Off to sleep

Meet your toddler's changing sleep needs with a sense of understanding and some patience for a peaceful night's shut-eye

BECAUSE YOUR TODDLER likes to test the boundaries with her strong will and burgeoning sense of independence, you may find that just about everything becomes a battle of wills at this stage – especially bedtime! Don't let her bulldoze you into staying up late or changing her sleep routine; her body still needs its sleep.

“Your toddler should have all the strategies in place to be able to self-soothe and no longer needs nutritional support at night,” says Meg Faure in her book Sleep Sense, which she co-authored with Ann Richardson.

“She should sleep for a stretch of 11 to 12 hours at night, but occasional nights of disruption are normal at this stage. More than half of all toddlers wake up one night a week with a wet bed or a nightmare, but on the whole, if she is comfortable, your child should be able to self-soothe back to sleep between sleep cycles.”

HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES SHE NEED?

Meg recommends a bedtime of between 6pm and 7pm for toddlers, adding that your toddler will most likely wake up between 5am and 7am in the morning.

Although she's grown up quite a lot, your toddler still needs a nap during the day.

This should be for a period of one to three hours and is best done in the middle of the day, so as not to disturb her night-time sleep cycle.

MONSTERS UNDER THE BED

Because your toddler's imagination is expanding at a phenomenal rate now, it's normal for her to experience heightened separation anxiety and have more fears. She may have nightmares or imagine scary things in her room. Deal with this calmly and sympathetically – her fears are very real to her, so laughing them off is only belittling her. A useful trick is to buy a spray bottle and fill it with water. Allow your toddler to spray her bedroom down with this “monster spray” to kill off all the scary things. This helps her to feel in control of her fears, instilling a sense of self- confidence. ROUTINE IS STILL KEY Having a pattern to her bedtime helps your toddler recognise that it's time to wind down and get settled for the night. Start the bedtime routine with a calm bath followed by a massage or bedtime story. Avoid rough play, and keep stimulation down to a minimum, and make sure you have a limit to how many stories or calm activities she can have before going to bed. Then get her into bed, switch on her night-light, and turn off the overhead lights. Tuck her in, talk quietly for a bit, and once she's calm, give her a final kiss and leave the room.

Consistency is key in any routine in your toddler's life, and none more so than with sleep. So, stick to your guns, even if it takes a few days to get her sleep settled. YB