Are you frustrated with your toddler coming out of their room at bedtime with “just one more” request? Are you tired of your toddler’s nightly visits to your bedroom?
Having a plan to keep your toddler from leaving their room at bedtime and through the night is life-changing for parents.
Toddlers are very clever at learning how to get what they want. They push boundaries to see what kind of reaction they get. And if it gets them what they want, you better believe they’re going to use it again and again.
- Asking for a drink of water or one more kiss gets mom back in the room
- Going to the bathroom means I get to walk down the hall and see what’s going on in the rest of the house
- Coming out of my room fifteen times means mom will yell at me. Sure, it’s upsetting but hey, attention is attention
- Visiting mom and dad’s room in the middle of the night means I get to snuggle up beside them
So, you shouldn’t give in to their requests, nor should you get upset and raise your voice…But what should you do?
Consequences are the key!
Go through your child’s bedtime routine, kiss them goodnight, tell them they need to stay in their room until morning, then leave the room.
If they come out, firmly remind them that they need to stay in their room until morning. Walk them back to bed, give them a quick kiss goodnight, and let them know there will be a consequence if they come out again.
If they come out of their room again, now it’s time to follow through and implement the consequence.
What’s the consequence?
It has to be something appropriate to the situation and unpleasant enough that it discourages your child from repeating the behaviour.
And that’s going to be different for each child.
Every child’s unique – there’s no “magic formula” that’ll work 100% of the time for every child! As a professional sleep coach, I’ve seen time and time again with the families that I work with, the life-changing benefits of a personalized sleep plan that fully reflects your child’s unique needs.
Book a free sleep evaluation call here to learn how I can best support you and your child on your journey to sleep-filled nights.