How does your toddler go to sleep?

Question

Do you put them to sleep by holding them, rocking them, laying down beside them, put them in their crib, etc? How do they fall asleep? My son falls asleep when we are cuddling/holding him most of the time and by himself sometimes.

He's 16 months

Answer 1

thats a very sweet question:), actually my daughter Cayleigh is 3 and when she was little she loved to be rocked to sleep over my shoulder~she also loved her crib musical toys~ now at her preschool she loves the classical music they play (it often soothes her to sleep)~brahms lullabye and moonlight sonata are 2 of her favs~~she also likes enya~~My son however has like rock and hip hop since he was 9 months old (go figure)

Answer 2

Each baby is different. My first, I could just lay him down. He'd fuss a little, but then he'd be asleep and when he awoke well, he'd just play by himself in his bed quietly until we came into the room. The second would crawl out of the bed and finally we'd just let him have his way. We'd tell him fine, don't sleep in the bed, but you have to stay in the room. He'd cuddle in a box or under the table in his room. Guess he felt more secure. Sometimes we'd let him cuddle and when he fell asleep we'd move him to his bed. The youngest was a lot like the oldest. Actually, he'd go into his bed and fall asleep. They are 15, 17, and 21 now and their personalities aren't much different. The 17 year old is the most difficult to deal with but has been since birth, so it's not you, it's genetics. Cuddle away.

Answer 3

My daughter is almost 2 now. When she was younger and still had a bottle before bed, sometimes she would fall asleep afterwards. But mostly, I put her in the crib and she goes to sleep on her own. With her pacifier and blanket, and her musical mobile on. (well, not the pacifier anymore, we just gave that up) There haven't been many times that we've had any problems with that. She's usually very good at going to bed and staying there by herself.

Answer 4

Go through a routine each night: a bath, brushing teeth, reading a story, maybe something else he enjoys doing - just do it consistently and preferably at the same time each day.

After that turn of the lights, put him to bed/crib, kiss, tell how much you love him, wish a good night and leave.

Very soon he will know the steps and will have no trouble falling asleep by himself.

Worked as a charm for two of mine and we are working on a third one now. :)

Good luck.

Answer 5

When my daughter was a toddler we would nurse in bed until she fell asleep. She slept with us in our bed (or in a bed next to ours) until she was three years old. We weaned when she was two-and-a-half.

She just turned four years old. Our bedtime routine now includes bath, tooth brushing, stories and cuddles in her bed usually until she falls asleep. She usually wakes up in the middle of the night and crawls into our bed and sleeps there 'til morning.

I'd love to be able to just leave the room after stories (when she hasn't fallen asleep during storytime) and have her go to sleep on her own. But, she seems to be afraid of being in her room alone at night. Leaving the door open and the light on dimly in her room doesn't seem to be enough to assuage her fear of "monsters" or being "lonely."

We've been trying different things lately. What worked a couple of nights ago was to just sit in a chair in her room instead of the constant merry-go-round of leaving the room, having her get up out of bed, putting her back and leaving the room ad naseum. She's been having a lot of trouble falling asleep at night lately regardless of whether or not we're laying next to her in bed after stories. So, we're trying different things to see what will work. Kids go through stages, things change, their needs change. The best that we can do is to be flexible and try something new when the old routine just isn't working anymore.

If what you are doing works for you I'd say go with it! :-)

Answer 6

You should take him to bed. Maybe with a pet rabbit ,spider man etc. Tell him a story or read to him. Then you love him kiss him good night. Make sure he go's to the bath room before bed. You can have a night light on and tell him the door is open if he needs you, to just call. . But you should not be holding him , treat him like little person and let him sleep bye his self. Some times kids like you to lay next to them ,you can do this for a little bit, but then leave. Check on him before you go to bed. Good Luck Pem

Answer 7

As a mother of 2...KNOCK IT OFF!!! You should NOT be sleeping with your child. Not even to help them fall asleep. Its a bad habit and it will be really difficult to break. Take it from me!!

By 16mon a child should be able to fall asleep all by themselves. Maybe a blanket or stuffed animal for comfort but NO mom and dad.

Answer 8

when my child was that age i just put him in his crib and he just fell asleep. but every night before i put him to bed i would read him a story. my son is now 21 months and just walks into him room at bed time and lays down in his toddler bed all by himself . i think its all up to you. if you feel that rocking him to sleep is the best thing to do then do it. but you might regret it later when he gets older. its just all up to you. your the mom do what feels right.

Answer 9

My 17 month historical sleeps from 7:00 PM till eight:30 AM. She naps from 12:30-two:30 or three:00. My four yr historical sleeps from eight:30 PM to 7:30 AM, no naps, and the five yr historical is at the identical time table besides she's up at 7:00 AM for university.

Answer 10

I have a 2 1/2 year old and she likes to snuggle with me while holding my ear. If she's really tired she will fall asleep on her own. She has always snuggled with me to fall asleep and I love that just as much as she does.