routine isn't cutting it anymore?

[NovelMama]

It's taking DD longer and longer to fall asleep these days, and I don't know why. She's not overly active or anything, and we're not putting her down any later than usual, but she'll just lie there with her eyes open staring at me FOREVER. It used to be she'd fall asleep after my little medley of songs (which usually takes about 10 minutes to sing) but now I'm going through the medley 2 or 3 times before she finally falls asleep. We got her a new set of bedtime books for Christmas, since we've been reading from the same pile of 6 since June and she didn't seem to be calmed by them anymore; I'm hoping that will help, but we used the new set for both naptime and nighttime today and both times she was still WIDE awake after I finished singing. Does turning 2 bring with it a change in sleep patterns or something? Is she getting too much sleep during the day--should I be transitioning her out of her nap? (Typically her nap is 1.5 hours, though she napped for less than an hour a few times over the last couple weeks. 'Course, some other days over the last couple weeks she'd had marathon naps, too!)

[IslandMama]

:popcorn
I'm having a similar problem... DD is 2.5, and just started this last week... I'm wondering if it has something to do with the holidays? I'm thinking of changing up our bedtime routine. Some kids do not need a nap at 2. I'm thinking if I took away the day nap, she'd be a complete monster. Plus, we're always picking up other dc in the evening, and she would fall asleep in the car. I'm going to try something new after dh goes back to work (routines are so off right now with the holidays). Here's what I might try (but not all in the same day! :giggle)... no nap, wake up earlier in the morning, start bedtime routine earlier, find other books, etc for routine, limit any foods/juice that have sugar in the evening, avoid rowdy activity near bedtime (my house is always active with so many kids!). I hope you can find something that works... :hug

[NovelMama]

DD *has* managed to go without a nap a few times the last couple months--sometimes she does okay, other times she turns into Rosemary's Baby. :) But maybe if we started bedtime earlier it would help. And you're right, the holidays have thrown things off, as did our trip to Hawaii. Maybe it's just taking her awhile to get back onto schedule. If she's still like this mid-January, I may start trying to nix the naptime and see what happens...