Help with two year old he wont go to sleep!!!?

Question

My son will be two next month and he wont go to sleep for nothing! We have a routine that we follow at night, bath, brush teeth, read a story, go to sleep. He even helps pick out a book and get comfey in his bed while i read him a story.i give him a hug and kiss, then once i turn off the light and close the door he is immedently up and opening his door. every time he gets up i put him back in his bed, tell him to go to bed then go out and close the door. We go through this every two to five mins for an hour and a half to two hours!!!!! EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR THE LAST YEAR! I know he is tried because he is almost falling alseep on the couch! he wakes up at seven-thrity in the morning and takes an hour nap around one pm. I've tried to cut out the nap but he is falling alseep by supper, then wont go to bed untill midnight or later. Please moms with difficult sleepers give me some tips on getting him to sleep. I am going crazy!! is it illegal to lock his door until he's asleep ?

Answer 1

Have you tried putting a night light on and not closing the door? He might be afraid. Maybe a little classical or relaxing, soft music while he's trying to get to sleep may help.

Make sure that he isn't doing anything real active before you put him down. It sounds like you are on the right track and doing the right things. Maybe he just doesn't want to be alone! Just reassure him that you will be close by if he needs you.

Did something happen that would make him afraid of the dark or to be alone? If you could get to the bottom of what is causing this behavior, that would be half your battle!

When our daughter was little, we went through a similar situation at bed time. She would not go to sleep unless I sat in the room. It got very exhausting after a while. When we finally found out what the problem was, (the door to the attic was in her room and that scared her!) my husband put a bolt on the door and that solved our problem. So you really need to figure out why he doesn't want to go to sleep.

Loads of luck!

Answer 2

I know this nightmare! I had to get tough and we had crying and screaming but this habit did break. First check with the doc to see if there are any physical reasons. He does eventually go to sleep but just not when or where he should. That sounds more like a control issue. He is over stepping his boundaries. Don't lock the door just sit up against it and say nothing. First time he tries the door, tell him he has to go to bed and not get up. These are Mommy's and Daddy's rules and you have to obey. Falling asleep next to the door won't kill him. Just make sure the carpet is clean. Tough love at 2 really hurts, but you will be glad you did. If he gets away with this now - just wait when he is 14.

Be persistant and consistant. Fewer words and more actions. He is not allowed out of his room till morning. He has to understand that he has no choice. He can't come out and that is that. after a couple of nights like this he will come to know you mean business he will stop. If this doesn't work then just duct tape him to the wall. Only joking! but when you have as many nights without proper rest and an ordeal with your child those thoughts do go through you head. It's exhaustion. How can you function with this stress? Well, you were smart and asked here and hopefully others will also come up with some helpful hints. Good luck and don't worry - be happy!

Answer 3

Okay, I know I am not a mum but hear me out please. I know two little ones who I have known sincer they were born and baby-sit very frequently, and both of them went through this at around that age.
What I eventually did was I spent a little more time in their room talking to them and then told them they could have 1/2 an hour of quiet time, looking at books or playing with a few quiet, small toys on their beds. The bedroom light couldn't be on, but their bedside lamp could be. Usually, I said 1/2 an hour but I would go back and check on them in an hour and they would have used up their last of their energy, I would take away the toy or book carefully and turn out the light. Give it a try, I think it will be a little better than the yelling you will probably deal with if you lock the door. Good luck!

Answer 4

I had a daughter that would do that. I wouldn't cut out his nap, that seems to make mine more wired for some reason. I remember sitting outside the door and getting so aggravated because she just wouldn't sleep! I decided I can't make her sleep, so I put a baby gate up at the door to her room, then let her read books by the light of the hallway. She read books for a long time sometimes, but eventually went to sleep. I made sure she got up in the morning still. My daughter outgrew this, she sleeps fine now (she's five). It won't last forever~ good luck!!

Answer 5

Yeah, I don't know if locking his door is illegal, but I would not advise that because of the risks involved. Have you tried giving him a bubble bath with lavender scents? Lavender is known for its soothing effects. Also, you can try giving him some slightly warm milk which has the same affect. If these don't work, take a more assertive approach and tell him that if he doesn't go to bed, that there will be consequences and then list them. Obviously, things that he won't want to happen.

Good luck with him!

Answer 6

I think you are doing alot of things right, like putting him back in his own bed each time he gets out but the thing I would suggest you don't do is talk to him when you go in there. Do not say a word, just put him back in bed and do not interact with him other than that. He needs to see that he isn't going to get into a conversation with you and this should help. Also, does he have a night light? Maybe he is just afraid to be in the dark alone. I don't think you should lock him in his room.

Answer 7

Don't lock him in!

He's getting sleepy at the correct time, but something else is going wrong. He's not tired enough. He needs more exercise and ways to work off energy during the day in order to make his muscles tired as well as having his brain sleepy.

I used to do laps with my two to three year old in the driveway for a half-hour or more about two hours before bedtime, just to make sure she had gotten enough large motor exercise and aerobic oxygen exchange each day. When bedtime rolled around, she was not only sleepy, but the little muscles were too tired to support getting out of bed after lights-out.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Oh it is HELL isn't it. You have a stubborn kid there. Mine was pretty bad like that. IT IS TIME to get professional on him. There is a woman in America called The Sleep Lady, she has a book which I think is called Good night, sleep tight. Look her up on the net. Your little hero has now made his tricky-sleep-pattern into a habit which has been going on for so long that he will really need help to break out of it.
It is in His Best Interests to get a professional in now. Even just the right book, it won't cost much and it may save your sanity. Research until you find the right book, there will be one somewhere in the world which describes this exact problem. Find it and it will have a solution. Do this for his sake as much as yours. Good luck, and keep going until you find the perfect plan.

Answer 9

After bath time we spent an hour reading stories to calm my very active 2 year old twins, then we put on music, like a kids CD or some thing calming and repetitive (like ABC's, or rhymes). We told them they did not have to go to sleep, but they had to stay in bed until the sun came up. This makes them feel more in control and they do not fight sleep so much. Make sure there is plenty of play and exercise time in the afternoon, so he will be tired. If you have a spouse they need to help you reinforce the must stay in bed rule. If he will not obey, you need to punish or discipline him, he must learn to obey you.

Answer 10

sounds like you are doing lots of right things, check his diet too, for; no caffeine,no red dye and less or no sugar. there are some foods that make you sleepy too, like fish and warm milk, (not together) but I think there are others too that helps calm at night.
Also, try not to make it the biggest issue of the day... does anything else get such a ritual?
And then there is Nanny 911... I saw her go thru this with one tuff kid.. and it was just being firm and direct that they are not to come back out, that would be disobeying you and then there are the consequences that go with disobeying.. (whatever yours are)