Toddler Sleep Problems:
My Toddler Doesn't Want To Go To Sleep!

One of the top toddler sleep problems is when your toddler is wide awake in the evening and doesn't want to go to sleep. A bedtime battle ensues, temper tantrums can start, everyone gets cranky, your toddler sleep pattern is disrupted and so too is your evening.

You probably want your toddler to go to bed, go to sleep and for you to have some down time.

Firstly, take a look at your toddler sleep problems by taking a step away from the situation. When you are stressed and tired it is hard to look at your problem with fresh eyes. Dedicate a little bit of time to taking some time out to think through what is happening and what is going wrong.

Look through the below possible reasons for your toddler sleeping problems and see which ones correspond with your situation:

1. The main overlooked reason is that your toddler simply isn't tired. Possibly his afternoon nap is too long and/or too late in the day. Bring his afternoon nap to just after lunch time and reduce his sleep time. Of course you will lose valuable time for yourself and you might not be able to do all the things you like to do whilst he naps but you'll end up gaining your evening and everyone being happier.

But perhaps then he will be grumpy? If so, then experiment, try to making his nap in the morning a little longer, and then in the afternoon, after a short nap if he is grumpy, do quiet activities with him, read his favorite book, do something you know he loves.

2. Are you going out in the car in the afternoon and so your toddler falls alseep in the car? This is a big culprit for causing too much sleep in the day. During this transition time try to schedule your day around your toddler's sleep needs. This can be tricky so try and get in help so that perhaps someone else can do the car errands or someone can look after your toddler whilst you go out in the car.

3. Is your toddler falling asleep at supper time? The classic piture of a toddler falling asleep with the messiest face and still trying to lift the spoon! Those little power naps just late in the afternoon can really disrupt bed time and you need to avoid them as much as possible.

Try to have his nap early in the afternoon and at supper time avoid stuffy temperatures and be sure your toddler is not too warm in a steamy kitchen. As soon as you've had supper go up to have a bath - he'll wake up a little with the fun of it.

4. Is your toddler getting enough physical activity in the afternoon? Toddlers love exploring, practising their new crawling and walking techniques and are interested in everything. Playing and doing active activities are a great way to learn about the world and to aid his development. Schedule in some physical activity and fun with your toddler in the afternoon. And then have supper straight after and then bed. He will be tired but happy and is more likely to want to snuggle up in his toddler bed and go to sleep.

5. Although this reason may not be the main reason, it could be a contributory factor: are you spending enough quality time with your toddler during the day? Sometimes bedtime can be the only time when you spend one to one time with him and maybe he wants more and one way to get more attention is to play up at bedtime. Even though it's not positive attention, it's attention. So be sure to spend quality time with him during the day.

Coping with toddler sleeping problems

• Stay calm and know that this is a phase
• Look at your problem with fresh eyes and make an action plan
• Make a change. It's so easy to stay in an old routine because that is what you are used to but if it's not working then you need to try something else. And if that first change doesn't work after a few attempts amend the change, keep changing until you find what works for your family and what solves your toddler sleep problems.
• Be patient, be supported and get help when you need it