https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:41:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329747 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 01:56:08 +0000 Cherrybee 2329747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This has pretty much been us since E was a few months old and, as she got older, it just got worse. The pinnacle was a few weeks back when she started taking her nappy (diaper) off during her 2 hour bedtime protest because she knows that always gets us to come back in (we've had some MOTN wet beds in the process).</p> <p>What has really helped us is having her in her big girl room with easy access to books and toys. It changed two hours of screaming to one hour of playing, which I can cope with. Last night, she somehow removed the sink from her play kitchen and literally had the kitchen sink in bed with her! </p> <p>Another thing that helped us is letting her choose things. She loves to choose! We pick PJ's then she is allowed to choose three books (from about 50 so it takes a while). She puts them on her bed and then happily jumps into bed to read them. Then lights off and I say the same (long) rhyme we have every night. She still gets out again but she's calm and happy enough to just play, not hysterical!</p> <p>Lastly, I hate to say it, the rabbit book has really helped. Sat/Sun/Mon we had it and she still took an hour to go to sleep but she stayed in bed the whole time. Tues/Weds we didn't have it and she was back to her usual shenanigans. Perhaps you need a long, boring bedtime routine?! I'm pretty sure E is just glad when the boring Rabbit story has finished!! :silly: </p> <p>Big hugs. This is so hard to deal with. I hope he gets back to his usual behaviour soon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329742 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 01:27:09 +0000 noelani 2329742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went through this too at exactly 2.5yrs, it was THE WORST. So much worse than any sleep issues we encountered when DS was a baby. </p> <p>I don't have much advice as I didn't handle this phase very well at all :bummed: It helped a little for us to set firmer boundaries/expectations and to react to his escalations by responding as calmly and quietly as my patience would allow. This lasted about 6 weeks for us and then things magically got better. Hoping your kiddo gets through this quicker than we did! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329609 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 21:01:23 +0000 rosegold 2329609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>scary 😖 good luck mama! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329594 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:53:06 +0000 regberadaisy 2329594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's definitely a phase. Almost everyone in my mom group went through this around 2.5-3 years. Bedtime was taking us 1-2 hours and she wasn't asleep till 10-10:30. We moved bedtime up, moved bedtime later, no naps, naps, threats, bribes. You name it. It's a crappy phase. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329588 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:48:41 +0000 Applesandbananas 2329588@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@rattles: we've been coming down harder on LO lately, trying to rein in some of the second, third, and fourth chances in hopes of being more consistent and taking some of the defiance down a notch, so maybe that's part of it too, he's just sick of us by bedtime! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329574 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:42:46 +0000 rattles 2329574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Applesandbananas: Totally hear you. Mine was a terrible sleeper as a baby, but we'd had a simple and consistent routine that worked for a year when it all went to crap. I think all in, it lasted a couple of weeks, but then we settled back into our old routine and all has been generally well. I felt desperate at the time though and worried it was the new normal. We have since moved onto the creative excuse stage with requests for more water and more songs and more hugs and fake bathroom emergencies, ha, but she's at least calm when denied! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329573 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:42:41 +0000 mediagirl 2329573@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I commiserate. I'm sorry. I do believe it is a phase and it will end eventually but it is so hard in the midst of it. All I can say is be consistent. Same routine every single night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329563 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:37:09 +0000 Applesandbananas 2329563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@rattles: this sounds very familiar. We had a great bedtime routine where we'd listen to a song, I'd rock him, we'd snuggle and he'd be out after 5-10 minutes and now he thrashes and head butts and screams for Daddy and when Daddy comes in, he screams for Mommy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329560 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:35:32 +0000 MrsSRS 2329560@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Applesandbananas: Ah. Then my vote is it is developmental. Bummer. But unless LO is making up that missing sleep time at nap, at this point he is overtired. So if he's going to meltdown anyway, I would still move bedtime earlier. Then address all crying with a firm but calm "it's time to rest, your body is tired." And wait it out like @rattles </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329545 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:28:10 +0000 Applesandbananas 2329545@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Raindrop: I'm not sure. He chews on his hands when he's upset. We've been giving him a dose of Motrin before bath, so even if he's teething, it should kick in by bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329542 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:27:06 +0000 Applesandbananas 2329542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: it starts when he realizes he has to go to bed. We give him warnings and reminders about what's to come ("okay, we're going to clean up your toys then get in the bathtub. okay, let's put your pajamas on and brush teeth. after teeth, we're going to bed!") and we follow the same general routine every night. </p> <p>After we brush his teeth, he'll ask for a pouch or he wants playdoh or whatever and we say no and he flips out. I think he thinks he's going to miss something, or maybe he just wants to spend more time with us? I don't know. But once the meltdown starts, it's all downhill from there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329540 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:24:14 +0000 rattles 2329540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is he angry or just overtired? Is he trying to assert himself or his will with it?</p> <p>We went through a phase a few months ago (right at 2.5) where bedtime became an utter (forgive the language) shit show. She would literally trash her room in protest, escalating if we tried to ignore her. She would throw all of her toys and books on the floor, all the while yelling, "I making a mess, Mama" at the top of her lungs and hysterically crying. At one point, she picked up her nightstand and hurled it across the room taking a chunk out of her footboard. Suffice it to say, it was horrific. We tried moving bedtime forward and back, but honestly, I think at the end of the day it was a battle of wills, and we were determined not to lose. We took out everything that wasn't bolted down for about a week, and then just sat outside the door making sure she was okay and telling her firmly that we loved her but it was bedtime. And eventually, she got the message and the phase passed. In sum, I've got nothing, but boy do I empathize and hope it gets back to normal quickly! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329536 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:21:26 +0000 Raindrop 2329536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Could he be teething?</p> <p>Sorry just throwing this one out there.</p> <p>LO had a pretty terrible spell during bedtime when he was getting his last set of molars but that usually happens at around 2. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329529 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:18:57 +0000 MrsSRS 2329529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Applesandbananas: Hmmm. How verbal is LO? When in the bedtime routine does the crying start? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329524 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:16:54 +0000 Applesandbananas 2329524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: we tried that Monday night after a really horrible Sunday bedtime and that was the worst one so far :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329514 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:10:27 +0000 MrsSRS 2329514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Maybe move bedtime an hour earlier until you aren't working with such a sleep debt? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bedtime-meltdown#post-2329512 Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:08:37 +0000 Applesandbananas 2329512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is 2.5 and bedtime has been a nightmare the past week or so. He hasn't been going down until nearly 10, after crying off and on for 1.5+ hours. We aren't doing CIO or anything, just our typical bedtime routine! He's not feverish, shows no symptoms of an ear infection, etc. Daycare says he hasn't been wanting to go down, but it hasn't been a meltdown like it is at home. </p> <p>Any commiseration? Advice? Anything? I'm desperate at this point. This is torture for everyone, especially LO and I have no freaking clue what's going on! </p>