Toddlers up to the age of two are still very young and they too need between 11 to 12 hours of sleep as they did when they were younger. A one year toddler usually has two naps a day but from two to four or five years, he/she is normally satisfied with an afternoon nap. Kids are usually troublesome sleepers until they are around 1 to 1.5 years old. During this period, a large number of toddlers awake at night once or several times, while many others give a harrowing time to their parents just to fall asleep.
The best method to make your toddlers fall asleep during nap time and bed time is to make a set pattern for their sleeping time and be consistent with it. Toddlers will easily become accustomed to a regular sleeping routine and they will feel safe because now they are following a routine which is familiar to them. If this routine is followed strictly for some days they will be conditioned to the time and will fall asleep on their own when the time comes to sleep. They will begin to anticipate the time to sleep and automatically prepare themselves to sleep without any external compulsions. This method is suitable for younger children also.
Parents need to train their toddlers to sleep by themselves instead of lying down with them or sitting by their side singing lullabies. Otherwise, the toddlers will insist that you continue to be with them for sleeping even when they grow up to be elder toddlers or when their sleep is interrupted at night. However, if the toddlers had become accustomed to sleep in your company you can gradually wean them away from such a habit by adopting a structured approach.
First, put the toddlers to bed and leave the room shortly. If they call for you, go back after 5 minutes. Gradually increase this interval time to 10 and then to 15 minutes and so on. This is to make the kids feel reassured of your presence around them and to make them realize that they can fall asleep on their own without any worries. Other family members can also chip in. Although there may be some initial hiccups, this strategy will click in a few days and every one will be rewarded with some peaceful sleep.
Posted on February 28th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Child Care, Sleep, Toddler
Leave a Reply