‘They like routine not surprises’: Nurse shares her tricks for getting toddlers to sleep through the night – and how to wean them off dummies for good
- Tresillian Nurse Kerry Harley reveals how to settle tired and fractious toddlers
- The expert says predictability and routine are key to establishing better habits
- She also shares how to break a dummy dependency and improve sleep patterns
Thousands of weary parents across Australia struggle with getting their active toddlers to sleep each night.
It’s a challenge Tresillian nurse Kerry Harley has come across a lot and one she says is possible to overcome through teaching young kids better bedtime habits.
‘The thing with toddlers is they like predictability. They like routine and they don’t like surprises,’ the sleep expert explained in conversation with Today.
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Teaching a toddler better sleep habits is a matter of creating predictable routines (stock image)
Tresillian nurse Kerry Harley says there’s a way to teach young kids better sleep habits – and it’s something that’s not to difficult.
One of the issues the nurse addressed was directed to her from a concerned parent, Tscharne Jenkins, whose 18-month-old child was unable to sleep unless they were fed a bottle of milk.
The expert explained rather than view this as a habit, it was more a child had developed a ‘sleep association’ – one where they associated objects, a breast, a bottle or something else with a sleep routine.
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She said teaching a child to form new sleep associations was a simple strategy for breaking this type of pattern.
‘For example, [parents might use] a particular piece of music, or patting as a way to wean her off.’
The nurse also suggested it could be helpful to offer the child a cup of hot milk before sleep as a gentle way help soothe and settle a tired toddler.
Parents Tscharne Jenkins (pictured centre) and Alysha Lasaitis (pictured right) asked nurse Kerry how to manage sleep problems they were experiencing with their toddlers
Nurse Kerry also shared her advice to parents wanting to wean their child off a dummy – a question she said she’s often asked.
Her suggestion isn’t to ‘go cold turkey’ as this can quickly become a difficult situation for parents and children.
She said if a child was using a dummy while sleeping, first try putting the child down to sleep without it, and if that was unsuccessful break the habit slowly by using it less frequently as time went on.
Her key recommendation to all parents of toddlers and young children was to aim for a predictable bedtime
Top tips for settling your toddler:
1. If your toddler won’t settle, check to see if their nappy is dry and make sure they’re warm enough, especially at night
2. A predictable bedtime routine including a wind-down period is important to help your child recognise and establish good sleep patterns.
3. If your child finds it difficult to settle without help, try remaining near to allow your child to fall asleep with a parent in view. (e.g. sit on a chair beside the cot/bed).
Source: Tresillian.org.au
Another parent, Alysha Lasaitis, also spoke to the expert about the sleep problems she was having with her 15-month-old daughter, Sabin.
She explained her child is a ‘bad day sleeper’ – something that can result in her child either not having an afternoon nap or falling asleep as early as 5.30pm.
‘For her age, 15 months, is a transition period,’ Nurse Kerry said.
‘So some days she might have an early morning sleep and some days she might have two periods of sleep especially if she has had a busy day.’
Her advice to Alysha was that if her daughter didn’t want to nap in the afternoon, to hold out for as long as possible before putting her down for the night.
‘The afternoon might be a bit of a write-off but it’s better to have that activity going on in the afternoon rather than in the middle of the night.’
Her key recommendation to all parents of toddlers and young children was to aim for a predictable bedtime.
This includes a wind-down period is to help your child recognise and establish good sleep patterns.
‘Consistency and patience is the key with toddlers,’ she concluded.
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