Tricks how to put toddlers to sleep at night?

Discussion in 'Toddlers' started by Jasmin Cottontail, Dec 4, 2016.

  1. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    I remember putting my sisters to sleep each night when they were still toddlers and I don't even know how to do it. Instead of putting them to sleep, it's the other way around. I doze off right before them. And up to now I still don't know to put a toddler to sleep because most of them would still like to play and stay awake no matter what you do.
     
  2. Holmes22

    Holmes22 Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2016
    Messages:
    373
    Likes Received:
    57
    I wish that I really had the means of doing this type of research back when the kids were young, but I know that when it came to getting them to sleep, I was always the worst at it and my wife was really the only one who could do it. Music was a big help, and also making sure they get some exercise during the day.
     
  3. tony

    tony Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    32
    I think the best thing is not disturb the toddlers just allow them all the time to play if they are not in for sleep yet. They will sure sleep once they get tired. I believe in allowing such young children the freedom to play as they like and sleep as they can. This maybe helpful in their early child development
     
  4. kamai

    kamai Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    262
    Likes Received:
    65
    It is tough to get my child to sleep. If she doesn't want to she just will stay laying down looking at her hands and feet, when she is tired that is. Most of the time she wants to remain playing so I get her a bottle of milk to get her to lay down and massage her head this works sometimes but most of the time when she is done with her milk she gets back up. The last option is letting her watch a bit of her favorite cartoons to keep her laying down and she eventually falls asleep.
     
  5. TheKnight

    TheKnight Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    171
    Likes Received:
    57
    I like the way you think. If a child isn't sleepy and doesn't sleep, it isn't the time unless you have to sleep. If it's during the day, they don't HAVE to sleep. The best way to get them to sleep at night is to tire them out during the day so that at night, they won't have energy left to stay awake. Trying to give them less sweets or energy fruits helps too. Sometimes, parents put children to sleep during the day so that they can have some rest but at night, they most likely won't sleep at the time they're supposed to.
     
  6. Alexandoy

    Alexandoy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    971
    Likes Received:
    261
    This reminds me of my daughter who was a spoiled brat when it comes to sleeping. When she was in pre-school, her habit was to sleep late at night and wake up late in the morning. And since me and my wife have a job and we had to leave early for work, that strange sleeping habits of our daughter was an issue. But I was fortunate to have found a solution. I would borrow my father's car and drive my daughter around the village. After 15 minutes of so, my daughter would fall asleep. That changed her sleeping habit after a month or two... of using my father's car.
     
  7. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    What type of music do you usually play with your kids or babies to get them to sleep if I may ask? I'm actually having a hard time putting my little brother to sleep almost every night, well every night to be honest so I really wanna know how :) And what type of exercises should the kids or babies do during the morning?
     
  8. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    That was actually what I did when my sisters are still toddlers (since I can't put them to sleep LOL!). However, now my little brother is having trouble sleeping at night. He usually sleeps at 5 or 6 in the morning and I don't think it's good for him though. And I won't be able to sleep as well unless he's asleep. We're giving him Vitamins and he actually is active during the day so I'm expecting to doze off a little early during the night but it does not happen :(
     
  9. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    I feel you :) I'm also having a hard time putting my little brother to sleep every single night. Whenever I put him to bed each night, he always go down to either drink water or use the toilet. And when he's on his bed, he just stares at the ceiling or play with his hands. He normally sleeps at 5 or 6 in the morning. Well my main problem is that I won't be able to sleep unless he is asleep because he really do ruin things when no one is looking after him when he's awake :(
     
    kamai likes this.
  10. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    You're absolutely right. Well I've actually tried these things like let my little brother play the entire day so he won't have the energy to stay up late and limit his sweets intake since it will only make him hyperactive. Unfortunately, it isn't working. He normally sleeps at 5 or 6 in the morning which I think isn't healthy for him, and I won't be able to sleep yet unless he is. So that's my problem to be honest.
     
