HOW TO SLEEP TRAIN A TODDLER - Tips from a Seattle Family Photographer
The title of this blog post may as well be How to Train a Dragon. If you’ve ever tried to sleep train an energetic child with major FOMO, then you know what I mean.
Before writing this I hadn’t slept in about 3 years. No, I wasn’t burning the midnight oil watching everything on Netflix. I have a 3 year old. An adorable, sweet, cuddly sleep thief. But there came a time when the quality of my sleep was truly suffering and I had to get serious about sleep training.
Shall I tell you the secret formula? (You may want to sit down.)
Consistency and Routine.
Maybe you were hoping the secret formula is an enchanted white noise machine you can order on Amazon? Hear me out…
I like to compare this method to wearing a seat belt. Kids are smart. Very smart. They know the tone of your voice when you’re happy, when you discover they’ve just taken a marker to the new sofa, or when there’s wiggle room to get another scoop of ice cream. But when you all pile into the car and you clip that delicious kid into her car seat, is it optional?
Of course not. You’ve already created consistency and routine. And you mean business.
(See? You knew what you were doing all along.)
Apply this same method to sleep. In our house, I start with getting my daughter’s teeth brushed followed by reading 2 books. Afterward, getting out of bed is not an option (unless of course she’s not feeling well). I offer her a pass to call me if she needs a sip of water or bathroom break. But after that, it’s time to go to Sleepy Town.
Once I had this Aha! moment things drastically changed for the better. My husband and I are finally both sleeping through the night without my daughter’s adorable hand punching one of us in the face at 2 am. And she’s sleeping better, too. She’s less irritable and more agreeable throughout the day now that she’s getting a solid 10-12 hours per night.
Sweet dreams, indeed.