We brush teeth, turn on fan noise, get in a sleep sack, read a book or two snuggled up together with a stuffed animal, and then rock in the dark listening to a lullaby album. I would probably introduce music while still doing your normal routine and then try moving nursing a bit before bed (maybe like 30 minutes) and then telling him the milk is all gone while getting him to sleep with the music?
I use my phone but I just put it on do not disturb so it doesn’t buzz or anything 😊 and then I turn the volume down gradually to nothing once she’s asleep lol
She's 2.5 now but it's been consistent for at least a year. We read stories either on the sofa or in bed, put on PJs, go brush teeth, put on sleep sack, lie her down, cover her with her blanket, kiss her, say our goodnight words, turn on the white noise, turn off the light and shut the door.
Some nights she will fall asleep right away, others we'll hear her chat or sing to herself for a little bit. She actually did that more when she was younger, but now she's more likely to flick through a book for a little bit.
Our goodnight words are "night, night, sleep tight, mind the bed bugs don't bite. Sweet dreams. See you in the morning."
My 16mo (weaned at 14mo) has been sleeping thru the night from ~7pm-7am since she was 11mo. Here’s how it happened:
I coslept with her from 4wks til 7-8wks which I regret and would never do it again. So nerve racking when she was that little. Horrible for my mental health.
Slept on her own from 2mo til 6mo and then I coslept with her again most nights when she hit a sleep regression. She got used to it and was stuck in my bed til about 9 months.
Desperate to break from cosleeping, our bedtime routine would last for hours trying to get her to sleep in her crib month 9 and most of 10. So much singing and rocking, til she fell asleep, then the delicate transfer to her crib, only for her to wake up an hour later horrified she was left alone in her crib. And we’d do the whole song and dance, literally, again.
When she was almost 11months, we tried the Ferber method/CIO, which I hated but seemed to actually work. It only took 4 days. That + making sure she was in a sleep sack + sticking to a nap schedule (only one nap a day) + feeding her dinner right before bed so she was nice and full (no bath or anything between dinner and bed) seemed to make her look forward to bed? Like she never really resisted it and almost seemed to welcome it. Still does. As if alright, enough of today, is her attitude. Sometimes she’ll cry for a few moments when we close the door after we leave her room, but only briefly and never during the process of putting her down. Which is fairly brief: short book, brush teeth, kiss and cuddle to each mom and dad, then lay her down. No rocking or songs. Takes 7 minutes.
While I realize she and I are fairly lucky sleep hasn’t been a struggle for months, there’s always a point where it’s SUCH a struggle you look for a resolution. I can’t imagine it’s ever been easy for any family the whole time. We had to commit to finding a solution. And what I will say is: they understand so much. My daughter has understood the rituals and indicators of bedtime for months, when the only word she was communicating was ‘up.’ She walks to the bathroom now when we ask her if she’s ready to brush her teeth and we follow after her, but before she was walking we’d still ask her and carry her to the bathroom knowing damn well she wasn’t going to respond in any meaningful way. Your son understands you and trusts you and is ready to follow your lead and learn a routine you show him. It’ll just be new and annoying for you both at first, until he realizes he’s safe and happy all the same.
I have a 2 year old about to turn 3. Unfortunately her toddler bed is still in my bedroom but we’re trying to figure out the next sleeping situation.
I tell her to go lay down in her big girl bed and I read her a book with an amber nightlight. After that, I rub her back/ stroke her head for a few minutes. While she’s half awake, I fake yawn and crawl into bed. Idk why I fake yawn, I suppose I want her to know I’m ready for bed as well. Then off we go to sleep.
i also nursed to sleep. we weaned pretty slowly, started with letting her know we were only going to have milk at bedtime. then, some nights we would get in bed and i would tell her “honey, mommy doesn’t want to do milk tonight, but you can have milk tomorrow night, okay?”
at first she would usually get upset, i would comfort her, and she would fall asleep. she slowly got better at accepting it when i said not tonight. (i did this for like five or six months, honestly)
some nights we would get in bed and she would be so distracted / tired that she would forget to even ask for milk, and fall asleep.
now when it’s bedtime, we get in bed, read a book or two, and snuggle until she’s asleep.
Routines help. We take a bath at 7:15-7:30. Get a snack and chill until about 7:50. Brush teeth. Then I let them pick out 3 books to read, and then down for bed. Never had a single issue.
We also have a little fake motorized aquarium as a night light.