  11. TheKnight

    TheKnight Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    171
    Likes Received:
    57
    Sheesh. How does he do that? At that point, his sleep pattern is already a bit messed up. You'll need to get him to sleep at least at 2:00 AM or something so that he can wake up earlier. You can also try waking him up earlier like at 9:00 only once so that he would only have 3 hours of sleep. He'll then sleep at around 10:00 PM then wake up earlier so then he will sleep earlier so that his sleep pattern will normalize.
     
    kamai likes this.
  12. Vinaya

    Vinaya Member

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2016
    Messages:
    78
    Likes Received:
    7
    I think you should give them food or drinks that promotes sleep (not intoxicants though). warm milk before going to bed promotes good sleep. You can also try things such as head message, foot massage so that your toddlers will doze off. You can also sing them songs or read books or tell story.
     
  13. James McAllister

    James McAllister Kinacle Employee Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2016
    Messages:
    358
    Likes Received:
    174
    thisnthat likes this.
  14. kamai

    kamai Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    262
    Likes Received:
    65
    That is just too much for him to fall asleep until 5 or 6 but I do understand my toddler will also stay awake until 3 am sometimes and it kind of surprises me since she doesn't even take a nap during the day. I also find that she comes up with any excuse to get out of bed such as saying she needs to go potty but she only sits there.
     
  15. kamai

    kamai Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    262
    Likes Received:
    65
    You are absolutely right maybe he needs to get used to a sleeping pattern and so does my daughter but my daughters sleeping habits are not as bad as she does this occasionally. What I did was wake her up earlier as you mentioned and that would get her sleepy at least at 11 pm and then eventually she got uses to it, I guess they go through different stages of sleep.
     
  16. thisnthat

    thisnthat Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    69
    It helps to develop a schedule. It's also good to maintain a bedtime routine as much as possible.

    Another good tip is to set a timer. One of those wind up kitchen timers will work. A child can argue with you if you say it's time to brush teeth, etc. to start getting ready for bed. They can't really argue with a timer. You might even let them help set the timer, so they feel involved in the process.

    Start good habits young, and you won't have chaos every night when it's time for bed.
     
    TheKnight likes this.
  17. TheKnight

    TheKnight Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    171
    Likes Received:
    57
    Getting them involved is a very good way to get them into a routine. This way, it won't just be you that's telling them what to do but you can tell them that the timer tells the entire family when to sleep and the timer must be obeyed by everyone in the house. You can even make it something sacred and let him/her set it at times. I'm sure this method will work very well. They'll even come to you and tell you it's time to sleep when they hear it.
     
  18. Decentlady

    Decentlady Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2016
    Messages:
    214
    Likes Received:
    50
    Sleep comes more easily when a person is relaxed. It is the same with kids.

    Keep them well fed, bathe them, keep them warm, massage them, sing them a sweet lullaby or chant a devotional mantra that is soothing and they do fall asleep good provided that they have been active and tired during the day.
     
    thisnthat likes this.
  19. thisnthat

    thisnthat Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    69
    That could work. We never all went to bed at the same time though. The younger children went to bed earlier than the older children and the adults. The timer was just for them. It still worked well.

    @Decentlady makes a good point about children being soothed and relaxed as well. That's where the bedtime routine comes into play. Stories or songs, etc. all fit within the routine. We started getting the kids ready for bed quite a bit before it was actually time to go to bed. Baths, brushing teeth, laying out clothes for the morning, and then the tucking in part. I think it was calming to go through those steps, working their way towards going to bed. I think it works much better than just abruptly trying to send them to bed.
     
    TheKnight likes this.
  20. TheKnight

    TheKnight Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    171
    Likes Received:
    57
    When we try to get a child to sleep, we lay down and pretend to sleep until they sleep. It might be a bit annoying but it works. It's a lot better than having them awake all night. They sleep and we get to do things on our own. But hey, if they usually go to sleep earlier then there isn't an issue, I suppose. We would only put the child to sleep at night when we have to do things around the house we usually can't do with children scurrying around.
     
