"Changing Toddlers Sleeping Habits or Mine"

From babies to toddlers really makes a big change. When Maki was born his sleeping time was different from mine and I have to adjust for that. Of course Maki has to be fed during night time.

Now, Maki is a toddler and his sleeping habits also changes. His more active at night and putting him to sleep is really a hard time. According to an article in babycenter.com, sleeping habits of toddlers are a combination of nature (biology) and nurture (learning and environment). Which means you cannot change your toddler's sleeping habits instead you can just adjust and shift it.

Here's something from babycenter.com that parent should keep as a general guidelines in mind:

It's easier to stay up later than to go to sleep earlier. If you've ever experienced jet lag , you've probably noticed this: Traveling east to west, which means staying up later than normal, is easier on you sleepwise than vice versa, when night falls before you're ready to sleep. The same is true for your toddler. Getting him to play or read for another hour after his usual bedtime would be easier than lulling him to sleep an hour sooner.

Work in 15-minute increments. Don't expect to be able to change his sleep patterns overnight, so to speak. On your first night of trying, aim for his being in bed at 8:15 instead of 8:30. Once you have that new bedtime established — which, with persistence, should happen within two or three days — shift it to 8:00, and so on, until you hit your target of 7:30. (And just be grateful he can't read the clock yet!)

Think in terms of his entire routine. Don't overlook the fact that if your child's bedtime is 15 minutes earlier, dinner has to be ready 15 minutes earlier, bath time is 15 minutes earlier, teeth get brushed 15 minutes earlier, storytime is 15 minutes earlier, etc. In other words, the entire evening's schedule could change, depending on how your evening routine usually goes. Make sure to take it all into account.

Be prepared for other shifts in his sleep routine. It might not happen immediately, but once your child's bedtime has moved up by 30 minutes or an hour, he'll probably wake up that much earlier in the morning. Nap time might also change — you could start noticing yawns much earlier in the afternoon. Be flexible. And remember: You're making a trade-off by shifting his bedtime. Ask yourself if you're ready to rise and shine an hour earlier than you're used to — before you make the switch.




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