Any suggestions PLEASE I'm open to pretty much anything!! Sleep time

[BrightSparkles]

Ok so DD is 21 months. Since Friday night bedtimes have consisted of 10.45pm, 9.30pm, 9.45pm and tonight 9pm.
She has her day sleep from about 11am until about 1/1.30pm. She still needs her day sleep because she is just unbearable in the afternoons and the bedtime process takes 100 times longer.

Our nightime routine is:
6pm - dinner
6.30pm - bath
7pm - bottle and books
7.30pm bedtime. Bedtime Routine is - kisses for mummy and daddy, walk to bedroom, into bed, kisses goodnight, music on, lights off, door closed.

These last few nights she has been up pulling clothes/shoes out of waredrobe, pulling nappies out. I've taken all the toys out of her room and the only toys she takes to bed is dorothy and baby.

Each time she gets up I go back in and do the same routine over again but but 9.30/10pm I am going INSANE and use my angry mummy voice and get cranky. Then I feel bad cause shes gone/going to sleep upset.

Is this just her age or that shes testing waters before the baby arrives? Does anyone have any other suggestions that I can try???? I am pulling my hair out now. I don't want to put her back into a cot as she climbs out.

[Lulu]

Have you tried staying in there till she falls asleep?

[Nettie]

Consistency is the key. We've just been doing this with our 2 year old - and still do some nights!

If we hear him get out of bed (or into the toys or cupboards) - we go charging in there and say 'Bed - NOW!' and if he doesn't run over and jump in himself, we pick him up and put him in...

Some nights you just have to do it many times But he's definately gotten better while we're consistent.

The other thing that's worked for us (strange as it may seem) - is also telling off his favourite toy The couple of times we've done this, he's stayed in bed!

[~Minny~]

DD used to play up heaps like that! Is she turning the light on to trash her room? If so take the light globe out Worked wonders for DD.
Also i have found especially since DS was born DD likes to lay in bed and chat to me about everything and nothing, we have a chat laying down kiss n cuddle then she will usually settle of to sleep. If we dont do this she will get out of bed and muck around untill all hrs of the night.

[~Kim~]

I was going to say the same as Lulu. I've always sat with my kids until they go to sleep.
Whether it be reading/singing/chatting to them or just sitting with either on the bed or the floor and moving gradually to the door.
I know it seems like a waste of time, but they know you're there, they know you mean business.
I've read a few books of a night next to Darcy and meditated, plan my day, do a shopping list whatever quite thing I needed that day.

[BrightSparkles]

Have you tried staying in there till she falls asleep?

I've been doing this the last few nights because i'm just so exhausted of getting up and down to her.

If we hear him get out of bed (or into the toys or cupboards) - we go charging in there and say 'Bed - NOW!' and if he doesn't run over and jump in himself, we pick him up and put him in...
The other thing that's worked for us (strange as it may seem) - is also telling off his favourite toy The couple of times we've done this, he's stayed in bed!

DD does this as soon as she hears us open the door. Might try telling Dorothy off... maybe she'll stay in bed.

Is she turning the light on to trash her room? If so take the light globe out

LOL This is what I said last night so DH went out and turned ALL the lights off at the fuse box Good for DD - not so great for me LOL I'll just take out her light bulb.

[didispunk]

If the door isnt shut I would shut it and leave her in there.. before you go to bed.. get her from where she has fallen asleep on floor and put her back into bed.. a few nights later. she will know you are not going into get her.

[studymum]

We are going through the exact same thing with DD (she just turned 2), she still really needs a day time nap otherwise she is feral and will fall asleep at 4 oclock sitting up, but she is going till 10 at night playing in her room. I've stopped going in and telling her constantly to get into bed cause the first nights I did this she thought is was a game and it egged her on more. I have found that if I let her go, she generally gets up into bed when she is ready and goes to sleep.

I was told it is a transition stage for dropping day time naps. I'm hoping in a few weeks she is going to make it the extra few hours in the afternoon till bedtime and will drop the nap cause its driving me insane to.

[fionas]

I'm sooooo not an expert on this because DD would often take ages to settle down and go to sleep. I didn't cure her but I did, over time, figure out what worked and what we were both comfortable with. I did stories in her room and let her know very adamantly when we were doing the "last story" ie. reminded her on every page - "mama read story, then mama go." Often in the early days she just would NOT stay in bed for her stories. Being firm didn't work. Leaving the room resulted in lots of tears. So I just read the story without worrying whether she was in bed or not. Then after the promised number of stories were done, I'd give big kisses and cuddles and go. If I thought she wasn't really tired, I'd give her the benefit of the doubt and stay a bit longer - if I knew she was tired but just playing about a bit, I'd go.

I've always closed the door. I don't feel bad about this because it just never seemed to worry her. I'd often hear her messing around in her room and that was OK by me as long as she wasn't distressed. I'd hear her rattling the door knob if she was upset and she never has. She seemed to 'get' that I wasn't coming back.

So I guess I wouldn't worry too much if she doesn't fall asleep immediately AS LONG AS she's not distressed about being on her own.

[ladybird11]

DD used to do the EXACT same thing for her daytime nap at about the same age as your DD....she'd absolutely TRASH her room. But once it was trashed - what more could she honestly do? So I left it.

Something that has always worked for me is just going back into the bedroom say nothing, just put her back to bed, covers back over her and leave the room again (I'm a door shut mumma too). At the most I've had to go back in maybe two times maximum - she soon learn't she wouldn't win that game so she went to sleep first time from then on.

In the meantime (I know how annoying it can be cleaning up a trashed toddler room, especially when pregnant) I put locks on the drawers - but we've since taken them off, no trashing has occurred since!!

Good luck hun!