Getting a todler to sleep

Question

my daughter has problems getting her little one to sleep she is having tatrums and clinging to her mother at bed time any ideas preferably not letting her cry it out

Answer 1

I had a similar problem with my daughter. What I found worked for me was a bed time routine which included bath followed by some warm milk and then a bed time story. Once I finished the story I would sit on the floor by he bed just out off reach so that she knew I was therebut couldn't touch. I did this for about 3 weeks moving further from her bed each night until I left the room. It was hard for both of us but worth it in the end. My daughter now has no trouble going to sleep at night andI get a few hours to myself. Don't get me wrong there were a few tears but she wasn't crying herself to sleep.

Try singing to her as well my daughter loved that to, it helped to carm her down in the 1st week

Hope this helps good luck

Answer 2

during the day tire her out a lot so that she falls asleep  

Answer 3

The answers already provided are pretty good.  I suspect you might need a quick fix for sanity sake before implimenting more long term solutions like those suggested.

Liquid Benadryl!  Ask your doctor first.  Tell them the truth that the child is having difficulty going to sleep.  I bet they'll say the Benadryl is the way to go.  Do some of the other suggestions while you do the Benadryl and this will make the child associate doing those things with sleep time and eventually, no more Benadryl is needed.

Sounds harsh to dope the kid, but ask your doctor and I'll bet he says it is fine.  

Good luck,

2 time super dad

Answer 4

I know the "cry it out" method sounds a little harsh, but sometimes it's the only thing that works on kids this age! I have tried everything with my daughter and crying before sleeping is the only thing that helps her calm down. Our doctor told us that some kids do it until they're 6 years old and that they do it to vent and calm down. It's the same type of thing when a baby sucks on a binky. They suck the binky to help calm down before they go to bed. Even when my daughter was a small baby she cried while we rocked and sang her to sleep.

It sounds like your daughter possibly gave in once or twice while putting her little one to bed. Maybe when the child cried and screamed and clung she let her back up for a while or something. The child knows that by throwing a tantrum they are upsetting the parents. They get a reaction. Maybe they won't have to go to bed for a little bit if they cry and carry-on.

The fact is, when a child is around 6 or 7 mos, they realize that when they do certain things they get certain reactions from the people around them. Some kids will "fake cough" to get the adults to look at them and give them attention. Some kids will scream and yell. Some will act extra flirty and cute. It all depends on the kid.

In fact, there's nothing wrong with letting the child cry a little before bed. The child needs to know that it's bedtime and that they're not getting out of it. However, just letting him/her lay there and scream isn't a good idea either.

This is what the doctor told us to do with my daughter (we even spoke to a child psychiatrist about it too, just to make sure!):

1 - First of all, you should have an established bedtime routine since kids and older babies thrive on a schedule. Ours is: take a bath, read a book, go to bed at 8:30 pm. Having a set time for bedtime is essential as well.

2 - Lay the child down and as you do so tell them that it is bedtime, that you love them and will see them in the morning. Stress the fact that they will NOT be getting back up. Give them a kiss and leave the room and shut the door.

3 - Every 10 or 15 minutes that the child cries, go back in and pat them and reassure them that it is bedtime and they need to go to sleep. After a week, if the crying is still going on for more than 15 mins, lengthen the invervals that you go in. Instead of going in every 10 mins, go in every 15.

After a couple weeks there will be very little or no crying. My daughter only cries a tiny bit before she passes out. And remember, for children older than 6 or 7 mos, this is an ok method because the child is more aware of reactions than you realize. Especially if the toddler is 18-2 years old. The child is most likely acting this way because they are getting a reaction from their mom.

Answer 5

plenty of fresh air during the day is great and make sure you have winding down time about an hour before bedtime it works for my boy, read a story dont have the television on.

Answer 6

Lots of activity. Take her to the park or other places where she can run around and play with her.

Answer 7

try lavender oil on her pillow it works  

Answer 8

make sure she has an active day, but then wind down slowly before bed, a warm bath, warm milky drink, then a quite time with a story, hope this calms her then to fall asleep,  

Answer 9

well you can get her tired during the day or if she takes naps make them shorter or when its close to her bed time put her down on the sofe and put on a movie or something!

Answer 10

Incorporate some physical activity into her day a little later than usual in order to tire her out for bedtime.  

Answer 11

Maybe a comfort object would help, like a blankie or a favorite stuffed animal.  My baby still sleeps in a crib, but we have an aquarium that plays soft music.  That always seems to help.  Also, a good bedtime routine is key.  Ours is bath, bottle and bed.  He doesn't get to play after his bath and therefore he stays nice and calm.