It’s 5 in the morning and you’re awake. Not because you have to be or because you can’t sleep, but thanks to your toddler who joyfully CAN’T WAIT TO START THEIR DAY!
My family of previously good sleepers encountered this very problem when my son graduated to his toddler bed.
Each morning he would run into my room joyously expecting to start his day only to be met with a sleep deprived and irritated parent.
Now, in my house with triplet toddlers, the only rule I have about falling asleep and waking up is that you must be in your room and reasonably quiet. With that in mind, I began looking for a toddler friendly clock to regain my sanity.
Realistically, experts and literature suggest that a child at least 2-3 years old can be trained with a wake up alarm.
How much sleep does my toddler need and how can I help them get it?
- Toddler (Age 1-2 yo): 11 to 14 hours sleep every 24 hours, including nap
- Child (Age 2-5 yo): 10 to 13 hours sleep every 24 hours, including nap
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(These numbers are according to the American Academy of Pediatrics to promote optimal health)
Additionally, all “screen time” should cease at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
So how can you help your toddler get their precious sleep?
Have a realistic bedtime, not too early or too late.
While each child is unique, by simply noting how your child is acting in the last few hours before bedtime over the course of a few days you can tell if he or she is getting enough sleep.
Are they having more tantrums than usual? Are they more whiny than usual? Are they being more clingy?
With triplet toddlers we actually had to jot this down in order to keep everyone straight!
Since my kids stay at home during the day and don’t need to be at daycare early, I started with a bedtime of 7:30 pm and have adjusted that to 8 pm during daylight savings time.
Watch your child for tell tale signs:
Any of these signs can signal your little one is short on sleep.
Consistency is key!
Have clear expectations for your night time routine and communicate those to your child. Always use the same routine such as bath, brush teeth, pajamas and 2 bedtime stories.
A bedtime chart depicting his routine can help with consistency and be fun to make together.
Just ask them
As my daughter progressed through chemo, her sleep patterns changed from the other two. I found that in her case, I could just ask, “Are you ready for a nap Aly?” She would almost police herself in this way.
My other daughter however will invariably say “Uh, no!” anytime I ask her but it is certainly worth giving the child the opportunity to tell you.
Is it safe to sleep train a toddler with a wake up light?
For a child under 2 years old, more traditional sleep training can help. I used the following book when I was sleep training the triplets as infants.
Sleep experts recommend not beginning sleep training with a clock like this until the child is 2 years old.
This is mainly because the child must be able to self soothe for this method to work.
- I set up his wake up clock with his help and made a really big deal about it.
- I clearly stated “John, you may get up and play but must stay in your room until the light turns green.”
- I then showed him what the green light looked like and and cheered “GREEN!!!! You can come get mommy now!”
- I set up his wake up clock with his help and made a really big deal about it.
- I repeated step 3 a few more times that day just to reinforce the idea.
- Was it really this easy?! No, it took 2 mornings of him getting up early and someone having to walk him back to his room, but….
- If the child doesn’t wait for their wake up light the next morning, walk them back to their room, ask “Is your light green?” and remind them to stay in their room until it turns green.
- (If you still have your baby monitor, and it has a voice feature, you can also use that to gently remind him to stay in his room.)
- Once they successfully wait for the green light, PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!!!
This process took me about 4 days to get right, but he now consistently waits for his light to come out of his room.
A few other reminders are worth pointing out here:
- All children are different but they all crave structure, easily understood expectations and praise.
- Always ensure ALL furniture is properly secured with tie down straps if a child will be left alone.
- Be patient AND consistent.
In my next post I will give a full review of the most popular wake alarms and which one we choose and why.
This is my way of serving your needs as a parent and cancer mom, so you can get to know me better. I’m hoping you’ll do the same! Please reach out to me below or on Instagram so I can get to know you better.
