Sleep training your toddler may be something you haven’t put much thought into; maybe your little angel has never resisted going to sleep when it comes to that time.

However, toddler sleep regression can often present itself a little later on, leaving you wondering why your toddler suddenly wont sleep.

Toddler not Sleeping all of a Sudden

Toddlers require between 11 and 14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. This includes night time and nap time combined.

Making sure your toddler gets the right amount of sleep every day is crucial as it plays a major role in the stages of early childhood development.

Furthermore, the body naturally builds and repairs itself during the resting phase, which is why your fast-growing, soon to be not-so-little-ones need all the rest they can get.

Sleep Patterns for a Toddler

Before trying to encourage your toddler to sleep, it’s important to take a look at the possible reasons for their sudden sleep regression.

Although there could be hundreds of reasons why your toddler is suddenly resisting bed-time, we have put together a list of 6 likely reasons which could first be considered.

• Fear of missing out - toddlers are by nature extremely curious, so, they start to fight lights out just in case they miss out on something fun.
• Over-stimulated - consuming lots of sugar, intense physical activity and television right before bed can cause your toddler’s mind to be overstimulated, preventing them from switching off.
• Fear and anxiety - with age comes more awareness and a much wider imagination; your little one may be going through a fearful stage and is anxious about being alone in a dark room.
• Too many distractions - perhaps the passage light outside the room is too bright or the television is too loud. There could even be a sensory issue such as scratchy sheets or pyjamas. These are subtle distractions that can wreak havoc on your toddler’s sleeping patterns.
• Dependence - your little one needs to adjust to falling asleep in a bed instead of a cot and without your help. This should be a gradual transition that should be approached with care.
• Bad timing - it’s possible that you could be putting your toddler to bed too early or too late. When a toddler is over tired or not tired at all, getting them to sleep can be practically impossible to do.
• Lack of routine - you haven’t yet implemented a bed-time routine. Some say that the bed-time routine starts in the morning. But, essentially, you need to develop a routine for lights-out which is followed religiously before every lights-out.

 Sleep Training a Toddler

The idea of sleep training a toddler may sound daunting, but there are a few simple ways to ease the process along:

• Develop and maintain a routine that you and your toddler follow throughout the day from waking up, afternoon nap time, bath time and bed-time. Work hard at following the same routine over weekends too.
• Ease your toddler into sleep. Start at least an hour or more before tucking them and turning off the lights. Turn off televisions, dim the lights and maybe even play soothing music at a low volume to indicate that bed-time is approaching and it’s time to unwind.
• Keep your toddler stimulated and active - make sure your little one gets plenty of exercise and adventure time during the day. This way, they would have used up their seemingly bottomless supply of energy and will be more than ready to get some rest.

Kay Dee Educare Centre in Mowbray

Sleep training a toddler can be an easy task when the same routine is followed every day.

At our educare centre, we work closely with parents to ensure that our kiddies get the right amount of sleep and play in their day while strictly following the discussed routine.

For more information about our facilities and programmers, please feel free to contact us.