In reality how do you get your toddler to sleep?

[lancslass17]

Just wondering if putting them in cot saying good night and leaving is a myth?

I breastfeed mine to sleep. I'm not entirely sure how I'd get her to go to sleep otherwise!

We have always stayed a while. The longest would be over an hour. Occasionally under 5 mins. Just whatever seemed best at the time.

I don't think it is for some but it's not going to happen like that in an instant for the majority of children.
My 3 yo now, one of us sits/lies beside his bed and hold hands. Usually asleep within 10 mins.

How old are we talking? My toddler has a bedtime routine then is put in his cot to fall asleep on his own. Sometimes it happens quickly and other times he'll play with toys or books and then fall asleep.

We did sleep training at 8 months as he didn't sleep well before then.

Ours took themselves to sleep from about 1.
Not being smug but it's possible.
One trick we were told was get them to settle themselves, so off the boob then let them wake a little so they fall asleep in bed.

Also if they're sad we just got them up for 20 minutes and read, rather than stressing

I put my DC2 (16months) in his cot, say goodnight and close the door.

I still have to sit with DC1 (3 years) until he goes to sleep.

DC2 has always just been a self sufficient sort of chap. He's been that way since he was born.

My ds is 16 months. For my parents and my in laws he will say night night, be put in his cot and fall asleep.

If I try that he whines and cries. At home DH or I cuddle up with him and sing him to sleep in a rocking chair in his room. We've talked about whether to persevere with getting him to settle himself for us and agreed that actually, We enjoy the snuggles and are happy to continue. It takes between 5 mins and half an hour, usually nearer 15 though. One day he wont want cuddles to sleep so I'm happy to indulge whilst he does.

I put mine to bed, tuck her in and then leave the room. She's normally asleep within fifteen minutes but is happy to play with her stuffed toys in her bed until she sleeps. I don't have a bedtime for her, she goes to sleep when tired so today she was in bed at 6.30 and other nights it might be 8. She's never in bed later than 8. I understand this might not work for most as we aren't the strictest over routine

My 16 month old literally waves goodnight to dad or me while holding his quilt going into his room. I put him in cot with his teddy and shut the door - mostly that's it
I do say this smuggly but only because he woke 4 +times a night and couldn't self sooth until he was 14 months old. We finally cracked it!

I lay with dd until she's asleep

Teeth brush, into pjs, story, kisses then leave, she's usually asleep within 10 minutes

We need to lay next to my 2.5year old bed while he falls asleep ( 10 to 30mins ). My friend has to do the same for their 4 year old. Another friend still sleeps with a 6 year old. So I think these "nigh night and shut the door" type of children are just someones imagination!

I still sit with my 2 til asleep. I think I could probably leave them to it now but don't really mind sitting with them for 15mins.
They both breastfed to sleep til weaned off too.
No rods here.

At the moment my 1 year goes down like a dream but I’m not counting my chickens that this will last forever. Presently we take her to bed awake, lay her down with her dummy, give her a teddy bear and give her a kiss goodnight. We leave and she settles herself to sleep.

She has a story and a bottle of milk before bed.

I read my 19 month old a story, put her in bed and walk away. It's amazing.

My three year old on the other hand.....

Ds is 2 and he’s generally quite good. We do a bath (most nights) pjs then a bottle of warm milk (it was a sippy cup but we had Dd 12 weeks ago and he’s reverted to a bottle) whilst watching fireman Sam. He knows two fireman sams and it’s bedtime. Or one fireman Sam and a story.

Tonight he went straight to sleep (but he had no naps today).

Other nights he puts up a fuss and refuses to sleep. The longest we’ve gone is 2 hours of protesting and claiming he’s not tired whilst yawning......

Mine are 2 and 4 and bar the odd random times like holidays and illness, they both just go into their beds, lights off and shut the door.

4 year old doesn’t nap so he’s usually asleep with 5/10 min. 2 year old is starting to be in the awkward phase where she still needs a nap but it’s affecting her bed time, but she usually just plays in her cot til she falls asleep. Sometimes for an hour or more

Sorry but mine is a put in bed say night night shut the door and see her in the morning. Not imaginative.

Put in cot, say goodnight and walk away worked for us. We recently swapped to a toddler bed and we just tell her to go to bed and she picks out a few cuddly toys to take with her and then climbs in. Hug and say goodnight and that’s it. There is occasionally a bit of whinging if she’s overtired but she never gets out of bed and she’s always asleep within 5 minutes. Stories we do earlier in the evening, before bath as she gets overhyped otherwise! We’re very lucky (and it’s all luck not any magic secrets) that she’s always been a good sleeper.

I used to think such behaviour was a myth as I would sit with DD (2yr) for an hour or more every night til she was asleep but after a very protracted gradual withdrawal (and some kind of miracle) she actually goes to sleep by herself.

She doesn't sleep through the night yet though

We put dd in her cot, night light on, big light off. Tell her I’ll see her in the morning and close the door.
She usually whinges (not cries before I’m accused of being cruel) for about 2 mins. She then goes quiet and I pop my head round shortly after and she’s asleep.
It’s taken practice to find her bed time but if she doesn’t settle quickly we get her up for 20/30 mins and then try again.

DD was breastfed to sleep until two, up every hour in the night for more milk, then when I stopped bf she had to have one of us lying next to her cuddling until she fell asleep, now at 3 we have stories, a quick cuddle and walk out while she is still awake and she sleeps through the night 99% of the time. I thought it would never happen in the midst of sleep deprivation. She was never in a cot, we coslept until she went into a single bed at 13 months.

DS is 2 and we take it in turns to sit with him til he goes to sleep. Up until a few weeks ago it had to be me every night so it's nice to share it now. I bf him to sleep until he was 14 mo. It takes sometimes as little as 10 minutes but rarely more than half an hour. I really like it, its nice to have a cuddle with him and have him go to sleep holding my hand, I'm actually missing it a bit on the nights I don't do it!!!

DS (2) goes to bed at 7.30 and we'll read a story and he'll be asleep within 15 minutes. DD (1) will breastfeed to sleep and usually is asleep by 8.30 max

Milk. 9oz of milk. And in a bottle that health visitors said we shouldn't use beyond 1.... However our delightful 2 year old still wakes several times a night as standard and to be completely honest my DH and I can't bear to go through a huge palava at the moment when we're still so sleep deprived and desperate. When he's old enough to understand being told about how bedtime works we'll take it from there. Do whatever works for you OP x