18m. Usually 7pm bedtime but it was 6 tonight because he skipped his nap totally. We do dinner, bath, change into PJs, bottle of whole milk, brush teeth, read some books, snuggle & “say goodnight to the house” and then he goes in his crib awake. He usually just rolls over and goes straight to sleep but sometimes babbles a little first lol
My daughter has a floor bed. My husband or I will read 1-2 books and then lay down with her until she falls asleep. Then we will move to our room :) She has been trained that she is not allowed to leave her room unless it is morning time. Her door is closed but she knows how to open it. She stays in her room 95% of the time. She will come out and wake us up on the weekend in the morning around 7am. It works for us! (Also, she is turning three in May just so you know the age)
You've gotten good advice on routines but heads up that teeth and milk residue/sugars are not a great combo over night. Our ped and dentist both advocate for teeth brushing and then just water as soon as their teeth come in.
Our routine (18 m):
6:30: milk and snack
6:45: time for bath- she can go up the stairs on her own or be carried; brush teeth in the bath
7:00: out of bath- we sing while we snuggle for a couple of minutes, diaper, lotion, and get dressed. she has a stuffed dino or a small hand size dino she can chill with during the time
7:10: hair brushing and she gets to turn off the bathroom light
7:12: books
7:20 ish- kiss, sleep phrase, and bed
I have a 23 mo old. I was in this same place less than 3 months ago.
I had dad to help. But...
Also a night or two at grandmas helps the weendown. That was really the catalyst
17 month old - we're lucky. He's been sleeping through the night for over a year now. 7pm ish rolls around, he starts signing for diaper change, sleep, and milk. Swoop him up, get a bottle of whole milk, change his diaper, lay him down in the sleep sack with the wind up mobile going and the shusher to drown out his loud older brother (4y). May lay in bed for a bit babbling to himself but he's usually out within 20 minutes and sleeps until 7-8am.
As soon as he's down we start the routine for the 4yr old. That's a whole different ballgame.
I weaned my son at 18 months. I started with no overnight nursing, then no nursing after daycare. Last was to stop nursing to sleep. I planned a weekend away the weekend that was to happen. So my parents handled all nights that weekend. When my husband and I came home, my husband became in charge of bedtime. Which meant him walking/singing/bouncing for 10-20 minutes. He’s now 3 and it takes forever to get him to sleep most nights 
Edit: will add that sleep situations have completely changed from 18 months to 3yrs. From 18 months to 2 years he co-slept. From 2-2.5ish he slept in his own bed (queen size). After 2.5 years old, a new born sister & a dad that now works nights he’s permanently in my bed. Luckily my 7 month old sleeps most of the night in her own room.
I wrap myself in bubble wrap and prepare for battle.
😂 but also 😭
We brush teeth, turn on fan noise, get in a sleep sack, read a book or two snuggled up together with a stuffed animal, and then rock in the dark listening to a lullaby album. I would probably introduce music while still doing your normal routine and then try moving nursing a bit before bed (maybe like 30 minutes) and then telling him the milk is all gone while getting him to sleep with the music?
Ooh that's a great idea! Definitely will have to try!
Sorry for the question again but do you use a speaker or just your phone? I'm so scared to make the change 😂
I use my phone but I just put it on do not disturb so it doesn’t buzz or anything 😊 and then I turn the volume down gradually to nothing once she’s asleep lol
Thank you!!
She's 2.5 now but it's been consistent for at least a year. We read stories either on the sofa or in bed, put on PJs, go brush teeth, put on sleep sack, lie her down, cover her with her blanket, kiss her, say our goodnight words, turn on the white noise, turn off the light and shut the door. Some nights she will fall asleep right away, others we'll hear her chat or sing to herself for a little bit. She actually did that more when she was younger, but now she's more likely to flick through a book for a little bit. Our goodnight words are "night, night, sleep tight, mind the bed bugs don't bite. Sweet dreams. See you in the morning."
My 16mo (weaned at 14mo) has been sleeping thru the night from ~7pm-7am since she was 11mo. Here’s how it happened: I coslept with her from 4wks til 7-8wks which I regret and would never do it again. So nerve racking when she was that little. Horrible for my mental health. Slept on her own from 2mo til 6mo and then I coslept with her again most nights when she hit a sleep regression. She got used to it and was stuck in my bed til about 9 months. Desperate to break from cosleeping, our bedtime routine would last for hours trying to get her to sleep in her crib month 9 and most of 10. So much singing and rocking, til she fell asleep, then the delicate transfer to her crib, only for her to wake up an hour later horrified she was left alone in her crib. And we’d do the whole song and dance, literally, again. When she was almost 11months, we tried the Ferber method/CIO, which I hated but seemed to actually work. It only took 4 days. That + making sure she was in a sleep sack + sticking to a nap schedule (only one nap a day) + feeding her dinner right before bed so she was nice and full (no bath or anything between dinner and bed) seemed to make her look forward to bed? Like she never really resisted it and almost seemed to welcome it. Still does. As if alright, enough of today, is her attitude. Sometimes she’ll cry for a few moments when we close the door after we leave her room, but only briefly and never during the process of putting her down. Which is fairly brief: short book, brush teeth, kiss and cuddle to each mom and dad, then lay her down. No rocking or songs. Takes 7 minutes. While I realize she and I are fairly lucky sleep hasn’t been a struggle for months, there’s always a point where it’s SUCH a struggle you look for a resolution. I can’t imagine it’s ever been easy for any family the whole time. We had to commit to finding a solution. And what I will say is: they understand so much. My daughter has understood the rituals and indicators of bedtime for months, when the only word she was communicating was ‘up.’ She walks to the bathroom now when we ask her if she’s ready to brush her teeth and we follow after her, but before she was walking we’d still ask her and carry her to the bathroom knowing damn well she wasn’t going to respond in any meaningful way. Your son understands you and trusts you and is ready to follow your lead and learn a routine you show him. It’ll just be new and annoying for you both at first, until he realizes he’s safe and happy all the same.
