Having trouble getting your child to sleep? It is normal for their sleep patterns to change as they age. They found hobbies they liked, places they liked to go, and discovered the world and their senses for the first time! There are things you can do now to help them settle down without fighting.

Eliminate early going to bed

On average, a 2-year-old needs 11 to 14 hours of sleep a day, 1-2 hours of which are naps. * Delaying naps by 15 minutes each day and shortening naps can help get rid of early naps and take a second nap of 30 minutes until you take a nap. Any sleep after 3:30 pm will affect your bedtime, so try to take a nap around 1:00 pm.

Add quiet time

This is a good time to introduce quiet time. They can choose how they want their body to rest by watching a movie, playing with toys quietly in the room, reading a book, etc. By creating a quiet environment, they can still take naps. If they are already dozing off, then they are probably already dozing off. If not, that's ok!

Start a bedtime routine

Next, this is important if you haven't started your bedtime/nap routine. This routine will help signal to your child that it's time to take a break before you have to. A successful bedtime routine begins an hour or two before your ideal bedtime and might look something like this:

● Dim the lights in the house and close the curtains and blinds

● eat a hot meal

● Reduce screen time

● take a bath

● put on pajamas

● Eat a small snack or drink a bottle of water. You can keep water next to your bed so you can avoid "I'm thirsty!" objections when it's bedtime.

● Read a book or sing a song.

Plan naps and bedtimes

If your child between 1 and 3 years old takes a 2 hour nap, they will get 9-12 hours of sleep at night. This means you should start bedtime at 7:30am. If your child sleeps 12 hours a night and you want to get up around 9am every day, they should be in bed by 9pm.

If your child needs less sleep, you can start taking less naps. You can reduce his nap time by 30 minutes every 4-5 days until you switch to a 1-hour nap, then at bedtime.

Become active

After all, they may not have enough energy during the day to feel tired before bed. make sure they are important

● play with toys

● reading

● train

● going out

In conclusion

If you can't get your kids to sleep, you're not alone! Decreasing bedtimes, increasing bedtimes, and planning a solid sleep schedule are great ways to start. These steps are all simple ways to reduce bedtime power struggles and help your child relax.

Sources

Ben-Joseph, E. P. (Ed.). (2019, June). Sleep and your 1- to 2-year-old (for parents) - Nemours kids health. KidsHealth. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sleep12yr.html#:~:text=How%20Much%20Sleep%20Does%20My,naps%20into%20one%20afternoon%20nap.

How much sleep do babies and kids need? Sleep Foundation. (2022, March 11). Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep/how-much-sleep-do-kids-need