how to put a toddler to bed

We can't just take him and lay him down. He gets right back up screaming. I'm telling u nothing works. But he eventually fell asleep. Only took about an hour

Let him cry for 10 min then go in and lay him down and walk out. Do that a few times and then up it to 15min.

He has been crying for an hour already. We tried putting him to bed tonight by giving the bottle to him in the bed room and he freaked out and did not even really drink it. We have checked on him 3 times already. I keep reading everywhere that between 18 and 19 months is that stupid sleep regression. So I'm guessing thats what it is. It really sucks. The screaming is just horrible and there is nothing wrong with him. He just wants us in the room with him. His doctor today even said to just let him cry because there is nothing wrong with him

Keep up with the sleep training.

I would try that but once I leave room he goes nuts. No matter how tired or how deep his sleep is, he is still watching us like a hawk

Personally I don't see why not to rock him to sleep. If you rock him and lay him down and it works, then that beats this situation where he's screaming and you're stuck in the room.

They're only little a short while. And I'm about gentle techniques. Where they don't need to cry. Sleep training that requires screaming is unnecessary.

I promise you won't be rocking a kindergartener to sleep every night. I held my daughter every morning for her milk until she was 2.5 and her brother arrived. They are really not that big at barely 18 months.

So now past two nights he just bloody screams and screams for no reason when we try to put him to bed. It's getting worse. My husband's afraid people upstairs will call cops if we sleep train again. And we already don't get along with them. So now I'm stuck with him sleeping in his pack in play in bedroom with me. There goes my free time. And there is no way I can go to bed this early. Im at my wits end here. I don't get it. He will just not go to sleep unless someone is in the room with him.

We already did sleep training and it worked. But he just keep going back and forth from sleeping all night to getting up once or twice for no reason and screaming. We are still putting him to bed by giving dinner, bath, bottle in high chair. We let him dose off a little in chair then bring him to bed room. Guess I will just have to do the sleep training over again? And could he just want to sleep in playpen instead near one of us? Also we will not be rocking him and holding him for his bottle. He is way to old for that. We stopped that long ago when we started sleep training at 7 months.

At 18 months you wouldn't want to start rocking him with a bottle if he wasn't already doing that. You'll want to go straight to sleep training. Research some methods and stick with one each night. If he is not already self soothing and falling asleep on his own then he may cry a lot at first. But don't worry it's only temporary and you'll be thankful you did it. A bedtime routine is necessary so he knows that sleep time is approaching.

Our nighttime routine for our almost 15 month old;

Dinner around 5:30-6.

After dinner she gets a 4 oz bottle of milk in living room with us. Than after 15-30 mins of playtime we both take her to her room where we change diaper, put on pajamas, read a book. Brush her teeth which she doesn't like. Than we let her choose a pacifier and lay her down in her crib. We say good night, love you, we turn off the light and leave the room. Door shut. All done by 7.

He gets a bath, brushes his teeth, gives dad a hug/kiss, pajamas, 2 books, and then bed.

My question is, don't you think he is to old to be rocked and held while having a bottle at almost 18 months? I would think if I start doing that, he is going to want that everynight.

You need to develop a bed time routine and stick with it every night. Waiting til he falls asleep in his high chair seems very odd to me but maybe because my daughter has never fallen asleep in her high chair ever. His routine should be done in his room.

My daughter just turned 2 years old and has had the same bedtime routine for a long time. We brush her teeth which she hates and cries over but we do it anyway then she gets a diaper change, puts on pajamas, then snuggles with daddy for 5-10 minutes. Then I take her and she nurses (in the dark) and then I put her in her crib. Sometimes she falls asleep nursing but most nights I put her down awake and she goes to sleep on her own. She sleeps all night.

She did go through an 18 month sleep regression which lasted about a month, but even with that its still important to have a consistent bedtime routine and a plan for what to do for night wakeups.

Don't worry too much about reading books or doing some kind of activity before bed. My daughter won't sit still for books either. The important thing is to stay consistent every night and have some kind of calm period before bed.