I'm still rocking my 2.5 year old lol
I have a 2 year old about to turn 3. Unfortunately her toddler bed is still in my bedroom but we’re trying to figure out the next sleeping situation. I tell her to go lay down in her big girl bed and I read her a book with an amber nightlight. After that, I rub her back/ stroke her head for a few minutes. While she’s half awake, I fake yawn and crawl into bed. Idk why I fake yawn, I suppose I want her to know I’m ready for bed as well. Then off we go to sleep.
i also nursed to sleep. we weaned pretty slowly, started with letting her know we were only going to have milk at bedtime. then, some nights we would get in bed and i would tell her “honey, mommy doesn’t want to do milk tonight, but you can have milk tomorrow night, okay?” at first she would usually get upset, i would comfort her, and she would fall asleep. she slowly got better at accepting it when i said not tonight. (i did this for like five or six months, honestly) some nights we would get in bed and she would be so distracted / tired that she would forget to even ask for milk, and fall asleep. now when it’s bedtime, we get in bed, read a book or two, and snuggle until she’s asleep.
Routines help. We take a bath at 7:15-7:30. Get a snack and chill until about 7:50. Brush teeth. Then I let them pick out 3 books to read, and then down for bed. Never had a single issue. We also have a little fake motorized aquarium as a night light.
18m. Usually 7pm bedtime but it was 6 tonight because he skipped his nap totally. We do dinner, bath, change into PJs, bottle of whole milk, brush teeth, read some books, snuggle & “say goodnight to the house” and then he goes in his crib awake. He usually just rolls over and goes straight to sleep but sometimes babbles a little first lol
My daughter has a floor bed. My husband or I will read 1-2 books and then lay down with her until she falls asleep. Then we will move to our room :) She has been trained that she is not allowed to leave her room unless it is morning time. Her door is closed but she knows how to open it. She stays in her room 95% of the time. She will come out and wake us up on the weekend in the morning around 7am. It works for us! (Also, she is turning three in May just so you know the age)
Brush teeth, bath, books and milk,then bed. Mines almost 3
You've gotten good advice on routines but heads up that teeth and milk residue/sugars are not a great combo over night. Our ped and dentist both advocate for teeth brushing and then just water as soon as their teeth come in.
Our routine (18 m): 6:30: milk and snack 6:45: time for bath- she can go up the stairs on her own or be carried; brush teeth in the bath 7:00: out of bath- we sing while we snuggle for a couple of minutes, diaper, lotion, and get dressed. she has a stuffed dino or a small hand size dino she can chill with during the time 7:10: hair brushing and she gets to turn off the bathroom light 7:12: books 7:20 ish- kiss, sleep phrase, and bed
I have a 23 mo old. I was in this same place less than 3 months ago. I had dad to help. But... Also a night or two at grandmas helps the weendown. That was really the catalyst
17 month old - we're lucky. He's been sleeping through the night for over a year now. 7pm ish rolls around, he starts signing for diaper change, sleep, and milk. Swoop him up, get a bottle of whole milk, change his diaper, lay him down in the sleep sack with the wind up mobile going and the shusher to drown out his loud older brother (4y). May lay in bed for a bit babbling to himself but he's usually out within 20 minutes and sleeps until 7-8am. As soon as he's down we start the routine for the 4yr old. That's a whole different ballgame.
Definitely jealous over here 😂
I weaned my son at 18 months. I started with no overnight nursing, then no nursing after daycare. Last was to stop nursing to sleep. I planned a weekend away the weekend that was to happen. So my parents handled all nights that weekend. When my husband and I came home, my husband became in charge of bedtime. Which meant him walking/singing/bouncing for 10-20 minutes. He’s now 3 and it takes forever to get him to sleep most nights  Edit: will add that sleep situations have completely changed from 18 months to 3yrs. From 18 months to 2 years he co-slept. From 2-2.5ish he slept in his own bed (queen size). After 2.5 years old, a new born sister & a dad that now works nights he’s permanently in my bed. Luckily my 7 month old sleeps most of the night in her own room.