Bedtimes are HARD

2 hours is a long time ...should bed time be at a different time...with an hour quite time before hand or something? I am sorry I don't have more specfici advise other than if they are awake for 2 hours after bed time than the need for sleep at bed time isn't there enough or they may need a longer time to change into the calm of sleep. Best of luck to you!

what would happen if you stayed in the room until they were asleep? Maybe just sit on a chair and read a book until they go to sleep. It might take a week or so until they learn to fall asleep right away.

Have you tried putting them to bed at different times?

My girls wont nap together. I put the 3yr old in my bed and the 18 mo in their room. Otherwise it is a playdate. I also have to stay there with the 3 yr old and make her be still. She will roll around and count her fingers and just whatever to keep herself awake but if I stay there and no wiggling or singing then she is out in 10-15 mins.

I would remove all the toys from the room. If they have been told not to take the cover off the beds and they continue to do it, then I would take the cover away as well and dress them in warm nightclothes instead, like a baby. Mine are too young to use cover, so they are put into fleece footie sleepers. Remove anything that they can use to stay awake. If you don't have one establish a night time ritual too that has the effect of winding them down. Start it earlier if possible.Get a lavender scented room spray or solid. Lavender helps promote sleep. Use the lavender scented bath soap. Once you put them in bed, dim the lights and read to them. I had to remove even the night light from my nursery because it was helping to keep them awake. The room is completely dark and the door gets closed. The only light is from the street lights outside. Make a reward chart for them also and explain how it works. You can put anything on it you want including the nap time and bed time issue. If they go to nap time and stay there without a fuss then they get a reward. You decide what the reward is. Mine like ice cream or playing in the water. There are many reward systems you can look at on the web. The basic premise is to reward them for the good behavior with something that they want and they only get that thing when they get their sticker on their chart. Different bedtimes may also help. If you can get the older one asleep first(probably the main culprit), then it is possible the younger one won't be influenced to make a mess.

I completely agree CaddoRose :clap: I've literally cleared rooms before. I also with bio children have stayed in the room "reading" and every time they got up, I layed them down w/ no extra attention. It worked well. But w/ our last FD, whew! That was like an exorcism. haha That was a battle we started, that she was not going to let us win for 18 years if we had her. Kinda gun shy now. Never lost a battle before. .... Don't know if I'll try that challenge again.

[quote=CaddoRose]I would remove all the toys from the room. If they have been told not to take the cover off the beds and they continue to do it, then I would take the cover away as well and dress them in warm nightclothes instead, like a baby. Mine are too young to use cover, so they are put into fleece footie sleepers. Remove anything that they can use to stay awake. If you don't have one establish a night time ritual too that has the effect of winding them down. Start it earlier if possible.Get a lavender scented room spray or solid. Lavender helps promote sleep. Use the lavender scented bath soap. Once you put them in bed, dim the lights and read to them. I had to remove even the night light from my nursery because it was helping to keep them awake. The room is completely dark and the door gets closed. The only light is from the street lights outside. "I agree! I would clear the room of anything that they are playing with to stay awake. We have had to do this with our oldest son. A night time routine is so very important too. Good Luck!

Thank you all for the hints and ideas. After reading this, I changed up some things. We cleared the room of toys, stuffed animals, blankets and each other. The first night, I told FD1 that I wanted her to stay in bed and I could see she wanted her Dora pillow back. The deal is that she could have it back as soon as she could show me that she could quietly go to sleep without trouble. She's been so good ever since. :-) And within 2 nights she got it back.Her sister is a naughty little monkey, and doesn't seem to care that all the stuff was taken away. She was still intent on stirring up trouble. So at naptimes, she goes in the crib in a different bedroom, instead of her toddler bed, beside her sister. Works like a charm. Now both girls go to sleep without much hassle.I don't know why I never thought about doing this before! LOLThat is the beauty of this forum, though. We put our heads together and come up with solutions! I love it!Thanks ladies, for the wisdom you share.

Hello there. Perhaps they are doing this for attention, wanting you to come back in the room. My 3 year old niece was/is the same. My sister now puts her to bed, reads her a story, says good night then leaves the room. Sure enough my niece will get out of bed and play with toys and then go to sleep. Each morning she is woke up at 7.30 no matter what time she went to sleep, thus that night she is tired and goes to sleep. Tell them that for every hour they are up past bedtime, they will go to bed an hour earlier the next night. If they refuse to go to nap time, say thats okay. But if they fall asleep later on in the day, wake them up and say no sleeping until bedtime. They will soon get the hang of it. Whilst doing this still keep the routine. If they go to bed at 7pm put them to bed at that time. Give them plenty of warning "darling its bedtime in half an hour" .... this way they know its coming and can calm themselves.