Sleep training again at almost 2?

I finally decided last night that it was time for another round of sleep training. In the past couple of weeks, they've discovered that they can postpone bedtime by repeatedly asking for hugs and kisses, and crying when we leave. The first several nights, I went back in and gave another round of kisses, and that seemed to satisfy them. But it has gotten to be 15 minutes of asking for more hugs, wanting me to kiss all the stuffed animals, then needing Daddy to come back in, etc.

So last night I went back in once, then said "I am not coming back in again till morning" and left. Amy wailed for 20 minutes (long enough that she made Sarah start crying too), then abruptly went quiet, murmured a little, then went to sleep. Tonight, it was only 10 minutes. So I guess it's working. But it bothers me more now than when they were babies. There's something about a toddler crying "Mommy hug! Mommy hug!" that is much harder to ignore and tell yourself it's for her own good. :huh:

Anyway, just curious if anyone else has gone through this. My girls have been such great sleepers since 5 months (and have hardly ever fussed at bedtime since 10 months or so), I thought we were home free -- but I guess you're never home free.

 

Yes, ours have discovered stalling. Nick especially knows how to 'charm' us. I just try to stay consistent.

Although, I will say that I think it's time our bedtime routine evolved a bit. It's starting to get more and elaborate. I need to simplify it and drop some of the 'stuff' I've been doing since they were 7 months old.

 

These things are probably the only things that make me glad I miss bedtime 6 nights a week (work). I am bad on Saturday, the girls try to play and I have a hard time not going back up there to check on them. J is great about getting them to bed and in a routine but I think when they get a little older they are going to have him wrapped around their fingers.

 

Yep, mine did it too. If I'm not careful, they start it back up again and we have to retrain a bit. Mine did it with throwing everything out of the crib and then asking for it back. Now that they have crib tents, they undress their bananas and repeatedly ask for banana sleep clothes back on. I do it once, that's it. I have also started telling them that Mommy and Daddy are going to sleep, and we can't sleep if you are screaming. That sort of works.