Provide a soothing setting for your toddler's bed, including a favorite lovey such as a stuffed animal or blanket that she finds comforting. Place a nightlight in the room so that the room will not seem scary when the child wakes during the night. Be calm, soothing and brief when the toddler wakes up during the night.
Self-soothing for babies
When baby first begins to stay asleep throughout the night, it is because they are learning to self-soothe. Babies typically learn to self-soothe around 6 months.
Young parents often bristle at the notion of letting their young child cry him or herself to sleep. However, this approach – while noisy – is perfectly healthy for children, according to a study from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.
Cry it out
The cry-it-out or "extinction" method involves putting your toddler to bed and letting her cry until she's fallen asleep with no help or visits from you. It can be effective and won't cause any lasting harm to your toddler — years from now, she won't remember a thing.
Self-soothing
Many parents begin to pause before responding, or allow children to cry during bedtime without running to their sides around this age to teach children to sleep on their own. Even using this method, many suggest that babies should not be allowed to cry for more than 10 minutes without your attention.
The primary cause is sleep deprivation in general. Sleep apnea and fevers can also cause night terrors. Consider logging when your child wakes up screaming to see if you can see any pattern. Then, start to put her to bed earlier, even if it's by only 20 minutes.
While it can be difficult for parents, at least the cry it out method doesn't involve much guesswork: You'll let your baby cry it out for as long as it takes them to fall asleep. For some babies, that may be 5 or 10 minutes; for others, crying may continue on and off for several hours.
For some children, checking frequently is effective; for others, checking infrequently works best. Continue returning to check on your child as long as he is crying or upset. The visits should be brief (1 minute) and boring. Don't soothe or comfort your child during these visits and don't get into a discussion.
The course is based on a series of “pop ins” after putting your baby to sleep initially and if they are crying, you space out those pop ins first at 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, and then 15 minutes until your baby is asleep.
It's OK to let your baby cry if the baby doesn't seem sick and you've tried everything to soothe your baby. You can try to leave your baby alone in a safe place, such as a crib, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Many babies need to cry before they can fall asleep. And they'll nod off faster if you leave them to cry.
Infants and young children engage in various self-soothing habits for sheer pleasure to manage separations, new situations or distressing feelings. Thumb-sucking, rocking and masturbating calm the child through the soothing experience of sucking, rhythmic moving or stroking.
These allow one to move their mind away from unwanted thoughts, feelings, and impulses. Examples of self-soothing include grounding techniques, meditation, practicing soothing touch, and 'body scans', all of which can be practiced alone or with the support of a professional.
Around 3-5 months, you should also be on the lookout for the five signs of self-soothing: sucking on hands and fingers, bringing hands to midline, burrowing into a parent's armpit to turn off stimulation, developing a whiney, self-soothing cry, and rolling on his side or tummy.
Explain to the child that there are 5 kisses for him or her to have before they go to sleep and that the fifth is a magic kiss which lasts all night. They are to stay in bed and you will return to kiss them.
Here's how it works: After your usual bedtime routine (bath, milk, story etc) lay your child in her cot, give him a simple goodnight message, such as 'night night, sleepy time now', and leave the room. If (or more likely when) your child cries, wait for two minutes before returning. After two minutes, go back in.
It's common for toddlers this age to go through another wave of separation anxiety, making it harder for them to separate from caregivers at sleep times. Children who've been falling asleep on their own may suddenly want their parents to stay with them at bedtime until they fall asleep.
For the cry-it-out method, you let your baby cry until they fall asleep, and rest assured they will. Some babies may protest for 25 minutes, others 65 minutes, and some even longer. It's important not to put a time limit on it (that's a different sleep-training method).
A two-year-old should ideally get around 11 to 14 hours of sleep. At this age, your two-year-old might still be taking one nap a day at this age, so depending on what time your child takes a nap, the ideal bedtime would be around 6 pm-7:30 pm.
Be calm, soothing and brief when the toddler wakes up during the night. Tell the child that it is time to sleep, give them a kiss or a hug and then leave the room. Wait at least five minutes before returning. Tell the toddler again that it is time to sleep, give them a brief kiss or hug, and leave again.
A toddler sleep regression might look like refusing to go to bed, waking up during the night (after previously sleeping through), and resisting naps. The issue often stems from natural growth and development, as well as stress, separation anxiety, or a change in routine.