Please please please!!! Is there anyone out there who can help me???

Im a single mum of one otherwise amazing little boy aged 3 years.
He is very intelegent for his age (started nursery a year early) and is otherwise an absolute delight.

He used to sleep from 7pm right through to 8am with no problems, has done from the age of three months but for some unknown reason, about a month ago all that changed!!

Now, using the same routine as I always have done, I put him to bed at 7pm and within minutes he is back down stairs. He comes up with the most interesting reasons for not being in bed and Ive now tried everything I can think of to no avail!!!

Im starting university in September and I know Ill need every spare minute I have to myself to do course work so I really need this sorting by then if it is possible!!

PLEASE ANYONE WHO CAN HELP GET INTOUCH!!

IM DESPERATE, TEARFUL AND OUT OF IDEAS!!

THANKS GUYS AND GIRLS!!

E xx:\(

hi hun, im affraid its just something they all go through. he has just learnt he can delay bedtimes with little lies. we have been there and had i need a wee, i need a drink, im poorley etc. if you stick with it and return him straight to bed he will give in eventually. if you are really struggling there are 2 options rewards fror staying in bed or you could tell him you will put the baby gate on his door so he cant leave his room if he wont stay there. good luck

thanks for that but I already tried the reward thing and he can climb over the baby gates.....I already tried that!

I guess I ll just have to stock up on vallium until he decides he's bored with this game huh?!

[Modified by: Enigma79 on July 15, 2008 07:59 PM]

It is a phase most go thru - and basically, they think they might be missing out on something by being in bed and ur not! For a while with our eldest son, we used to get him in bed etc then head back to the longe and be sitting there, maybe just reading a book - no music, no tele, just sitting not doing much. After a few nights, he got bored coming down to see what we were doing and stayed in bed lol

Another thing you could try is to extend his bedtime slightly. Sometimes, an extra 20mins up can be just enough to get them tired enough to want to go to bed. Our eldest boy is now 3yrs 8months and although he doesn't do it as often now, when curiosity gets the better of him, we let him stay up as a treat - within 15-20mins, he's asking to go to bed!!

Hope you can sort something out by September!

xx