4 HELPFUL TIPS FOR TODDLER SLEEP REGRESSION

After the first 18 months of no sleep, you might start thinking you are out of the woods. Unfortunately, as many of us parents know, you have not drunk the last from the gauntlet of sleep deprivation. Most parents particularly moms, find themselves in situations where their little one won’t stay in bed. Today, we will be sharing the 4 tips to help overcome toddler sleep regression.

If you’ve transitioned a toddler from a crib to a big kid bed, then you know that lots of fun stuff come with that transition. New sheets! New bed! Not to mention the fact that it’s a classic “big boy” or “big girl” milestone.

But here’s what they conveniently forget to tell you about that big kid bed: your toddler can climb right out. And that creates a whole new set of bedtime problems. – namely, sleep regression

So how can you help your child stay put at bedtime? Try these 4 tips tonight:

1. ASSESS THE SCHEDULE

Sometimes, toddlers hop out of bed simply because they’re not tired. So take a look at your toddler’s schedule – is bedtime too early? If your little one still takes an afternoon nap, then bedtime shouldn’t be happening before 8 p.m. And speaking of naps – how close is that nap to bedtime? As a rule of thumb, your toddler needs at least 5 hours of wake time between the end of the afternoon nap and bedtime.

However, in some cases, the reverse is also true – sometimes, toddlers are sleepless at night because they’re actually overtired. If your toddler is done napping, or is in the midst of a nap transition, from one nap to none, you’ll need to do an earlier bedtime – aim for 7 p.m. or so.

 

2. INSTITUTE A STRONG BEDTIME ROUTINE

As we have come to learn, toddlers thrive on routines – particularly sleep routines. A strong and consistent bedtime routine will do wonders for helping your toddler understand when it’s time to settle in and go to sleep. 

Ensure that your routine isn’t too long (15-30 minutes is fine) and that it’s not too stimulating (no tackling or tickle-fights before bed!). Also, it is important that your routine is, you know- a routine! There must be a visible pattern. You need to consistently do the same thing each night in order for it to become routine for your toddler.

3. CONSIDER USING THE DOOR AS AN IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCE

Sometimes, your little one’s sleep regression behavior will be due to real anxiety or perhaps a nightmare; in those cases, you’ll have to comfort your toddler and help him/her feel safe.

However, more often, repeated sleep regression behavior is more of a discipline issue. For this reason, some families find it helpful to respond with consequences. Remember, to be effective, the consequences of your toddler’s behavior need to be immediate – threatening “no snack tomorrow” after your toddler gets out of bed for the tenth time isn’t effective, since the consequence is delayed.

Instead, some parents use the bedroom door as a sort of consequence – mom or dad may leave the bedroom door open 90 degrees, on the condition that their kid stays in bed.

When the child gets up, the bedroom door closes to 45 degrees. If he/she gets up again, the bedroom door is closed all the way for a minute or two. (Note that this tip isn’t for everyone; some parents feel this is too harsh, and not all toddlers respond well. Use your judgment in determining if this would work for your toddler.)

 

4. EMPLOY THE SILENT RETURN TO BED

Even if you tweak your toddler’s schedule, implement a great bedtime routine, and provide incentives to encourage your little one who won’t stay in bed, you will no doubt have some sleep regression moments here and there.

This is just to be expected – toddlers, like all adults love to test boundaries, after all! In this case, we recommend that you try the “Silent Return to Bed” – that is, when he/she wanders out of the room, silently walk him/her back, tuck him/her in, and leave. You want these interactions to be as boring as possible – no threatening, no bargaining, no discussing.

This will help dissuade your toddler from repeated attempts to engage with you by getting out of bed. If parents are consistent in doing this, it can significantly reduce the sleep regression behavior relatively quickly.

There’s one question we as parents need to ask ourselves though. Why do our little ones spring out of bed like a tiny wound-up toy? And most importantly, what can we parents do to keep them firmly tucked in bed?

One probable reason why your toddler doesn’t stay in bed 

If you think about it, the sleep regression problem that many parents and toddlers/preschoolers do makes perfect sense, at least from a child’s perspective. For your little one, bedtime is relatively boring. He/she knows that mom and dad are no doubt partying hard in the living room – so why not join them?

And parents often unknowingly encourage this behavior by their responses to the behavior. If your toddler gets another story, or an extra bedtime snuggle, or even a little bit of extra attention, every time he/she gets up, then they have the incentive to keep doing it.

It is important to remember that child development also plays a huge part in this. Many toddlers go through a few bouts of separation anxiety, while others also struggle mightily with nightmares and night terror.

Finally, keep in mind that sleep regression behavior can be a sign of a larger sleep problem. If your little one pops out of bed constantly, wakes up multiple times per night, doesn’t nap well, and is up at the crack of dawn, you most likely need to help your toddler learn to fall asleep (and stay asleep) independently.

For some families, sleep regression behavior is a short-lived phenomenon. Other parents, however, spend months – even years! – dealing with this issue.