Sleeping Through the Ages: A Blog Series Toddler – Pre-K Sleep Tools

As your child exits the sweet baby stage it is essential to arm yourself with Toddler – Pre-K sleep tools to combat sleep struggles that often follow. When your children reach this stage, their language booms and so does their tendency to protest EVERYTHING! This includes sleep and means that everyone at home may be suffering right now.

With a boost in language also comes an increase in comprehension skills. Whether your child has been struggling with sleep for some time or has recently engaged in bedtime battles, it’s never too late to shape healthy sleep habits! Take advantage of the milestones your child is reaching by using higher level sleep tools. Read on for Toddler – Pre-K sleep tools to help get your child’s sleep back on track.

Bedtime Checklist

For those Toddlers whose language skills are not fully established, the Bedtime Checklist is a great starter sleep tool. Used to squash stalling tactics and bedtime battles, the checklist should include each separate component to the bedtime routine. Make the routine interactive by having your child place a sticker next to each item completed. The checklist provides a visual cue that the task has been fulfilled. Most kids enjoy being apart of the process and find comfort in seeing the progression of the bedtime routine. Utilizing a checklist can also reduce anxiety , giving your child the certainty all of their needs were met.

Bedtime Tickets / Popsicle Sticks

This sleep tool functions similarly to the Bedtime Checklist. Bedtime tickets/popsicle sticks provide young Toddlers with an interactive routine they will love. This sleep tool adds a visual component to the progression of the routine, increasing comfort and reducing anxiety. Each popsicle stick, for example, represents a single component to the routine. Allow your child to decorate the sticks for added excitement. Have your child deposit the stick in a shoe box or ball jar as each component is completed. This is a great technique to reduce stalling tactics as the visual cue is strong and clear. Once the stick has been placed in the jar the component is complete and no more requests will be taken.

Family Meeting

When sleep is off track don’t be afraid to talk about it! The Family Meeting is the perfect sleep tool to get your child focused on sleep health. This is a tool best used for those older Toddlers with well-established language skills. Consider having a brief but focused and age appropriate conversation about the importance of sleep. Be sure to relate healthy sleep to the things that matter most to your children (i.e. “when you get a good night’s sleep you can kick the soccer ball harder and run faster or build cooler Lego towers”). Finally, be sure to bring the conversation back to the way sleep benefits you (“When Daddy get his rest he has more energy to play tag at the park and climb on the jungle gym”).

Sleep Rules

While hosting your Family Meeting, create Sleep Rules along with your child. Keep the rules simple (3-4 max) so that your child can learn to memorize them over time. Allow your child to decorate the chart with stickers, glitter, markers, etc. for added excitement. Hang the poster in their bedroom as a reminder of your family’s new sleep expectations. Be sure to rehearse the rules with your child at bedtime and in the morning.

Rewards

A simple Rewards System can be effective for more resistant children. While I don’t recommend using this tool as a first step, it may be necessary to get your child to engage in the new sleep expectations. I highly recommend keeping your rewards simple and cheap. Understand that the rewards are meant to be a temporary incentive but should eventually be eliminated. Along with the rewards, be sure to offer loads of praise in the morning or after naps when the Sleep Rules were followed. Doing so will help to build up your child’s intrinsic value with respect to their ability to be successful.

Safety Knob / Gate

Has your little one transitioned from a crib to big kid bed? Warning! No matter your reason for transitioning, I can assure you of one thing—in terms of maturity, they are not prepared to handle their newfound freedom just yet. Be sure to install a safety knob or opt for a baby gate at the doorway to prevent you little one from leaving their sleep space. Not only can this lead to unwanted nighttime visits, but it also puts your babe at risk, loose and unmonitored in the house at night.

Silent Return

Should a safety knob or baby gate not work for your family, you will likely end up with nighttime visitors at your bedside from time to time! Once some or all of the above sleep tools are in place it is important that you refrain from welcoming your children in bed at night. If you do, the night wakings they are having will exacerbate and soon you’ll have a new bed buddy. When your child makes a visit at night take one hand in yours and guide them back to their bedroom silently. For the Silent Return to have maximum effect it is critical that you remain as disengaged as possible. This means no eye contact, no conversation, no extras (hugs, kisses, tuck-ins, etc). Even the smallest amount of interaction with your child can keep them coming back to your room for that dose of attention. It may take a few days and a whole bunch of returns, but if you remain persistent, consistent, and disengaged, your child will be sure to get the message!

Toddler Clock

Encourage your child’s independent sleep skills by incorporating the Toddler Clock into your routine. Toddler Clocks provide a non-verbal means of indicating morning time. Set the clock to your preferred wake time and teach your child to remain in their room until their clock “glows”. Children learn to love this tool that allows them to act more independently with the sleep process. Some Toddler Clocks have multi-functionality serving as white noise machines and night lights. You may find these added features useful with this age group. And for those children who avoid the start of the bedtime routine, the Toddler Clock can also be set to indicate the start of the bedtime routine as well.

Taming our Tough Toddlers

The Toddler stage can throw a hitch in sleep habits for even the best of sleepers as they explore new skills and fight for independence they crave at this age. By building a whole bunch of structure surrounding the sleep process along while practicing great consistency, keeping sleep on track is possible. When taking steps to implement some of all of these tools, even the toughest of Toddlers can be tamed.