We did it! *Dora’s voice*
After almost 16 months we have been success with sleep training our toddler and getting her out of our bed! Although it was a bit scary at first, it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. It’s also one of my proudest moments in motherhood thus far! One thing I will suggest is to start sooner.
DISCLAIMER: Everyone’s experience is different so our method may or may not work as fast for you, as it did for us.
Our Sleep Training Journey:
We started off by figuring out our night routine. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of sleep training. Consistency! Every night you HAVE to do the same exact thing before bed. This will help the child understand and remember what comes next, leading into “it’s time to go to sleep”.
Our night routine:
- Dinner
- Tub
- Apply lotion with a mini massage
- We warm up her milk while she pick out a book to read
- Story time while she drinks her milk
- Put on her favorite (currently Peppa Pig)
- My husband and I both say goodnight, give her a hug and a kiss, we have her say “night” too, and we put her in her crib and let her put herself to sleep
Now… the first few days we got a blow up bed and stayed in the room with her. We slept in her room for about 3 or 4 days just so that she was comfortable being in her crib and not completely alone. This was my husband idea and honestly, it was perfect! After the 3rd, we put her in her crib and she cried for about 5 minutes. Eventually she fell asleep after she realized we weren’t coming back into the room.
Sleep Training Takeaways:
Below are some key things that may help the sleep training process for toddlers.
- A baby monitor that allows you to see and talk to them while they’re in their room. This gives me a peace of mind. I was so nervous that something would happen to her but being able to see her breathe and move around through the monitor helps a lot!
- Spending more time during the day/on the weekend in their room. This will get them familiar with being comfortable in there when it’s time to go to sleep. (If you don’t already)
- Doing a mini massage after the tub while applying lotion. I’ve found that this kind of relaxes Ryann and I’m pretty sure it feels good because she’s usually tired at this point.
- Having them pick out a book and reading to them during their bottle. This blog post is specially for toddlers so getting them involved in the process by simply picking out their own book, is helpful.
- Allowing them to watch their favorite show before bed/to fall asleep. I personally never liked falling asleep with the TV on but after being with my husband he HAD to. Now, I can’t sleep with it off. Eventually we’ll cut this part out, but for now this works.
- Using a night light so it’s not completely dark if they wake up in the middle of the night.
Honestly, my favorite part about sleep training Ryann was having my bed back to just my husband and I. As I stated earlier, started sooner I’m sure would be so much better. I definitely do not plan to do this again whenever we decide to have baby #2!
IMPORTANT: Don’t give up or give in! Our kids know exactly what they’re doing when they cry and go off. If you can’t stand to hear/see your child cry, you might not be ready for this transition. Lol!
If you all enjoyed this blog post, check out my latest post about our annual Mommy + Me Retreat. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribed to be notified when there’s a new post up! New things are coming so be sure to stay connected!
Until next time.
xo,
Kenniqua