor) & that you will be back to check on her. Come back in say 2mins & with every night or so you could increase the time you come back... & do the same for nights.

So its more of a gradual withdrawal method.

[jody1]

I've tried a baby gate she just climbs over that as well!!! i had a better night last night put her to bed at 7.30 with the sitting in her room with my back towards her no eye contact and near the door, she falls asleep quite quickly if she knows that I'm there and i don't mind doing this it the getting up countless times through the night which is harder.Thanks for all the advice so far  Clare you sound as shattered as me, i know it doesn't help you situation but it nice to know that someone else is going through what i am, i make me feel that maybe i haven't done anything wrong and maybe I'm a better mum than i thought i was. I hope this helps you as it is helping me, I think i would just like to see a light at the end of the tunnel