I received a letter today from a customer that has a toddler that wont sleep until really late. She has put a bedtime routine in place and she will now happily sit in her crib but instead of sleeping, she prefers to stay awake for an hour or two happily entertaining herself.

I thought I would share my brief reply with you all:

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If she is not displaying signs of tiredness during the day, then she is probably getting enough sleep over the course of 24hrs. In this case, you either need to get her up earlier or accept a later bedtime.

Try and provide her with mental and physical stimulation during the day but as long as she is happy going to bed and is not overtired then it really does not matter if she prefers to entertain herself for a while. I would
recommend that you start to withdraw your presence gradually now. Move the chair a little farther away each night. If she protests do it more gradually.

Try not to use a night light as she will be more likely to fall asleep quickly if it is dark. If she complains about being scared, remind her that you will be right there with her.

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It is worth mentioning that there may be many reasons that your toddler won’t sleep immediately. Lack of tiredness is only one reason. Many toddlers wont sleep if they have reached a developmental milestone, and its also possible that if you have recently been teaching your toddler to self-soothe, that he or she has not fully developed the skill of falling asleep quickly. Be consistent, keep bedtime quiet and appropriate for sleep and in time your toddler will learn this valuable skill.

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Filed under: General Sleep Information

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