# Toddler takes forever to fall asleep!



## camelfam (Jul 31, 2008)

Ugh...I'm so frustrated. So, I need help with my 20 month old with whom we have always had sleep struggles. I'm sure it is my fault, but I don't know what to do. Without going into too much of a detailed history...we basically full time coslept from 0-4 months, then moved her to her crib in another room. For the first part of the night she slept in her room, then whenever she woke up in the middle of the night, one of us would go get her and bring her to bed. This lasted until she was 18 months. Then she would just bawl when I would put her down. I could not leave the room without her crying...so we decided to go back to full time cosleeping. She's too big for her mini cosleeper, so we side-carred the crib.

Anyway...so that is where we are now. She used to take a nap at 12:30pm and we would start our bedtime routine around 7:30pm before we went back to full-time cosleeping. Now before I would leave her to fall asleep on her own so I'm not 100% on the time she would fall asleep. When we started cosleeping I started having to lay down with her until she fell asleep because she no longer had the crib rail up. We would start the routine like normal, but she wasn't falling asleep until 1:15/1:30 for naptime and 9:00 for nighttime. Now, not even two months later, she is taking until 3pm to fall asleep for naps and 10:00 for bedtime! It takes so long for her to fall asleep...I'm going out of my mind just lying there. I have so much to get done, I want to spend time with hubby at night...and can't do any of that anymore. Half the time I fall asleep with her and really can't get anything done. I wish I weren't, but I am angry. I lay there and get angrier and angrier. It's not my daughter's fault, but I am just angry for all the time I am just laying there. I've tried putting her down later hoping it will take less time, but it still takes her the same amount of time to fall asleep.

I want to keep her in our room. I like cosleeping...I just hate the getting her to sleep part. Is there anything I do to help her to fall asleep faster or on her own without having to put the crib rail up? Even if I could be in the same room reading that would be great...at least I'm doing something besides just lying there. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate spending precious time with my baby because she is only young once, but at the same time I need some time for myself and to spend with my husband alone...or I'm just gonna lose it. Anyone BTDT? We stopped nursing 2 months ago so I can't nurse her down. Help mamas!


----------



## D_McG (Jun 12, 2006)

Is it that she's not tired enough or she is distracted by you? We went through the same thing at that age and it was a combo, I think. Anyway I started getting up for brief periods. "I'm going to get some water. Try to sleep. I'll be back". And I extended the time slowly until eventually (briefly!) he was falling asleep alone. I always went back in the minute he called me in so he knew he was safe.

Then he started falling asleep really quicly again so we abandoned it but maybe it would work for you.


----------

