Toddler Tuesday # 14 – Sleeping

Happy Tuesday everyone. I am sorry I didn’t get my usual Marvelous in My Monday post out yesterday, but the weekend was crazy.

Saturday, was the Michigan vs. Notre Dame football game. Steve went to the game which meant I was alone with the girls. So, we spent the day at my parents house. Sophia and Isabella spent the night there and I brought the babies home to sleep at our house with me. I thought it would be best to have the babies sleep here, boy was I wrong. Saturday night was my most difficult night yet. It is not easy to put to newborns to sleep on your own, especially when their cranky time is from 8-11 pm. Therefore, the three of us pretty much cried from 8-11 pm.

We woke up on Sunday and headed to my parents house to spend the day with everyone. My brother and his girlfriend were in town, so we wanted to spend as much time as we could with them. Sunday was filled with lots of food, laughter, and relaxing. It was nice to have so many people to help. I seriously didn’t take one picture this weekend. I know horrible, but lack of sleep really does something to me.

Sophia on her second day of preschool. She looks so grown up.

Time for Toddler Tuesday. Thank you Giselle for hosting.

Today I thought I would talk about how to make bedtime a little easier for toddlers and transitioning to a big girl/boy bed. Sophia and Isabella are great sleepers and I am always getting asked what I did.

Toddlers and Bedtime

1. Make going to bed enjoyable. Never use bedtime as a punishment. When Sophia was younger we always sang the same silly song, “It’s bedtime, it’s bedtime, it’s bedtime for Sophia.” We would march up the stairs singing this song. Sometimes we go upstairs as a choo-choo train, make it fun.
2. Have a consistent routine.  I know every sleep expert says the same thing, but I truly think this is a big one, especially at the beginning of getting them into a routine. It doesn’t have to complicated. Such as, bath, book, lights out. We used to do nightly baths and in the summer we have to, but as we stop playing outside we don’t give the girls baths every night. Right now our routine goes something like this: pajamas, read books with me in Sophia’s bed, say our prayers, girls kiss goodnight, I take Isabella to her room. Most nights our girls read on their own in their beds for a little bit before going to sleep. But there is no getting out of bed.
3. Have a consistent bed time. We go upstairs at 7:00 every night. The girls know this, they expect it. Obviously, special occasions this is not the case.

Sorry about the unmade bed. These days beds aren’t getting made. 🙂 

Transitioning to Big Girl/Boy Bed

1. Get excited about the new room design. Let them help pick something out, they will love that it is theirs.
2. Start with naps. Put your little one down in their new bed for naps, but keep the crib in the room until you know they are comfortable. Once naps are going well switch bedtime to their new bed.
3. Let them choose “friends” (stuffed animals) that come to bed and sleep with them. My girls each have one or two consistent “friends” and few others they choose from day to day.

 How to Keep Toddlers in their Beds

Neither one of our girls get out of bed without Mommy or Daddy and it’s very nice. 🙂

1. Make sure you have a bedrail(s). Your toddler will feel like they are still enclosed; like they were in their crib.
2. Start talking early to your toddler about not getting out of bed without Mommy or Daddy. Starting talk about this before he/she ever sleeps in his/her new bed. We told Isabella, “Call for Mommy or Daddy when you want to get up or need something”.
3. Continue talking to your child about not getting out of bed. I told Isabella that it wasn’t safe for her to get out without us.
4. We have a video monitor so if we ever see Isabella about to get out of bed we hurry upstairs to get her. We don’t want her to start getting out of bed on her own.

In the Comments Below:

1. What are some tricks you use(d) at bedtime?