A Toddler in the Bed means Daddy's on the Couch.

Thanks, but a king size bed isn't in our budget at the moment. lol

When moving her back to her room, she screams very loudly. You're suggesting that I should sit in her room until she falls asleep? I've tried this before and since she's so unfamiliar with this technique, it seems to wake her up because it's odd to her why daddy is sitting in her room. :( I gave up after an hour of constantly laying her back down, which only made her scream louder. But, the last time we tried this method, she was a lot younger, so maybe it's due time to try it again. Perhaps this weekend...that way it won't matter so much as to how much sleep we end up getting. I can always nap in the afternoon......if she'll let me. lol That's the other thing with our daughter. She used to take a nap every day that would last between 1-2.5hrs, now, she refuses to nap in her crib, so we try to get her to nap on the floor, but this doesn't happen too often lately. So, there have been days when she doesn't even have a nap. I feel that this could be a huge contributor to the lack of rest at night, but my wife feels differently. I don't think it's attributed to nightmares, though. She's generally a pretty happy child throughout the day, with lots of happy music and Elmo/Barney. I'm also thinking of shutting off her humidifier at night and playing a relaxing nature/meditation cd. Perhaps this might calm her during her rest.

Sleeping issues are so hard. My daughter puts the kids in bed and they scream then they go to sleep when they are here visiting. Yes, the soothing CD might be helpful. It is important to have a routine and stick to it. I am a grandma, but I have been working nursery with another grandma at church VBS this week.Let me say, she is an RN and both of us have worked as early childhood educators. She was talking to a mom and what she said cued something in for me. If a child repeats a behavior many times, they are building neural connections that encourage those behaviors, so you must disrupt and redirect them before they get "stuck". As far as naps go, yes, skipping the nap may be making her too tired to sleep, overstimulated. My first granddaughter would not nap in the crib or sleep in the crib, but would lay on the floor looking under the door and cry til she fell asleep. You and your wife need to decide together how you are going to respond and be consistent. Only go pick her up if she is hurt or in danger. You know, blood or fire. Another thing I learned over the years is that random reinforcement (giving in occasionally) makes negative or unwanted behavior stronger because any time they try it, in their minds, just might be the time you give them their way again. So, try your CD, and a calm routine, and a bath about an hour before bed. Buy some lavender essential oil to use as a sachet. It helps babies and youngsters sleep to have a fan and some air movement. Reward her for all the correct things she does, and if she gets up and does not go back to her own bed, just say "we will try again tonight" and do not make it a power struggle.Maybe you could set a timer and tell her she does not have to nap, but must rest quietly for a certain length of time. Half an hour or an hour. Allow books, but not toys, unless she has one toy that is a "lovey" that she always sleeps with.