Help! My 18mo old won't sleep!

[cjhott]

My son is 18mo old and he still does not sleep through the night. He won't sleep in his own bed and he has to take a sippy cup to bed at night. As if that isn't enough, he now refuses to go to sleep! My husband and I count it as a success if we can get him to sleep before midnight! Since he goes to bed so late (sometimes as late as 3am) he sleeps in late in the mornings. This leads to either no nap during the day or a very late evening nap. (7pm or later sometimes) The situation is further complicated because I am the one who works while my husband stays home, and he is on the same schedule (go to bed at 3 and wake up at noon) so it's not a big deal to him. But it's hard for me because I have to get up early. The pediatrician's recommendation is to conquer one problem at a time. Move him into his own bed first, then take the sippy cup. She prefers the cry it out method. But I just don't have the strength to do that. It breaks my heart to hear him cry and I know that I would be the one to have to keep putting him in his bed. I would love any advice!

[craftyashley]

I have 19 mo. old twins and they sleep perfectly at night. Here is what we do. Something might help.

We have a bedtime routine.They get milk sippies an hour before bedtime. To distract them and take away sippies, we announce it's bathtime! After baths we brush teeth, diaper, jams, and off to bed!

The kids don't play in their room. We have super heavy blackout curtains so it stays dark, and a sound machine set on white noise.

We put them in their cribs, and try not to talk to them, shut the door... done.
Sometimes they cry if they're overtired, sometimes they babble to each other. But it always ends in sleep.

We had to do the cry it out- and it was super tough for a few days. But months and months of sleeping without a peep was worth it, and our daughters are the most well behaved kids we know- because they aren't tired.