I’m thirsty, I need to go to the bathroom, and I am scared of the dark!
Do you hear these announcements during your post bedtime routine? If so here are some tips to trade the nightime toddler intrusion into some much needed rest...
1. Going to sleep.
Most parents are no strangers to little footsteps coming out of their room right after the books have been read and the lights turned out. Often they are saying Mom I’m thirsty or I need to go to the bathroom. What if he really is thirsty or needs to go to the bathroom?? So often we all give into these requests because we just don’t know. Well the easiest thing to do in this situation is leave a sippy cup with a little water in it beside your toddlers bed so he can get a drink himself if he really is thirsty and if you have taken your toddler to the potty right before lights out then you are pretty sure that he doesn’t have to go!
If this is you then your child is having a hard time going to sleep, the most common reason for this is napping to long or to late in the day. I usually recommend that you limit your toddlers nap time to no more than 2 hours per day and they should be awake for at least 4 hours before bedtime. A great nap time is 1-3pm, as then they can have their lunch and be awake at least four hours before their bedtime.
2. Going to sleep and waking during the night.
There are a lot of toddlers that fall peacefully into a deep sleep but only to wake up a few short hours later. If you wake up with your toddler trying to crawl into bed with you then simply walk him back to his room and put him into bed, don’t talk to him and don’t show him any attention as that may be just what he is looking for. Also a transitional object like a blankie or a stuffed animal can help ease the tranistion back to his own bed.
3. Scared of the Dark.
If you have a toddler that is scared of the dark then I would recommend that you take your toddler out to the store and let him pick out a night light that is his special little light. Sometimes children say that they are also scared of monsters, I usually get an empty spray bottle and fill it with water and make a label that says “Monster Spray. I also explain to the child that monsters are not real, sometime children has fears of some very real things. In this case you should explain to your child about his fear, for example if it is spiders tell him that a spider won’t come into his bed as they live outside.
I hope my tips have been helpful and you are all on your way to getting some much needed zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s.
