2 year old sleeping habits

I am writing this on behalf of my mother who has a 2 year old son.

She is struggling with getting him to sleep. he learnt how to climb out of the cot, so she has put him in a 'big boy bed'.
He still takes 1-2hours to get to sleep at night at during the day.
Its hard for me because she calls me up at home crying, she just doesnt know what to do with him.

Any advice whatsoever will be greatly appreciated by both me and my mum !!

Ahh...what people call the terrible twos???

Consistency is the main problem, and solution both!
Rules need to be made and kept... not harsh ones, but simple good-for-the-baby rules, especially about sleep time.

Quote:

He still takes 1-2hours to get to sleep at night at during the day.

Not sure what you're meaning to say here....

If he is too active before bedtime, or eats too late in the evening or eats sugary type foods etc (that wind up the metabolism) then that can cause him to have trouble setting down for sleep.

A warm calming (not playful) bath with camomile or lavender can help.
A story... slowly read (quiet story) or songs... but make it a routine so not only does the child know but his body begins to know it's almost bed time...

We all do better with a good sleep routine (some adults need an hour to prepare...turning off tv, computer, radio... sipping calming tea, reading quietly, meditating, etc... to be able to fall asleep quickly.)

See if your mom can get some free advice locally. Maybe a non-profit organization can give her a break from child care during a day when she can have time for herself? She sounds overwhelmed (and two year olds can do that!)

Encourage her to realize that it is a battle of wills, and not to get "emotionally" involved when the two year old wants his way (not the bed!)
What did she do for you? Or were you "never this way?"

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Sleeping was a bit of a challenge when my daughter was that litle as well. The first thing we did was pretty much eliminate the forced nap time. She was not a napper and it seemed pointless to spend hours trying to get her to take a nap when her body didn't seem to want one. So I started quiet play time during what would normally be nap time. She would sit quietly and watch a short film or something like that. As she got older she would be set aside from th eother kids and given a coloring book or something so that she could occupy herself quietly. Turned out she was not the only kid in preschool that refused to nap.

As for night time, that can get a little trickier. First, as JD said, consistance and routine are vital. A few hours before bed the routine should start and stay pretty much the same all the time. Dinnr at certain times, play time, bath time, that sort of thing. Sure he is only 2 but it will nto be long before he will begin to recognize that when the big hand is in a certain location certain things happen.

Just before bed time he needs to be encouraged to get his bed the way he wants it. Certain stuffed animals, pillows, blnakets, you name it. If he wants a bed full of stuff then so be it. Quiet reading time is also a great thing. 15-20 minutes of reading a story is cool. If he is pretty verbal he may ask questions about the story. This may be a chance for them to talk abotu the story and such. If he wants a nightlight then he turns it on before the story so when the story is over he knows it is time for bed.

I know a lot of people discourage parents being in the room when kids are going to sleep but there is no harm in laying with them for 15-20 minutes as they start to doze off. It reinforces the fact that they need to stay in bed and that mom is not messing around. It also provides a level of comfort. I don't know if he goes to day care or anything, but that contact with mom when he is about to sleep is comforting if he is away from her at all but also comforting because sometimes sleep can seem strange and scary.

The best advice I have is be patient. If he refuses to go to sleep, tell him to stay in his room. If he wants to stay awake he will have to suffer the consequences later (and yes I know mom will too). He will quickly learn that he doesn't feel so good the next day.

It's frustrating as hell. It feels like it will never end but it all passes in time.

milk, preferably warm, has a natural calming agent in it. a quiet time book will help too. so many good suggestions here so i'll leave it at that.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotion...RelatedArticle