It's dark, you're blurry-eyed, woken from a dream that you'd much prefer to still be in. And the noise you thought was the pilot's announcement of landing on the island you would prefer to be on, it turns out to be your toddler, crying through the monitor on your bedroom shelf.
You realise it's 1am again and for the fifth night in a row, they're up and ready to do whatever toddlers want to do at 1am!
Not anymore! We've enlisted the help of Steph Gouin, baby and toddler sleep consultant to help us (and our toddlers) stay in that dream state.
Key call outs:
Are you using bedtime interventions?
A leading cause of overnight waking is the loss of the intervention that gets toddlers off in the first instance. Things like parent support, a dummy, white noise that’s no longer filling the room or other interventions that are no longer available will mean that they wake, expecting it all to be there and they get upset when it’s not.
Late bedtimes
If your child is going to sleep in an overtired state, this can be a leading cause of overnight waking. At 18-months-old you would want your child to be going to sleep at around 6:30pm and for them to also be having a day nap.
Sleep environment
Check temperature of the room. Make sure the sleep wear is right for them and that the room is warm enough. If your child isn’t warm, they will wake and need comfort.
Could there be too much light? Check for noise – the sleep environment should be dark, quiet and warm.
Hunger games
No, not literally although at 1am, it could feel a little hellish!
If your child doesn’t have enough fuel in their tank to support them throughout the night, they will wake and want to eat. This isn’t a great habit to get in to so ensure they’re getting enough food throughout the day to support their overnight stretch of sleep.
Response could be everything!
If you’re going in, every night at the same time, it could reinforce the overnight waking cycle. Research what’s going on and get on top of it!
To find out more about Steph, see her product offering on her website or follow her on Facebook or Instagram
