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How much time do you waste every single night laying with your toddler while they fall asleep? 1 hour? 2 hours? Longer?
If your toddler won't sleep without you in the room, I hear you screaming to yourself...
“I Don’t Want To Be A Prisoner in My Kids Room Anymore!”
**If you haven't read the truth about WHY your toddler can't sleep alone, check out Part 1 here. You need to get really comfortable with this sleep truth in order to be successful.**
But how the hell do you actually DO it?
How do you get out of the room?
How do you avoid the screaming, the meltdown, the tantrums, the chasing....
Well, there are a variety of ways and they are only limited by your imagination.
The answer depends on two key factors:
- Your parenting style
- Your child’s personality
Here are 2 strategies. Figure out which one will work best for your situation and start tonight to solve your toddler sleep problems.
1. Hands-Off Approach
Let's use an analogy of when your kiddo was learning how to walk.
When your child was learning how to walk, you could have taken a very hands-off approach and let them have the full experience of learning to walk right away. You don't try and stop them from pulling up, you don't try to prevent them from taking steps, you make sure your kid is in a safe space and then let their hands go so they can figure it out on their own – falls and all.
This hands-off approach works well if kids are still in a crib, are newly in a toddler bed or if their need for you to lay with them until they fall asleep is new and they were recently able to fall asleep on their own. You make sure their room is a completely safe space. Think of their room as a giant crib.
2. Progressive Approach
You can take a more progressive approach – like when they were learning to walk and you let them hold your fingers, or knelt right next to them to grab them before they hit the ground as they were taking their first stumbly steps.
But, just like when you were helping them walk, you HAVE to help them less and less to give them a chance to experience walking and get better at it.
Think of what you’re doing now while your kid is falling asleep.
Laying in bed with them, cuddling them, starting them off in your bed, holding hands, rubbing their back, sitting on the floor, sitting in a chair. Every family is unique so think about your bedtime routine.
And then think of how you can remove yourself
slowly so they can experience falling asleep alone.
(read why this is SO important, here)
Ultimately, you HAVE TO get comfortable with giving your kiddo the experience of falling asleep alone.
Solo sleepers have less overnight wake ups and experience better quality sleep. Which means you will too!
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Want to learn the Proven 4-Part Method to Get Your Toddler to Go to Sleep Alone & understand what the things you've tried before haven't worked yet?
Join a free upcoming Toddler Sleep Masterclass, click here