Toddler sleeping

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If your baby is older than 12 months and still not sleeping through the night, now is the time to tackle this!

Toddler sleep problems are usually due to one or more of the following:

1. Your toddler doesn't know how to self settle.
2. Your toddler has a sleep association, such as being fed to sleep
3. Your toddler's routine needs work including naps & bedtime routine
4. Your toddler is waking from the cold or movement.
   

Research shows that more than 50% of babies who have difficulty settling or have continued night waking continue to have sleep problems as preschoolers and beyond.

So the timing is excellent, as the sooner you get your toddler into a good bedtime routine, address why your toddler is waking and build positive sleep associations, the better your child will sleep now and in the future.

Ensure your toddler can  fall asleep by herself, in her cot, for both day sleeps and bedtime. This way you ensure the conditions will be the same when she wakes during the night and she will be able to re-settle herself and not cry for you.

Solutions to help with this consistency include a baby sleeping bag, comfort blankie and teaching your baby to self-settle at 7pm bedtime.

Also ensure that your expectations for your baby's sleep is realistic, as babies need less sleep as they get older:

• From 12 - 18 months, your toddler needs 13 1/2 - 14 hours of sleep daily, made up from 1-2 naps (total 2-3 hours) and 11 1/2 - 12 hours at night.
• From 18 months - 2 years, your toddler needs 13-14 hours of sleep daily, made up from 1-2 naps and 11 1/4 -12 hours at night.
• From 2 -  2 1/2 years, your toddler needs 13 - 13 1/2  hours of sleep daily, made up from 1 nap (1-2 hrs) and 11-12 hours at night.

TODDLER SLEEP TIPS:

• Toddlers are quite capable of sleeping through the night without a feed. If you are still feeding your toddler during the night, this is likely to be causing the night-waking.
• When your toddler wakes in the night, settle her without a feed - eg patting, ssshing, has her comfort item or using another techniques
• If your toddler doesn't lie down at bedtime, look at an attached sleeping bag to prevent standing in the cot. These are suitable for toddlers up to about 2 ½ years, but should be introduced by 18 months at the latest.
• Use a warm sleeping bag to keep your toddler warm all night and avoid the need for blankets which can be kicked off.
• Introduce a baby comfort blanket or special toy to give your toddler a tool to settle herself.
• Use a nightlight if your toddler is suffering separation anxiety or doesn't like being alone in the dark.
• If you haven't already, stop feeding or rocking your toddler to sleep, as this is often the cause of toddler night-waking. Just start to gradually change how your settle your toddler, such as stretching out the time between her bedtime feed and bedtime by a minute or two each night.
• Decide if you will continue with using a dummy. If you do continue using one, ensure your toddler can put it back in herself, put several in the cot to make this easier and do not go in during the night to re-insert it.
• Ensure you continue with a routine for your toddler's day sleeps. Resistance to day sleeps can usually be solved by adjusting the time back slightly.
• Use the same bedtime routine every night, allowing at least 45 mins from bath to lights out. Bath, feed, stories, cuddles, bed works well at this age, and lights out by 7pm.
• If your toddler continues to wake in the night the most common reason is that she doesn't know how to self settle.

Written by Louise Tanguay from The Sleep Store, solving your baby's sleep problems