Temper Tantrums at Bedtime - What is a Parent To Do?

I have a 22-month old daughter. Up until recently she was a wonderful sleeper all of a sudden for about almost a month now she started having tantrums before falling asleep and she says no sleep, no bed, and she will have a tantrum as soon as I leave the room. Sometimes she will fall fast asleep and then suddenly she will awake at 3am or 4am and she will be having a tantrum. She will yell and kick and scream at the top of her lungs. She has no tears and does not appear to be having a night terror. Help!

I have a 3 year old son who has made bedtime an absolute horror. My husband and I never had any problems until earlier this year (we moved into a new house before Christmas 2006). Now he won't stay in bed and screams like crazy. We have tried all the super nanny tricks - putting him back in bed without speaking to him and sitting outside his door - and we have tried gates (busted them down). Sitting outside his door works...but its like a treat for him. And since we started sitting outside his door, he won't stay in bed throughout the night....frequently up and in our room - send him back and he screams like crazy. Wake up in the morning and he's laying on the floor somewhere in the house. It has gotten even worse since the 4th of July. He would scream for hours at every pop. We are trying to be consistent...but I am at my whit's end! And so is my husband. Any suggestions?

My two and a half year old son will not go to sleep unless I sleep with him in bed. This started when we switched him from his crib to a regular bed, so we have no control over keeping him in his crib utill he falls asleep. Also he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming wanting Mommy to sleep with him, or he comes into our room wanting to sleep next to me. I don't know how to teach him to sleep in his bed by himself.

My 18 month old daughter has always been a delight. Always loved to take her naps and get ready for bed, waving good night to her family when she is ready for bed. Recently she has just had these horrible fits. It's triggered randomly. It can be in the middle of the night, after a nap, before bed, or at random. She also hordes her toys. Any stuffed animal or blanket she wants to be put to bed with, she has to have and she curls up into a little ball. I have no idea what triggered this. She is genuinely upset and will turn purple if she can't grab her animals and blanket's. The only way she usually calms down is if I hold her on my lap and we sit quietly. Sometimes it is up to an hour before she calms herself down. Has anyone else had a child do this as well? There are days that it becomes so mentally draining, and I want to help her. But I am told it is just night terrors. I have read up on them and they say its about 90 minutes after falling asleep and her "fits" never happen then. It sometimes is three to four A.M. when they happen. Nothing tragic has happened in her life either. Can someone help me?

Help my 20 month old daughter is having major tantrums before bed. What should we do?

Cassie, it is very important to stay on a schedule that is repeated each night. Sometimes a child of this age does not want to go to sleep because they feel they will miss out on what is happening when they are put to bed. Turn the sound down on the TV and use area lamps so that the lights are toned down about an hour before bed. This will help set the mood. A warm bath before bed, and getting her in her pajamas while you get showered and ready for bed will give her the idea that everyone is going to bed soon. Also a fluffy blanket and a quick good night story never hurts.

I have a three old daughter, who does not want to sleep in her bed. The minute you try to put her to bed in her room, she cries and the crying does not stop. She is only prepared to sleep in our bed. She used to sleep in her own cot. I do not know how else to approach this anymore.

Rita, you may need to take a step back and analyze what is happening. Is she afraid of the dark? Are you stressed about something and communicating this to your daughter unknowingly? When children are fearful they sometimes will react this way.

I have a 2 1/2 yr old she has always sleeps in her bed. But for the past couple of weeks she doesn't want to sleep in her bed its ours. She screams and yells and bangs on the door and you couldn't go to sleep if you wanted with all that noise going on. We don't have to do anything but lay her down cut the light off and shut the door. We have done this since day one. But like I said nothing has changed she wants to sleep with us. But she is too old to be sleeping with mom and dad. She is the only child. I don't know what to do. Before all of this we were talking about having another child now after this my husband says no that I'm crazy. What should I do?

Hi Jennifer, sometimes you have to just be firm and wait it out. You will prevail in the end.

Child Behavior Modification is so tough. There are moments that yelling at them is not enough. Tantrums in toddlers start when they want something which they cannot get or even when you do what they don't want to. According to > Tantrum Toddlers Researcher, the best way to deal with toddlers tantrums is to create the best activities that are fun and educational. You have to remember that at this is the stage, child adopts all things that happen around him. This is also the best time to allow your child into different activities.

In situations like this, first thing you could do is to offer him something that may divert his attention. You can give him his bottle of milk or make him see any other interesting thing you can find within your surroundings.