There’s a high number of toddlers who find it difficult to settle down at night and many who will still wakeup before morning. All toddlers are different and so many parents might not have to deal with these issues, but for those who do, it can be frustrating and exhausting for both you and your child. This article will look at 5 of the most common toddler sleep problems and some solutions on how to deal with them.
Your child won’t go to bed
Dealing with a child that won’t go to bed can be infuriating.
To combat this, you need to decide a bedtime. At the time your child normally goes to sleep, begin a winding down process approximately twenty minutes before. Each week, bring this routine forward by ten or fifteen minutes until you achieve the bedtime you want.
If you can remain a consistent routine this should help solve this particular toddler sleep problem.
Your child can’t fall asleep on their own
Hours of frustration can be induced by a toddler that can’t fall asleep on their own. For many parents this is more than just an inconvenience but can impact your evening adult time.
If you find your child-free evenings are being taken up by a toddler who can’t go to sleep on their own, then you won’t be surprised to learn that you’re dealing with one of the most common toddler sleep problems.
Try employing a sticker or star chart to encourage good behaviour in your child. Alternatively, a gradual withdrawal technique could also have the desired effect.
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Read More:
Guide to Handling Colicky Baby for New Moms
5 Basic Tips for Raising a Happy Toddler
Guide to Choosing the Best Pet for Your Child
8 Annoying Toddler Habits and How to Deal with Them
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Your child keeps waking up in the night
Waking up in the night is completely normal for toddlers and many will go through stages where they consistently experience disturbed sleep. The key is to encourage them to go back to sleep on their own.
Before you can do this, you need to figure out why they’re waking up. There could be a whole range of issues that are causing these nightly wakings whether it be hunger, fear of the dark, too hot, too cold or something else entirely.
Your child wakes up early morning
A child that wakes up before the sun has risen can be a persistent problem for many parents.
Try interrupting your toddler’s sleep approximately an hour before their usual wakeup time, then allow them to resettle again and you could see them sleeping past their normal wakeup time.
Try this a few days in a row and then see if your child will naturally sleep to a more acceptable time.
Your child suffers from nightmares and night terrors
Night terrors are a common affliction for children aged between three and eight. Unfortunately for you as a parent, they can be very distressing to watch.
Whatever you do, you can’t wake your child in the midst of a night terror. Despite looking around, thrashing out and actually getting out of bed, your child is still asleep and there really isn’t much you can do.
If your child is experiencing night terrors at the same time each night, try waking them up fifteen to twenty minutes before and see if this can disrupt the cycle.
Night terrors aren’t harmful to your child, and they should eventually grow out of them, but that doesn’t make them any easier to watch.
Resources:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/sleep-problems-in-children.aspx
http://www.mumsnet.com/toddlers/sleep-problems
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