Babies fight sleep for a variety of reasons the seven most common being separation anxiety, overtiredness, overstimulation, teething, hitting a milestone, traveling and discomfort or illness.
Toddlers are more and more aware of their surroundings, so distractions might disrupt them at bedtime. Their growing imaginations can start to interrupt sleep too. Now more than ever, a simple and consistent bedtime routine is a parent's best bet for getting a sleepy toddler snugly into bed.
Stick to a routine
Before bed every night, set aside up to an hour for calm activities, such as listening to quiet music, reading a book in a dim light or taking a warm bath or shower. The activity should be something that's fun and calming. Keep the routine consistent and not too stimulating.
Though sleep training is a bit harder after your toddler has turned 1, it's still very possible, though you'll want to start while she's still a year old rather than waiting until she's 2 if you can, since bedtime habits are harder to break the older your child gets.
Studies indicate that as many as 20 percent of children between the ages of 1 and 3 still continue to wake up regularly in the middle of the night, But experts agree: it's never too late to learn good sleep habits. The goal with sleep training, at any age, is for the child to fall asleep on their own.
It's never easy to hear your baby cry, so it's quite common to wonder if leaving a baby to cry could damage their brain development or emotional health. Rest assured that crying it out isn't harmful to your little one and won't do any damage. In time, your baby will be dozing off without any help!
The goal of the CIO method is to let baby fuss and cry on her own until she eventually wears herself out and falls asleep on her own. In the beginning, you may end up having to let baby cry it out for 45 minutes to an hour before she goes to sleep, though it varies from baby to baby.
I recommend a bedtime between 7:00-8:00 pm. This sweet spot bedtime can help your 12 month old fall asleep and stay asleep during the night. If your one year old's bedtime is currently outside of this range and sleep is going well, don't worry about making any changes.
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.
Different milestones, however normal and even exciting to reach, can disrupt her sleep. Ailments like teething and ear infections are also common culprits, as is waking up out of hunger. And lastly, her inability to soothe herself back to sleep can be the very thing causing her to wail in her sleep.
Babies who fight sleep are smart? Research from a UK university has established what it believes to be a direct link between a baby's inability to sleep through the night and their intelligence. But sleep is still essential for newborns.
Talk quietly, reassure your child i.e. `it is time for sleep', to encourage a state of calm and position them on their back in the cot/bed awake. If they still don't respond pick your child up and cuddle them until they are calm, give them a cup of water then try staying in the room until they fall asleep.
Letting your little one cry before falling asleep can be an incredibly hard choice as a parent because it seems unnatural to let your baby cry. But, the truth is that there are no long-term negative consequences in terms of attachment, mood, or development to letting your baby cry herself to sleep at bedtime.
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.
If your baby is fed, has a clean diaper and isn't showing any signs of illness, you let them cry until they fall asleep. This can be hard on parents, but it could be the quickest way for your baby to learn to sleep through the night.
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 Period of PURPLE Crying® is the phrase used to describe the time in a baby's life when they cry more than any other time.
Babies express their needs to the mother (or caregiver) through crying. Letting babies "cry it out" is a form of need-neglect that leads to many long-term effects. Consequences of the "cry it out" method include: It releases stress hormones, impairs self-regulation, and undermines trust.
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.
3-4 Months
By 3 to 4 months, infants are forming a nighttime sleep cycle. They're more sociable, don't usually suffer from separation anxiety, and start snoozing better. However, most 3- and 4-month-olds aren't developmentally ready to self-soothe, so sleep training may be difficult.
The most frequent signs of giftedness found in this study included long attention span, excellent memory, early and extensive vocabulary development, curiosity, early reading ability, rapidity of learning, and the ability to generalize concepts (See Table 1).