How to Sleep Train Toddlers or School-Aged Kids

how to sleep train sleep training toddlers

By Fatima Virrey , Parent Herald Oct 06, 10:11 pm

Photo: (Photo : Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels)

Knowing how to sleep train a toddler or a school-aged child can be a trial and error process.

If your child refuses into falling asleep and staying asleep after having their own bed, it can assume that you are now tired and fed up. Not to mention that you are out of ideas because you have tried everything you know, but still, nothing is working. But, fret no more because we know just the right and effective sleep training methods for your toddlers.

Plan your bedtime during the day

In knowing how to sleep train your toddlers, you need to make a plan. Do a mini version of their bedtime during the day minus brushing the teeth and reading a story (but you can still do that if you want to), and go through all the steps of bedtime and your new sleep-training technique.

Make this sleep training method fun by pretending to be the child and have them as the parent. You can even let your toddlers practice this by putting their teddy bear or any other toy to bed.

Practice this a few times a week and rehearse a few hours before bedtime.

Take a break

On how to sleep train your child with this method, you'll need to have an idea of how long it takes for your toddlers to fall asleep after you turn out the lights. Let's say that you turn the lights out at 8:00 pm and your toddlers fall asleep at 8:20 pm.

In the middle of those 20 minutes, you will leave the room to take a break and then return. So, in doing this sleep training, go through your usual bedtime routine, then stay quietly in the place. By 10:00 pm, tell your toddlers that you're taking a break, leave the room and come back soon again.

Return to her room a minute after and then praise her for staying in bed. Remain in their place until they fall asleep. Do this the next night except leave the room for two minutes.

The night after that, repeat the same process although this time, go for another long minute. Your goal is for them to sleep during one of the breaks. This step will increase the child's ability to be alone at night. Once your child falls asleep on their own for a week, you can now stop this method.

The excuse me drill.

This step is for those parents asking how to sleep train their toddlers who tend to scream, cry, or get up when they leave briefly.

In this sleep training method, you need to do this once or twice during the day. That is for your child to know what to expect. On how to sleep train your kids with this method, go through your usual bedtime routine. Stay out for 30 or 60 seconds (the amount of time where they can be left alone without them getting out of bed). Return to them and praise them. Later on, excuse yourself again for a brief interval. On your first night, you'll do this 20 to 30 times.

For the next night that you'll do this, increase the amount of time you'll spend out of their room. Each night, excuse yourself longer until your child starts falling asleep without you.

Once they can do that for a week, your mission is complete in using this sleep training method.