[mikester]

We have a 3 1/2 year old who simply does not want to go to bed. When he was younger we had a fairly successful bedtime ritual that has evolved a bit but has stayed stable since he started sleeping on his own.

We get ready for bed, we read a few bedtime stories (3 typically) then we have a few bedtime songs and then we are supposed to leave.

We've been having this trouble since he turned 3 or so and it's just causing so much strife it's ridiculous.

What he does is just constantly gets out of bed, or does something to keep himself up for hours after we put him in bed. He won't stay in bed, he doesn't seem to be able to sit still and it is rare that we make it through the usual ritual.

My wife is at her wits end as am I.

Generally speaking he's a good kid who listens pretty well, the only real problem we have right now is bed time and nap time. We gave up on the nap time for a while but it seemed to make things worse. When he wasn't getting his nap he would be come very grouchy at night so we went back to nap time. At preschool he takes naps during the day. We have tried what they do which is to lay down with him (and the other kids) a bit to get him calmed down but he wants us there until he falls asleep and I just don't think that is something we should do. He needs to get to sleep on his own.

Your thoughts/suggestions/experience?