Getting a good night's sleep

Toddler sleep is a big issue in my house. I can honestly admit that this is the area that I have made mistakes with my own toddler. That’s correct I made a big mistake by allowing my son to sleep in our bed. He is 3 now and is still in our bed. I regret it immensely. When JeNoah was a baby he never wanted the crib. I literally walked around looking like a zombie because he kept me up all night long. He hated the crib. I tried so many different things. When he was 12 months old I finally put him in our bed to sleep.

It was amazing because he finally slept all night long. From then on you could say I got lazy. It was easier to just allow him to sleep in our bed. I realize now that it will be a huge obstacle transitioning him into his own bed. We know it has to be done. Everything else was a breeze, bottle breaking, pacifier breaking and even potty training. I take complete ownership and realize that I made a mistake.

Toddler sleep is very important. Again, I am not a doctor or licensed professional. I am a work from home mom who is offering personal tips and advice. I think however in this area I need the tips and advice from all of you. LOL. I decided to write this page to talk about the basic facts about sleep for your toddler. I don’t want others to make some of my mistakes.

Amount of Sleep

• Depending on their age, toddlers require anywhere from 12-16 hours of sleep per day. This is total sleep including their naps. It really depends on your child and the schedule you put them on when they were an infant. My 3 year old sleeps 12 hours. He will sleep from 8:30 pm to 8:30 am. He does not take any naps.
• Some toddlers require 1 or 2 naps a day. My son did not do well with naps. He wanted to stay up later and later. I took the naps away at 2 years old and he did great. Every child is different. If you have a child who wants to be a “night owl” then try eliminating the naps. You may be pleasantly surprised. It does mean that you do not get that small break throughout the day, but you can get it at night.

Bedtime Routine

This is critical to good toddler sleep. Their little bodies get used to the same routine which helps them fall asleep on their own. A routine will help them to become more relaxed. Believe it or not it helps to get into a rhythm and stay with it. I’ll give you some great examples of some things you can try.

• Bath Time
• Pajama Time
• Teeth Brushing Time / Potty Time
• Story Time
• Prayer Time
• Sleep Time

These are the steps for beginning your own personal routine. Your routine is going to vary of course. These are just a few areas that I feel are important and you can start with. take your time relax and have fun. Remember it’s a process and will take time to become automatic. Before you know it, you’re bed time routine will work like clockwork. So let’s begin.

Bath Time

• Bathing is very important. Especially if you purchase the lavender calming baby wash. I will make some bubbles with the wash also. It is important that you establish good habits even when it comes bathing.

Pajama Time

• After bath time then you put on their favorite PJ’s. I allow my son to pick his own before bed. He loves to have the choice. He looks forward to this. I think that it makes him ready for toddler sleep. My son loves his Spiderman pajamas with the webs. It truly makes him feel like Spidey. “Personal Pj”s” makes going to bed exciting for your toddler. So keep stocked up in the faves!!

Teeth Brushing/ Potty Time

• This is the time for brushing teeth and going to the potty. (If they are potty trained). You may have to change their diapers etc. if not potty trained. This is the time to follow the same routine every night doing the bathroom basics is what I like to call them. My son loves to brush his teeth and comb his hair. They are more relaxed for bedtime knowing what is going to come next. This helps prepare them for toddler sleep.

Story Time

• Remember to determine how many books and set the limit immediately. For instance I tell my son I will read you one book and you read me one book. That is it, after we both are done it is time to go to sleep. Children will try and get you to budge and get more reading out of you. Do not give in. Toddlers will try and prolong the inevitable……….sleep. They fight it and fight it. Set the limits and be firm. Eventually they get it because my 3 year old will not even ask anymore. Allow them to choose the books and again give them their own choices whenever possible.

Prayer Time

• Prayer time is a must in my family before toddler sleep or sleep period. We pray as a family together as much as possible. However when my son goes to sleep he says his own little personal prayer that he says every night. He is so cute when he says it. He knows that this is the very last step before bed time. As a family you can make up this prayer. It can be the classic “Now I lay me down to sleep”, or else your own personal prayer. Here is my little boy’s prayer:

  My toddler is 3 so you get the understanding. He says it all by himself. I wanted him to start out at a young age knowing the importance of prayer. As he gets older of course we shall incorporate more into his prayers.

Sleep Time

• Toddler Sleep is a wonderful magical time where they can drift off to dreamland. Usually by this time it takes maybe 5 minutes and my son is sleeping. We went through all the steps of our routine, and he is out. During their sleep they are growing and getting healthy. It is amazing the power of sleep and how our bodies need it. As adults we get cranky and crabby when we don’t sleep. Toddlers are like us, they need their sleep and enough of it. I know it’s not perfect every night. A sick toddler may get off of their routine.

All we can do as parents is do our best. I said it earlier I too have made plenty of mistakes, especially when it came to toddler sleep. We can just learn from them and try again. That is the best part we can wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. Until then………… Have a Good Night!!

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