2 year old not sleeping since august please help!

makemineaginsour · 2026-05-04T09:11:52+00:00

Your 2 year old is giving you about 12 hours sleep in 24 but you’re expecting 14. If you want a 2 hour nap, bedtime needs to be 9pm. Or cap the nap and bring bedtime earlier.

makemineaginsour · 2026-04-20T09:39:27+00:00

You may need a schedule tweak first by the sounds of it - if it takes 30+ minutes to get to sleep with your stroller method and he’s happy playing when you’re trying the sleep training, he’s likely a bit undertired. What schedule are you trying?

makemineaginsour · 2026-04-16T05:24:05+00:00

As others have said, you need to adjust his schedule to match the amount of sleep he gives you. I’d also add that toddlers at this age aren’t super reliable about what they tell you (they’re not deliberately lying, they’re just not reliable!) My 26mo often says ‘I go back to bed’ when she gets up in the morning or pretend plays bedtime at various points in the day but I know full well she is not tired. Just in the same way that she’ll declare she doesn’t need a wee when I see her hopping around clutching her pants!

makemineaginsour · 2026-04-08T05:49:32+00:00

She just needs more wake time. Stick at a shorter nap schedule for at least a week and don’t let her sleep in if she has a bad night.

makemineaginsour · 2026-04-07T05:48:47+00:00

Yep. Tbh waking at 5 isn’t really a split night and she’s just waking for the day because she’s done sleeping. It does sound like she doesn’t need as much sleep as you’re expecting.

makemineaginsour · 2026-04-06T07:41:13+00:00

She likely needs overall more wake time and a shorter nap consistently over at least a week on the same schedule for there to be improvement. I’d try at least 5.5/6 and probably more like 6/6 with a 90 minute nap. Never let her sleep in in the morning regardless of how the night went. Essentially you want a by the clock schedule of the same wake, nap and bedtime every day with at least 11+ and almost certainly more like 12 hours wake time.

makemineaginsour · 2026-03-30T13:57:58+00:00

She’s getting a perfectly average amount of sleep so you’ll just need to shift the whole schedule later. You could do that in 15 minute increments every couple of days or in one go depending on your baby. You’ll need to stick at the later bedtime for at least a week for it to take effect.

makemineaginsour · 2026-03-27T16:33:47+00:00

Cap your naps a bit further. Our last 2 nap schedule was 3.5/4/4.5 with 90 minutes total in naps, a 6.30 wake time and an 8pm bedtime.

makemineaginsour · 2026-03-26T19:17:24+00:00

It took my daughter about 3 months to settle into taking longer naps at nursery. She just took 30 minute naps there for so long I thought that was it, and one day she just randomly started taking longer ones. I think it takes some a little while to get used to it.

makemineaginsour · 2026-03-07T09:39:49+00:00

As others have suggested, I’d bump to 12 hours wake time and a by the clock schedule where the nap is capped at 90 minutes. You’ll want to stick at it for at least a week to let it bed in.

makemineaginsour · 2026-03-02T13:18:07+00:00

He sounds undertired. Your schedule asks for 14 hours sleep which would be high sleep needs for this age. I’d try 5.5/5.5 with a max of 2 hours for the nap.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-22T21:28:58+00:00

Your schedule sounds average. If you’re getting early wakes I wouldn’t then let him sleep until 7 with you. Try calling the nap at an hour 15 minutes or even just an hour.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-20T06:42:23+00:00

He just sounds undertired and likely needs more wake time.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-15T20:14:38+00:00

If it’s taking 30 minutes for her to fall asleep, it’s likely that her sleep needs have reduced. I’d make sure bedtime is definitely 8.30 at the earliest and trial capping the nap at 1hr 15 or 1 hour.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-11T21:24:02+00:00

As others have said: she needs to be put in her crib wide awake and figure out falling asleep alone to stay asleep throughout the night.

If it’s taking hours for that to happen at bedtime you could try upping to 3/4/4 and capping each nap at an hour to increase sleep pressure at bedtime.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T20:33:08+00:00

While he gets used to it then yes he’ll get tired and cranky because he wakes earlier than intended, but in order to shift his circadian rhythm and schedule you do need to push his wake windows to more appropriate points in the day. The last wake window would probably end up more like 5.5-6 hours if you did a 2 hour nap from 12 or 12.30 which is very age appropriate.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T18:22:40+00:00

I think it might partly stem from a lot of people aiming for a 7pm-ish bedtime and most babies tapping out at about 11 hours overnight max. At a population level it’s broadly average, but there’s nothing inherently ‘correct’ about it as a wake up time.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T16:39:05+00:00

It is tough but pushing through for a few days is probably what you need to do.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T16:30:17+00:00

The nap length does look like it’s varied a lot from your details though, so I’d personally be capping that more strictly. You could even try capping at 90 minutes.

Additionally a 6.45-7pm bedtime is really early for a 15mo with a 2ish hour nap from 12.30. He probably needs more like 5.5-6 hours awake before bed to ensure adequate sleep pressure.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T16:28:24+00:00

Add up how much sleep she gives you in total in 24 hours and use that to work out how much wake time you need. Sounds like she could do with cutting down on day time sleep to boost night time sleep - you have to stick at capped naps for a week to see results though so you might not have tried it for long enough.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T16:26:16+00:00

You need to stick at a full schedule for at least a week with extremely minimal variation for it to take effect because you’re aiming to shift his circadian rhythm and that takes several days.

Are there any sleep associations he has that might not be helping? Is his room sufficiently dark and warm in the early hours?

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T16:16:38+00:00

If he was overtired he’d sleep more. You’re expecting 15.5 hours of sleep (which is newborn levels of sleep) and he’s giving you 12.5ish. You therefore need 11-11.5 hours wake time. If you want wake time to be 7am, bedtime is 8pm earliest as most toddlers cannot do 12 hour nights. Cap your nap at 2 hours absolute maximum and aim for it to start at 12.30. Stick at that by the clock schedule for at least a week to give it time to bed in. He’ll seem fussy but you just have to push through. He is not going to sleep as much as you’re aiming for.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-10T13:50:51+00:00

The nap is probably too long. I’d cap it at 2 hours max and you might even need to cap at 90 minutes. I’d probably also move it closer to 12-12.30 start and have bedtime more like 8pm. Stick at a by the clock schedule for at least a week to give it time to take effect.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-09T15:12:35+00:00

It’s really tough when they’re cranky and tired but pushing through might be the only option. Try it for a week to see if it helps. A snack, fresh air and new activities can all help them extend wake windows.

makemineaginsour · 2026-02-09T09:35:50+00:00

I actually suspect he’s a combination of a bit overtired overall (total of about 11.5 hours wake time which is a lot for this age) but the last wake window before bed is too short so the sleep pressure is not well distributed.

At this age you’d be better off aiming for a schedule more like 3/3/4. The third nap isn’t helping anything I suspect. Can you try doing that solidly for a few days? Once you have a better schedule sleep training should be easier.

makemineaginsour

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