How to Sleep Train a Toddler, a Preschooler, or a Big Kid

If your child no longer sleeps in a crib but resists falling asleep in their bed or staying asleep, you are probably exhausted and looking for ways to make things easier for both of you. There’s a high chance you’ve heard of the ‘Cry It Out’ sleep training method but this one can only work for babies who can’t get out of their bed. In this article, we are sharing two ways to train your toddler, preschooler, or bigger child to stay in their bed and actually sleep in it.

Rehearse Bedtime

May sound silly at first, but kids really like to know what to expect. It gives them comfort and that’s why showing them what’s going to happen, before they go to sleep, through play can make a huge difference. Try rehearsing your bedtime routine with them during the day. Get in your pajamas and ask the kid to put you to bed or put their teddy down together.

Make sure you make the whole process fun! Kids love humor and understand way better when you are being fun and having a good time with them. It’s also important to do this a few times per week. If you are a busy working parent, make sure you do it a few times over the weekend so they can get used to their bed and the bedtime routine. But make sure that the rehearsal is always at least a few hours before the actual bedtime.

Take a Break When Putting Them to Sleep

What we mean by that is to take an actual break when the child is already in bed. If you know that it usually takes about 20 minutes for the child to fall asleep, 10 minutes after they laid down in bed, take a quick break, promising you will return shortly after. Return a minute later and praise your kid for being good and not going out of bed. The next night, leave the room for two minutes and keep prolonging the period. At some point, you will be returning into the room when the child is already asleep and your goal will be achieved.

Try Excusing Yourself

Sounds weird at first, but it works! Even if you have a fussy child who starts crying when you leave the room. Go through your regular bedtime routine and excuse yourself, saying you need to do something real quick. Stay outside of the room for 30-60 seconds. A bit later, step out for a moment again. At first, you may be going out of the room 20-30 times but by prolonging each interval, at some point, your child will be falling asleep without you in the room.