my 2 year old refuses to sleep

[crisscottn]

hi.. i need help please... my 2 yearld daughter refuses to sleep at night.. she has always been dificult to put to sleep since she was litlel but now it is getting difficult, my husband and i have to spend betwen 1 to 3 hours with her  before she finaly falls sleep.. when we take her to bed she is really tired so i don't understand why she puts up a fight... she takes a nap of  2 hrs at noon.. she doen't fight as much at nap time.. we have also try cutting the nap but that makes it worst at night, and because she is tired her behavior is bad throught the afternoon.., we've also tried to get her tired doing physical exercises but it doen't work...go to bed routines don't work either....
what can i do??

[maya2027]

Ihad similar problems with my son from about birth to 6 months, but finally decided to let him cry it out.  I suggest you 'tell' her over and over everyday during that day that you are going to put her down from bed at night and she has to go to sleep. Let her cry it out and just check on her in the room every 5 min. or so.  After a week or so (which I know will be hard)  she will get the idea that bed time means bed time and that putting up a fight will not work.  It sounds like she knows that you will just give in to her.  Also, make sure she feels comfortable with her room and especially her crib.  My son loves falling asleep in his crib while turning the pages of his favorite book.   Find something she loves and put it in the crib with her.  Last resort, I say let her sleep with you for a while. I know many, many children who sleep with their parents well past 3 and there's nothing wrong with it. Hope that helps.

[treazzure007]

keep up the bedtime routines.  don't give up.  do the routine, tell her goodnight, that you love her and are nearby.  tell her all the fun things she will do in the morning and that you'll see her then.  don't go back into the room until she stops crying to check on her and make sure she stopped crying b/c she went to sleep and is not hurt or in danger.  do it now before she gets older

children are so excited about this new world around them.  she's learning and exploring everyday.  she's not wanting it to end.  she just needs a little push to go to bed and if it's crying, then let her cry

[babygirl6152]

Moms and dads dream of baby being born and rocking them to sleep or reading them to sleep, etc sometimes letting them fall asleep with you- a some point mom and dad will decide to teach self soothing- at 3 weeks or at age 3-some babies find their own fist and fall asleep, others pacifier, crying it out- I am a preschool teacher and we still have a boy that has milk bottle at nap- one girl has milk sippy cup- I want so badly to cuddle them and rock at naptimes when they won't sleep but I would be compromising their parent's wishes for them to learn to self soothe-
yes the older the get the harder it is- it's basically learning a new skill- and everyone has to decide they are no the same page or it won't work- if dad won't listen to them cry it out for a few nights, then it will appear mom is torturing the child/ of course you are helping the child but like I said- all of you family members need to agree and be consistent- the other hard times will be when the child gets sick- I always let them back in my bed then it was a battle to start things anew-