Getting your infant and/or toddler to sleep through the night isn’t as easy as it looks. Being a new parent is tough, especially when you realize you may never get a full night of sleep again…at least not for a few years unless you get your child to sleep the whole night.
Many parents report from infancy that their children are up several times throughout the evening. Some as many as 5 or 6 times in the middle of the night! While this may be true for infants breastfeeding (they usually wake up to feed every couple of hours), this isn’t how it’s supposed to be the case as they get a little older.
Keep in mind, toddlers need about 10-14 hours of sleep every night and one or two naps during the day. And as parents may know, a well-rested toddler means a happy household, and often, lesser occurrences of tantrums. If your youngster isn’t rested, or happy, it makes it difficult for the rest of the household to be happy.
What Can I Do To Get My Toddler To Sleep Through The Night
Getting your toddler to sleep during the night may take a week or two to instill, but the benefits are worth the effort! Here are some ways you can set you and your toddler up for success.
1) Create a bedtime ritual
Schedules and routines help toddlers understand what to expect. This goes for any activities really – not just bedtime. Setting a schedule for playtime, quiet time, eating time, nap time, etc., helps set you and them up for success. Make bedtime a special time for you and your child – read a book together, tell a story or sing a song. After repeating this over and over again, your toddler will know what to expect and will most likely oblige (keep in mind, this may take a week or two to get into the swing of things)!
2) Don’t “save” them from bedtime!
In the beginning, your child may cry, sob and express their discontent with the new schedule and with their lack of a parent-sized bed partner. Your job as a parent is to allow them to disapprove and throw their tantrums without deviating from the plan! It can be a bit difficult in the beginning, but over time your child may get the message and eventually will come to accept the new sleepy-time schedule and their bed!
3) Give it time/repeat daily
Consistency is a big part of implementing a new schedule for your little one. Be consistent and repeat as necessary. Practice, patience and consistency are the keys to your child’s peaceful new bedtime customs. If you have started implementing the “stay in your bed” rule and “sleep the whole night through,” keep at it. You have nothing to lose!
4) If your child refuses to sleep without you being there, get creative.
One of the things that really supported me in getting my tot to sleep in her own room was to make it look like as if it was her decision. I would give her a choice of course, and then she would make her choice. For example, I would tell her, “You can either sleep in mommy’s room tonight and not play in the park tomorrow, or you can sleep in your own bed and play in the park tomorrow.” Obviously playing in the park was something very important to my daughter; she liked socialising with the other children in our neighborhood.
5) Stick to your guns AND your schedule/routine
Sometimes the hardest thing a parent can do is say no to their child. We want them to be happy, we want them to feel loved, but sometimes saying no to your child is the only way to get your point across. A lack of boundaries, especially with your youngster, invites a lack of respect. When supporting your child into a new transition, whether that is getting them to sleep the whole night through or to simply sleep in their own bed, stick to your guns; no means no, rules are rules and though your child may resist the changes in the beginning, it eventually will support them and you in the long run.
As with all things, find out what works best for you and your child. Your youngster may respond better to certain methods than others. Either way, remember to practice, be consistent and to be patient; it will all pay off in the end!
About Little Human Scholars School and Full Day Daycare Centre in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app called Toddlytic which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into its hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,
Jana Moreno