  21. thisnthat

    thisnthat Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    69
    That seems to be an effective strategy for a lot of people. It never really worked for me, because I would pass out with them if I tried it. I still had things I needed to do once they were asleep. :p

    I guess it depends on what school of thought one follows. Some "experts" feel that small children need far more sleep than an adult does. I was taught that little ones need 10-12 hours of sleep where most adults need 7-8, so I got them to bed early. We all have to do what we find is best for our families. :)
     
  22. TheKnight

    TheKnight Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    171
    Likes Received:
    57
    I think it's up to the children to decide whether they want to sleep or not yet. Sleep patterns usually depend on the individual. If they aren't sleepy then it isn't time for them to sleep. I don't go much for what ''experts'' say because my belief is that one should decide whether they're sleepy or not because I assure you once a child is sleepy, he/she will fall asleep in seconds. Well, this is at least to my experiences but everyone should do what they think is right, I suppose.
     
  23. Mika

    Mika Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2016
    Messages:
    515
    Likes Received:
    136
    I know as long as you do not create an atmosphere that encourages a child to sleep he will not sleep. I am not saying in the reference of 1-3 months toddlers but a child older than 1 will not sleep if you are working on a laptop near him or reading a book. Your child would even need your attention so it is better to let him sleep even if you have to get up again and finish your pending work.
     
  24. to7update

    to7update Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    261
    Likes Received:
    75
    The best trick that worked for both my kids was discipline in the bedtime hour. With 4 months we moved them to their own rooms and they always went to bed at the same time, with the due exceptions, so that worked perfectly fine and they simply go to bed when the time comes, and when they go later they are happy and appreciate that as a bonus.
     
    thisnthat likes this.
  25. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    Hahaha :D Toddlers are really adorable! I also find it amusing that they can come up with different reasons just to get what they want. Toddlers can be really hyperactive and smart as well which is totally cute! I've also known some toddlers who does nap sleep or even take a nap during the day and sleep late during the night. I don't know why but I guess it's common for them since they always wanted to play day and night.
     
    kamai likes this.
  26. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2016
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    57
    Nice! I will definitely check out this one. I hope I can get some additional tips from here since I'm having a problem putting my little brother to sleep each night so hopefully one will work, if not all. Cheers! :)
     
  27. kamai

    kamai Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    262
    Likes Received:
    65
    Yes, I do find it adorable and surprising how toddlers can come up with anything to get their way. I did laugh about it at first but I learned that I had to get her out of that habit. It was difficult at first but as the days go by she has more of an understanding. It's also funny when she fakes a stomach ache to get out of bed claiming that laying down hurts her.
     
  28. thisnthat

    thisnthat Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2016
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    69
    As you said, everyone has to do what they feel is right. I'd also note that every child is different. What works for one might not work for another.

    I'm just speaking generally. I don't think it is up to a toddler to decide whether or not they want to sleep.Parents are there to make such decisions for children, just like deciding what they should eat to remain healthy. I wouldn't allow a child to eat whatever they want just like I wouldn't allow them to go to bed whenever they want. It's not being mean; it's for their own good.

    Most small children will avoid sleeping if given the choice. They'd much rather play. I've seen kids literally fight sleep until they get a second wind and then stay up all night. They're exhausted the next day, and being allowed to stay up all night does not make them happy anyway. They're tired and cranky, and this has an impact on everyone in the household. I'm sure this doesn't apply to all kids, but it's definitely true for some.
     
    to7update likes this.
  29. TheKnight

    TheKnight Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    171
    Likes Received:
    57
    @thisnthat
    I'm talking about day time. Eating is much different than sleeping. I'm not saying it's a toddler's choice to decide but you can't FORCE a child to sleep if they aren't sleepy. Sure, you can cry them to sleep or force them to stay laying down for hours until they sleep but I don't think that's good to do. By choice, I mean that it's their body's choice, not yours. You don't choose if they're sleepy or not. You can make an attempt such as cradling them for half an hour or so but if they don't sleep, it's not necessary.
     
    thisnthat likes this.
  30. to7update

    to7update Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2016
    Messages:
    261
    Likes Received:
    75
    Most small children will avoid sleeping, will avoid eating, will avoid bathing, will avoid doing everything they need to do, it's part of their nature just wanting to play and it's our role as parents to educate them. It's hard and there are no magic formulas though. :)
     

Share This Page