Bedtime manipulation! Help

[beachmom]

My dear 2yr old DD is becoming the master of manipulation at bed. She first started to say that she was having a hard time sleeping...i first beleived her...her 2 yr molars are coming in so i thought ok...maybe she is..BUT then after this happened every night....I was on to her!

Now we sometimes take2 freakin hours to sleep..I am sick of sitting with her and so is my dh-

what is the first step to getting back in control......?HELP

[Carmela's Mom]

I would say the first step is to get out of her room.  Before bed make sure she has a sip of water, uses the bathroom if she's potty trained, has tissues near her bed and anything else that she may come up with an excuse to go to bed.  Do it all as a routine every night.  Then when she's in bed, you tell her she has to stay in bed and leave the room.  She'll cry or chase you.  Put her back to bed but don't say anything to her.  Keep doing it.  It may take 100 times but just keep doing it until she realizes your not giving in anymore.  It takes awhile but it does work. 

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stacie:Emma&Josh Mom]

I agree, except that when we did this, the first one or two times we went in, we'd say "stay in your bed, it's time to sleep" or something similar, but the same phrase every time.  After two times, we wouldn't say a word, just put her in bed and walk out.  We listened outside her room or on the monitor for her to get out of her bed (she'd get louder closer to the door/monitor) and then we'd go in and put her back again.  Some people only do it if the child bangs on the door or comes out, but we did it when she got out of bed.  Just two different theories.  She got it after about 2 nights, but we also hadn't been struggling with it for too long, just about 2 weeks or so where we too thought something was actually wrong (she just got over being sick at the time).  Then we figured out she just got old enough to figure out "I crying, mommy come" which is what she'd say when we'd go to her.  Good luck!

[B1PZNT49]

unfortunetly i don't have any advice for you but i have to say it's nice to know others are in the same boat...my son was a great sleeper until he turned 2..during that one month, we moved, he started a new daycare, i went to work full time from part time, a new baby was coming and he moved from a crib to a bed...he wanted us to "cuddle him" when he moved to the bed and of course we thought well yes he must be overwhelmed with all these new changes...well that was last march...he will be 3 in march and my husband or i will still lay with him in his bed until he falls asleep..it takes only about 15 minutes so at this point i am not willing to "lock" him in there.  we tried just leaving him one night and he sobbed and sobbed...we've tried taking privelages away toys etc...he is all talk during the days saying he wants to try really hard to fall asleep by himself and that he feels as though he can do it but come bed time he will say "i don't need any toys mommy or i don't need this or that, you can give my stuff away, i just want to be close to you when i fall asleep"..
you can probably understand why we still do it...i just pray it's not happening when he if five or so ...my dd is 12 weeks old now and luckily she goes to bed an hour before him so i am still able (husband works shifts and not home most evenings) ...
 you're not alone!!!