Sleep Problems Solved!
If your toddler won’t stay in bed, or your preschooler is suffering from night terrors, Dr Fallon Cook (PhD, Sleep Practitioner) is here to help – with expert sleep advice that’s easy to apply.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Whether your little one sleeps like a baby (aka wakefully) or they sleep like a log (aka solidly), new sleep challenges may emerge in the toddler and preschool years.
There are plenty of things that can get in the way of good quality sleep when children are past the baby stage, but not yet big, and whatever the problem, Infant Sleep Australia can help.
The founders, Dr Fallon Cook and Dr Laura Conway, run a Sleep Clinic which gets glowing reviews from young families.
And to give you a sense of the practical, parent-friendly advice on offer, we’ve asked Dr Cook to solve two common sleep problems!
So, here goes, and if you have questions about your baby’s sleep, this KindiCare x Infant Sleep Australia article is another great read.
SLEEP PROBLEM #1: THE CASE OF THE RETURNING TODDLER!
Every parent is ready for some downtime at the end of the day, and if you’ve gone through the bedtime routine, tucked your toddler in, and turned off the lights, then it’s disappointing to see that little person leaving their bed and looking for you – night after night.
So, what can you do about a toddler who keeps jumping up when they should be in dreamland?
Well, Dr Cook explains that, “If your toddler keeps getting out of bed after you've said goodnight, what you often need to do is simply repeat the walk back to bed.
“This means that you calmly take your child's hand, and you walk them back to bed again.”
Dr Cook cautions that you might have to repeat this a lot of times, but what's really important is to be very calm, very consistent, and very, very boring.
She says, “You don't want your toddler to think, “Oh, if I climb out of bed and run out of my room, I might get a snack, I might get an extra drink, or I might get extra stories.
“So, by just calmly taking them back to the bedroom, with no chatter and no playtime, they're going to realise there's not a lot of point in getting out of bed, because nothing very interesting happens.
“You will need to be persistent, though, so keep calmly returning your toddler to bed until they learn to stay there.”
And if that really isn’t working, then you might need to look at the clock!
Dr Cook says it’s possible your toddler simply isn’t ready for sleep, because you’re putting them to bed too early.
For example, “If you’ve been putting your toddler down at 7pm and they never fall asleep until 8pm, then you might need to move their bedtime to 8pm.
“You may then find that your toddler drifts off much faster, because they're truly tired and ready for sleep.”
Be aware, though, that if bedtime difficulties are complex or severe, your child might not respond to these tips.
In this case, Dr Fallon suggests seeking extra support and a comprehensive review of your toddler’s sleep, so strategies and approaches can be fitted to their specific needs.
SLEEP PROBLEM #2: AN AWFUL INCIDENCE OF NIGHT TERRORS
Although it’s a bit scary to see your toddler appearing in the living room when they should be in bed, seeing your child having night terrors is definitely worse!
Night terrors happen in healthy children, often between the ages two and four, and although they're not usually a cause for concern medically, they are hard to watch.
Dr Cook explains that, “Night terrors are when children become very, very upset and fearful during sleep, usually in the first half of the night, and you'll know your child is having a night terror if they’re screaming, crying or very upset in the first few hours after going to sleep.”
Obviously, your first instinct will be to comfort them, but Dr Cook says you’ll find that they don’t really understand you're there, even if their eyes are open, because they’re asleep and not responding normally.
So, what should you do when night terrors strike?
Well, Dr Cook says, “Night terrors can start to reduce if you keep your child a bit cooler, so try reducing the number of layers they’re wearing, or using lightweight bedding.”
She also recommends that, “When you do go to comfort your child, try to stay quite hands-off and just observe them.
“It's very tempting to pick them up and try to give lots of comfort, but touching them and interacting with them a lot sometimes makes the night terror last even longer.
“So, aim to just sit nearby, watching them to ensure they're still safe, and rest assured that your child won’t remember their night terrors in the morning.”
