With their boundless energy, it seems as if toddlers should fall asleep the instant their heads hit the pillow. Even though midnight feedings and colic are usually no longer an issue for toddlers, many still struggle with sleep issues. Finding a way to get your toddler to fall asleep---and stay there---might lead you to consider using one of the sleep training methods experts advocate.
Significance
While some experts, like pediatrician Dr. William Sears, advocate a family bed and a more relaxed attitude toward toddler sleep, most toddler sleep training experts, including Dr. Marc Weissbluth, the author of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child," and Jodi Mindell, author of "Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep," focus on teaching your child how to fall asleep on his own and in his own bed.
Identification
Before beginning any type of sleep training routine, take your toddler to the pediatrician to make sure poor sleep habits---and not an underlying medical issue---are the cause of her sleep problems. According to Sears, food allergies, ear infections and pinworms---small parasites that toddlers might accidentally ingest while playing---can cause frequent nightwaking. Once you rule out medical concerns, you can focus on implementing sleep training methods to improve your toddler's sleep.
Considerations
Since some toddler sleep training methods involve your child crying as she learns to settle herself and fall asleep on her own, some situations might complicate these sleep methods. If your toddler shares a room with a sibling who sleeps well, Mindell suggests moving your toddler out of the room for a few days during training to avoid interrupting her sibling's sleep. Make sure everybody who lives in your house---from the parents to grandparents or older siblings---is on board with the plan before beginning sleep training to make sure everybody responds consistently to nightwaking and bedtime struggles.
No Cry Methods
Sears and Elizabeth Pantley, author of the "No Cry Sleep Solution," advocate gentler sleep training methods that do not involve any type of "cry it out" scenarios. They emphasize fostering positive bedtime associations and relaxing rituals that gradually improve sleep for the entire family. Sears suggests allowing your child to sleep wherever he is most comfortable---either in a family bed or in his own room. Pantley focuses on helping your child sleep in his own bed, but she supports returning to the room and comforting your child whenever he cries.
"Cry It Out" Methods
In the "cry it out" camp, Weissbluth and Richard Ferber, the author of "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems," advise parents to expect some tears. Ferber suggests sleep training toddlers by putting them to bed still awake and allowing them to fall asleep on their own---even if the process involves several minutes, or hours, of crying. Ferber stops short of advocating that you allow your toddler to cry endlessly---his "Ferber Method" allows you to comfort you toddler but urges you to refrain from picking her up. Weissbluth's methods stress an early bedtime and ample daytime sleep. He also emphasizes the importance of plenty of daily exercise and activity to help ensure better, and more consistent, sleep.
