No matter what I do nothing is working

[lilybug25]

Lo is almost 18 months, it's taking forever and ever for her to go to bed at night, she is still up right now and it's 9:30pm, been in bed since 7:30pm. She is NOT crying, not calling out for dh or I. All she is doing is playing. SH is not sick and teething has stopped for now.
I've tired cutting naps down, then lengthing them, we are at a 2hr nap right now, she wakes up happy so I know it's the "right" lenght for now. I've upped her meals thinking it was hunger, tired giving meds before bed for teething. Stopped putting blankets on her if overheating was the issue. Given a big drink of water before bed. Diaper change if wettness is a issue. Bedtime later then earlier. Cut ALL sugary junk out of her diet. And she is still taking 2-2.5 hrs to fall asleep. She is getting up at 7:30am ( woke up at 6am this morning but went back to sleep). I'm lost and tired and fustrated all to heck, I ccannot fully relax till she's alseep and I cannot go to bed myself either till she is sleeping. Any at all advise/ suggestions please please PLEASE!!!

[babybarr]

What time does she have her nap?

[lilybug25]

She goes down for her nap at 12:30 and gets up 2:30.

[babybarr]

Have you tried an 8pm bedtime?  You may find that a 10.5hr night and 2hr nap is *her* norm.  So a later bedtime may help.

[lilybug25]

I'll try a 8 pm bt tonight and see how it goes.

[babybarr]

Let me know! and fingers crossed.

[lilybug25]

Did a 8 pm bt last night and tonight and Lo is still taking till 9:30pm to fall asleep( still up and singing in her bed as I type), nap yesterday was 1.5 hrs and today just a hour. She woke this morning at 7:15am, I think it was from hunger so tonight she had a bowl of oatmeal and 4 oz of milk right before bed. She starts showing signs of beiing tired at 6-6:30 now so maybe I should just put her to bed then for a couple of days then go from there?

[babybarr]

Is she high sleep needs?  perhaps if she is showing tired signs at that time it's definitely worth a shot.

[lilybug25]

She does have hight sleep needs, it took almost 2 hrs to get her to nap today, she just woke up crying after less then a hr nap. Will be putting her to sleep early tonight.

[*Ali*]

Sounds like the 18 mont old sleep regression we are dealing with at the moment. I have heard a lot of people say it is due to developmental milestones and the LO will go back to their normal sleep shortly. So I am holding out for that as Cadan is also taking 1hr+ to fall asleep at the moment and sometimes resisting BT by crying too.
I was just about to direct you to
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=176250.105
but I see you are already there. 

[lilybug25]

Thanks Ali, I started my own thread as Lo isn't crying or freaking out, she is just playing and singing and laughing. It's been about 2 weeks I believe and now it's affecting her naps and we are getting earlier wu times each day, but so far (fingers crossed) not nwings.
Is Cadan being the same as LO?

[*Ali*]

Well we had about 5 days in a row when Cadan was crying at BT and for most naps. He would just keep standing in the cot crying "mama" getting quite hysterical. I would lay him back down and rub his tummy for a few seconds until he was calm and then leave the room. But he would start again so I would have to PD & WO for 30mins or so. He was also pointing to the floor next to his cot saying "mama, in there" meaning that I should sit there while he went to sleep but then he would "try" for a few minutes before getting up and laughing at me through the cot bars. So even that didn't work plus I don't really want to get into sitting there while he drops off. That would be a step backwards from plopping him in with a kiss and leaving the room as we have been doing for months.
Then the last couple nights he didn't cry when I left the room but then he just lay or sat in the cot playing with his blankies or rolling around chatting to himself happily for at least 30mins, one night over an hour.
I guess he has been waking quite early but never before 7.10am and sometimes as late as 8am. It is just that because it is gone 9pm, sometimes 9.30pm when he goes to sleep at night now that means he is getting little over 10hrs sleep some nights. He was consistently doing 11hr25 for ages before all this started.
His nap used to be 2hr15 but some days is as short as 1hr15 especially when he goes down for it really late in the day.
He will also do anything to stall goingto bed, like asking for more "boobies" when he doesn't really want it, asking to brush his teeth again, have a drink of milk, eat a biscuit (of course not!!). He had a chest infection a week ago and once has even asked for his "med med" by which he meant the antibiotics he had to have for a week. He will also try to run away and when I hold him and do our cuddles while saying our sleepy time phrases he will hit me or pull my hair seemingly just as a delaying tactic.
I am wondering if it is sometimes just that he has realised he CAN stall going to sleep by just not cooperating. And then once in his cot even when tired he can stretch the day that little bit more by playing around. Do you think your LO could have realised this and be "trying her luck"?

[lilybug25]

I really thinking that she's pushing her luck at bedtime now. I put her down at 6:30pm last night and it was 9pm when she finally passed out. I to go in there twice as she was crying her eyes out from being ot and then a thris time for a drink of water. I cannot leave a drink with her as even a non spill sippy will somehow get everywhere. She woke up cranky as all heck today at 7:15 and now is refusing to eat( she still is holding her milk cup from 7:30am which is still full and has refused breakfast). Wednesday will be 2 weeks of this, 2 BLOODY WEEKS, I am so sick of it, she is so very very ot her face is almost white with black marks under her eyes. I will be putting her down at 11am as she is still very tired and hopefully she will eat something, anything by 10:30am. I want my good sleeper back!!

[*Ali*]

Is she teething do you think? I can see Cadan has a tooth cutting at the bottom. He only has 8 so far so this will be his 9th.
I put Cadan in bed at 8.30 and I think he was out by 9.15pm. He just rolled around chatting etc. and didn't cry at all. I kept thinking he was asleep and then he would chat away again or wave blankie around. So frustrating. DH and I have dinner after he is in bed ( as DH gets home from work late) so I am always holding off dishing up until I know Cadan isn't going to start crying and need one of us to go in there. We are eating at 9/9.30pm which is too late. I thought 8pm was bad enough!

[lilybug25]

It's 8:30pm here and Lo has been in bed since 7:30 so a hr so far and still playing and singing. I had her nap from 11-1:30 and we went out this afternoon then had supper at my sister's house. I thought she was just played out but I guess I was wrong. We are also eating later and later as Lo will not go to sleep so last night supper was at 9:45pm and I didn't end up in bed myself till midnight as I needed time to relax. Hoping Lo sleeps in tomorrow but my luck she will be up cranky at 7am tomorrow yet again.