A sleeping toddler is one of the most beautiful sights a parent can have the pleasure to see.
You’ve worked hard all day, whether you’ve been pounding the pavement or you’ve stayed at home performing work as a house-husband or housewife. If you’re anything like my family, you barely have time to even wind down after a hard day’s work until 9 or 10PM!
The nightly ritual for getting your restless, Energizer-Bunny-of-a -child to become a sleeping toddler begins when it’s convenient for you as a parent. You control everything. Realistically, most parents shoot for their sleeping toddler to be beddy-bye no later than 8:30 PM, but in today’s hustle and bustle world, it’s difficult to meet that goal.
Getting back to the ritual; the following are tips from busy parents all over the world, including myself, to wind your toddlers down and help them get the rest they desperately need to function effectively in the morning:
1. During bath time, use a soothing type of soap like anything lavender-based. Just make sure your child isn’t allergic to whatever soap you use. Toddler bath time for most busy parents begins no later than 6PM!
2. During bath time, start creating a peaceful mood by speaking quietly, even if your toddler is screaming or playing loudly with that big, ugly rubber duckie in the tub.
3. During dinner, try not to allow TV while your toddler eats, but if you’re one of the many families who do watch TV, turn the volume way, way down to the point where you have to have huge Dumbo ears to listen!
4. After dinner, continue the peaceful mood by spending some quiet time reading a book, or again, quietly watching a television show. If you’re so busy you have to continue with household chores, try your best to establish a routine where your your toddler becomes stationary on the sofa or a favorite chair.
5. Finally, my favorite, when it’s time to for the sleeping toddler phase, lie your toddler down in his or her bed, caress their forehead, and say, “Are you ready for a bedtime story.” Your toddler will love this. If it’s your first time, just break into the story by saying, “Once upon a time, there was a……,” and just make it up as you go, using simple words they recognize. You’ll be amazed at how a child responds to this. The trick is to make up 5 different bedtime stories, say, about 2-3 minutes each, an rotate them every day.
With these tips, you’ll have a consistent sleeping toddler in no time, leaving you much time to concentrate on your own interests. Yes, it takes work, but isn’t it worth it? By the way, the only thing more beautiful than a sleeping toddler is; two sleeping toddlers!
Please let me know how it works for you, and I’d love to hear other suggestions about your successful nightly rituals for your sleeping toddler.
December 24th, 2008 on 1:01 am
My son turned 2 in August. He has slept through the nite a total of about 3 weeks in these 2 yrs. we have tried a routine, nite lite soft music. he has a puppy he sleeps with but when bed time comes there is a battle even after i have read to him said good nite, he will cry or say i dont want to. after he does finally go to sleep it will be 3 hours and he is back up, no reason, not wet not scared just calling mine or my husbands name out to come in he wants water or a hug but as im getting the water sometimes he is asleep by the time i get back, this goes on 3 or 4 times a nite, the pediatrician sugested melatonin in his milk before bed. this hasnt worked we tried it for a month. any ideas or help would be appriciated. could this be a health issue? his ears are okay we checked. im taking him back to the pediatrician but though u may have some insite. he is very crabby during the day and hard to deal with hyper even at times. he will only nap when he finally is exhausted which is once a week for about an hour otherwise no nap. any sugestions?
December 26th, 2008 on 12:58 pm
Dear Angie,
First, let me reassure you that your toddler’s sleep problem is not uncommon. But more than nine times out of ten, we parents can take some steps to finally eliminate a toddler sleeping problem we thought we could never solve!
Although the use of melatonin appears to have worked in several studies for kids with sleep disorders, proceed with caution. Common side effects include body temperature reduction and tachycardia! In my opinion, this should only be a last resort treatment, and even then, I would get a 2nd medical opinion!
While it’s possible your toddler may have what can be classified as a sleep disorder, run through this checklist:
1. Try a nightly ritual of telling him a bedtime story or a lullaby! This works wonders for all children; it lets them know it’s time for beddy-bye and they end up looking forward to going to sleep once you get into a good, nightly groove!
2. Try using a white noise maker instead of soft music. The soft music may be overstimulating him.
Many times, parents find a combination of bedtime stories/lullabies and a white noise maker are all they need to help their toddlers sleep consistently well through the night. It works really well for us adults, too!
3. Is the temperature in the house comfortable enough for sleep? Dress your little boy in single-layer long sleeve, long pants pajamas and shoot for 65-70 degrees on your thermostat.
4. Keep his room very dark and keep using those night lights. If his room at night is really dark, his body will probably produce enough melatonin by itself!
5. Here’s one that parents swear by:
Toddlers usually wake up several times at night because they’re simply afraid to sleep alone.
After tucking your toddler in with a bedtime story or lullaby, come back and re-tuck him every five minutes or so for the first thirty minutes. This will give him a sense of comfort knowing you’re nearby.
Gradually make the nightly trips to re-tuck your toddler in longer intervals, say every 10 minutes, then every 15 minutes, and so on for about an hour.
Hope this helps, and please write back; let us know WHEN you do solve your little angel’s problem so we can all benefit!