Are your child’s sleepless nights becoming a regular trend? Are you struggling to get your toddler to sleep at night? Do they refuse to go to bed and insist on staying up until the wee hours of the morning? If so, then you are not alone. Many parents struggle with getting their toddler to sleep. However, you need not panic. As a parent, you know that everything will pass sooner or later. The trick is to find ways of making things easier for you and your little one in this phase of life. Here is some helpful advice on how to make a toddler sleep and keep them sleeping.
How many hours should a toddler sleep?
It is recommended that your toddler gets 11-13 hours of sleep every day. Due to the fact that kids grow at different rates, every child has their own sleep timeline. Some kids may be very active and go to bed later, while others may be more relaxed and go to bed earlier. It is important to keep an eye on your child and know when they are getting tired.
If your child seems very active and doesn’t want to go to sleep, they could be very overtired and need some rest. If your child is still awake after an hour or two of trying to put them to sleep, it is a good idea to let them rest in their crib with the door open so they feel safe and can fall asleep on their own.
When can a toddler sleep with a pillow?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a child should be at least 2 years old before they can sleep with a pillow. They will also need to be able to lift their head up without assistance for at least 1 minute before using one. Furthermore, a pillow should only be used if your child has problems with sleeping on their back. Otherwise, it poses a risk of suffocation and strangulation.
Why won’t my toddler sleep?
It is normal for most toddlers to fight sleep at some point during their developmental journey. The trick is to try and identify the cause of your little one’s sleeplessness and then address it accordingly.
Common reasons for your toddler’s sleeplessness include:
- Too much stimulation before bed (television, computer, etc.)
- Anxiety due to lack of acceptance from peers
- Nightmares
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9 Tips on How to Make a Toddler Sleep
1. Establish a bedtime routine
Toddlers are very intuitive creatures that know how to push your buttons without even realizing it. If you want to teach them to sleep, then you first need to create a consistent sleeping routine. You can start with feeding your toddler dinner at around 5 pm and then begin their bedtime routine around 7 or 8 pm. This will give them enough time to digest their dinner and get tired. If you have a breastfed baby, then their bedtime will be a little later than if they were formula-fed. This bedtime routine should include a bath, putting on their pajamas, reading them a story, and singing a lullaby to help them settle down and fall asleep. If you follow this routine, it will signal to your toddler that it is time to sleep. This routine can also help calm your toddler and make them tired for bedtime.
2. Create a dark and cozy sleeping environment
Your toddler’s room should be dark, quiet, and comfortable for them to fall asleep. You can choose to either buy blackout curtains or use a black fabric or felt to cover the windows. This will ensure that your toddler’s room stays dark until they fall asleep. This will also make it easier for your child to fall asleep without the fear of being woken up by the light coming into their room. A toddler’s room should also be a little bit on the warm side. The room temperature should be in the range of 18-24 degrees Celsius to make it easier for your toddler to fall asleep. Choose a comfortable mattress for your toddler’s bed. Make sure it is neither too soft nor too hard since this can affect your toddler’s sleep.
3. Be consistent with your toddler’s bedtime routine
As advised earlier, you should create a consistent bedtime routine. This will teach your toddler that at a certain time, they need to lie down to go to sleep. If you are consistent with your toddler’s bedtime routine, they will get into the habit of falling asleep much faster as they will know exactly when it is time to go to sleep. This way, they will not have the opportunity to stay up until they are too tired to sleep. This will make it easier for you as a parent since you can just follow the same routine every time.
4. Try using a weighted blanket
Weighted blankets are specially designed to help calm down children and adults with anxiety. They are made from a weighted material that you can either sew or iron onto a blanket. This weighted blanket can make your toddler feel more secure and help them fall asleep faster. This is especially true for children with anxiety, autism, or sensory processing disorder. If your toddler struggles with anxiety, then a weighted blanket can be very helpful in making them fall asleep. This is because weighted blankets have been shown to calm down the nervous system.
5. Play soft music or white noise
If your toddler has trouble falling asleep, then playing soft music or white noise can be quite helpful. While you should use these tools sparingly to avoid overusing them, they can be really helpful to make your toddler fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. White noise is a sound that can drown out other noises. This can be very useful if your toddler has trouble sleeping due to a noisy neighborhood or other factors. Playing soft music can help your toddler relax and fall asleep more quickly. You can choose classical music, lullabies, or any other type of music that your toddler enjoys. You can also use a plethora of music apps to play songs and lullabies for your toddler. This will help you choose the music that is appropriate for your child and play it at the appropriate time.
6. Turn on the fan
The sound of a fan can be incredibly soothing for your toddler. This is why many people use a fan to fall asleep. If your toddler has difficulty falling asleep, you can try turning on a fan in their room. You can also try rotating between warm and cold air on a fan. This will help regulate your toddler’s body temperature and make it easier for them to fall asleep.
7. Rotate between warm bath and lullaby songs
If your toddler is accustomed to a warm bath before bedtime, then you can use this to your advantage to make them fall asleep faster. You can either use a warm bath to calm your toddler down or a warm foot-soak. This warm water will help regulate your toddler’s body temperature and make it easier for them to fall asleep. If you are already using warm baths to make your toddler drowsy, then you can also use lullaby songs to help them fall asleep faster. Babies and toddlers can enjoy listening to lullaby songs just as much as adults do. This is a great way to calm your toddler down before bedtime and make them fall asleep faster.
8. Try out different storytelling tactics
There are many different storytelling tactics that you can use to get your toddler ready for bed. These include:
- Reading a story: You can use reading as a storytelling tactic to help your toddler get ready for bed. You can read a story that you child enjoys or a story that has a moral. This will give your toddler something to look forward to and help them calm down faster. If you are reading to a toddler, you should choose a story that is short and has few words on each page. This will make it easier for your toddler to understand the story.
- Reading poetry: Poetry can be very soothing and help your toddler fall asleep faster. You can read your child’s favorite poem or a poem that has a moral.
9. Use smell to help soothe your child before bedtime
You can also use smell to help soothe your toddler and make them fall asleep faster. One way to do this is by putting a few drops of your child’s favorite essential oil on their pajamas or bedsheets. This will help your toddler feel relaxed and make them fall asleep faster. You can use a few drops of lavender, chamomile, or sandalwood oil to help soothe your toddler before bedtime. Alternatively, you can also use a fabric spray or a scented pillow to help your toddler relax and fall asleep faster.
Conclusion
Getting your toddler ready for bed can be very stressful. This is especially true if your toddler does not want to go to bed. These are some tips for making your toddler sleep. Follow these tips and you will soon have your toddler sleeping soundly.
Do you have a toddler who is active and just bursting with energy all the time? Check out these 50 Free Activities for Kids that can help to channel your toddler’s energy to and hopefully, tire them out for a long nap.
