Bedtime Battles: What to Do When Your Toddler Won't Sleep
Sleep · 6 min read · Updated August 2026 · By the Nurélie Team
An hour-long bedtime negotiation is exhausting for everyone, and it rarely gets better by trying harder at the exact same routine.
What's usually going on
- Overtiredness can make it paradoxically harder to fall asleep, not easier.
- Nap timing that's shifted (a dropped nap, a nap too close to bedtime) can throw off the whole evening.
- A recent change — new sibling, new daycare, a move — often shows up as a sleep disruption before it shows up anywhere else.
What to try
Look at the whole day's schedule, not just the bedtime routine itself. Adjusting nap timing or the wake window before bed often does more than adding another step to the bedtime routine.
Related questions
A sleep regression is a period where a child's sleep temporarily worsens, often tied to a developmental leap or life change.
An earlier bedtime, not a later one, often helps an overtired toddler — the instinct to push bedtime back to 'tire them out more' frequently backfires.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org — Healthy Sleep Habits
Related Nurélie features
Every child is different.
Tell Harlow what bedtime looks like right now, including your child's age and any recent changes, and Nurélie can help you think through an adjustment.
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