My little guy will be 3 in January and I still rock him with a bottle. Lol I know I know but I this time will not last and I love our snuggle time and watching him fall asleep. There has been a couple times he's wanted to go to bed alone with his bottle so I let him but that's only happened a few times lol. If he wakes in the night it's because he's wet and climbs into bed with me for the rest of the night. My dentist said not to let him eat or have anything for 1.5 hours before bed and to brush his teeth once a day in the morning and not to worry about milk at night because milk is actually the closest thing to salvia and will not damage his teeth. He said no juice at bed time or food because that will stay in his mouth and eat away at his teeth. I've been doing this myself my entire life and only problem I had was when a fell on my face and broke my front tooth lol.

Ok so we brushed his teeth tonight after his bottle. So far so good. Now I think he is over tired and is still not falling to sleep. He stopped taking naps almost 2 weeks ago. If he does take a nap it's between 15 to 30 mins. With the dancing stuff, I don't think he would understand to copy what we do with him. I havent tried anything like that but I could give it a shot. When he gets up in the middle of the night he screams like crazy for us. Most times I will go in there and nothing is wrong. So I don't know why it's happening. Sometimes I either let him just cry after I check on him or he goes in the playpen in a room where one of us is, so he stops. There is nothing else we can do to get him to stop crying. He just wants to be in playpen near someone

I really think trying a few silly activities and then a quiet one (ie singing rock a bye baby) before bedtime is a good suggestion. I would also suggest to really try not to get frustrated if he "won't have it", so to say. If you keep it up, he will quiet. Eventually, it does make an impact. But the secret is in the repetition. I also want to express how necessary it is to be brushing his teeth, an establishing that expectation with him. No child likes it, especially at first. My step son had a very difficult time with us brushing his teeth nightly. He did scream just about every time until he got more familiar with it. The secret is in the repetition. It will become easier for him and you. Flouride free tooth paste to begin with is very important while he's learning. Don't use anything minty, fruit flavored is always the best way to go!

Well some kids won't sit still for books. That's ok.

Maybe try some low key gentle sleeping songs with movements. Like he could reach up, squat down, rock a stuffed animal...

Lots of slow like dance type movements that would help get his energy out.

You could start with something silly and fast and move on to more relaxed within like 3 songs.

Wiggle wiggle wiggle stop

Hold still.... wiggle wigggle wiggle stop!

Is a fun fast one. Or like everybody everybody jump up and down, etc. monkeys on the bed...

Then end with rock a bye.

As for middle of the night - yeah, you might be early in the 18 month sleep regression. It's typically before a large cognitive speech explosion so it's a very exciting developmental spurt. Doesn't make it any easier at 3am of course.

Babysleepsite might have some good suggestions on that one. But I typically was able to ignore night wakings around that age because my kiddos were happy, but awake. So I'd hear them playing, roll over and let them play and go back to sleep. If he's crying, that's different of course and you'd want to respond.

Emily had good advice.

Most kids hate getting their teeth brushed initially. This isn't one of those things that you can give up on though. You can try things like letting them start brushing and then you finish up, or letting them choose a toothbrush, or even a fun app to follow. But it must done after the milk/food.

He kinda has been in a sleep regression for the past couple months I think. He will get up at night and usually not go back to sleep unless we put him in the pack in play in a room where one of us is sleeping. He will not sit still if we rock and try to read him a book. He just does not sit still. And you are right we should start brushing his teeth at night after his bottle. We r still having a problem with brushing his teeth too. He screams so much. We have tried everything

We have bath, storytime, cuddles and lay down. Usually start that by 6 months.

If your child is accustomed to warm milk, you may want to rock and cuddle while he drinks for awhile and then try to lay him down.

I would try to remove the milk though or atleast gently brush his teeth before sleep. Possibly let him have his milk, brush his teeth, then story and cuddle time/rocking before laying him down.

You're coming up on a possible 18 month sleep regression so a good routine will help.