How To Prevent Toddler Bedtime Pushbacks
As much as we love our kids, I think I’m not alone in wishing that the clock will just strike for the sweet freedom that comes with our toddler’s bedtime. So really, the last thing we need when it’s finally time to start the bedtime routine is our kids giving us another round of tantrums. Alternatively, starting a battle of ‘nos’ against the cleanup requests or wind downs with our toddler.
So without further ado, let’s dive into some tips to prevent the infamous toddler bedtime battles.
1. Establish a familiar toddler bedtime routine.
Honestly, I feel like every parent has already heard of this tip when it comes to their kids, and that is to be consistent. But I think more than running a rigorous checklist of repetition of things, is to maintain a familiar rhythm to how we initiate our toddler’s bedtime routine. Setting up visual cues of what to do next in their routine, giving them curious prompts, and giving them choices.
Hence, I’ve created a printable bedtime routine chart for your toddler to use as a reference, which you can modify on what would work best for your family. But remember that your toddler may prefer a more visual cue, with clear pictures.
And another tip to avoid power struggles with your toddler is to avoid asking questions on things that you don’t want them to say ‘No’ to. So avoid asking questions such as “Do you want to take a bath now?” and just state it as matter-of-factly as you can (“We’re going to take a bath now.”)
2. Keep the conversation of the importance of sleep rolling.
Our toddlers are honestly a lot more perceptive than we realize. Even if they’re still pre-verbal, always take note that they absorb a lot of our words and the energy we have as we deliver them. Hence, it’s never too early to begin the conversation of how important sleep is for our body (ideally when they are not in a dysregulated state).
Some opportunities to raise the importance of sleep are through reading books, or during pretend play with dolls, and modeling how to put the doll to sleep. But most importantly, we ourselves, as adults, also need to show that we want our kids to sleep not so that they’ll be out of our hands, but to let them know that it is important for their bodies too.
3. Attune yourself to your toddler’s bedtime/naptime cues.
As fascinating as our toddlers are with the way they assert their independence and engage in a power play with us, they still undoubtedly need us to read their cues to help them. Sometimes, the reason they’re throwing a tantrum is that they are, in fact, overtired. Remember that our toddlers’ tantrums are always a way of communicating something.
Hence, do take note of the number of wake hours your toddler has when scheduling an activity, and also before putting them down for a nap/bedtime. The Baby Sleep Site has a huge collection of age-appropriate naptime and feeding schedules you can use as a reference for scheduling your toddler’s sleep so check them out as well.
4. Have a list of wind down activities for your toddler’s bedtime.
Our toddlers are actually very much in tune with their bodies when they’re sleepy or hungry (or everything else about their bodies actually). Hence, when they say that they’re not sleepy yet, or seem to have too much energy for bedtime, it is wise to take their word for it and avoid insisting that they’re sleepy.
Instead, we can set a certain boundary that would at least encourage them to wind down and go to bed. Our toddlers need our help in redirecting their energy and leveling it so that they can reach an appropriate state of drowsiness. Hence, you can either suggest that they stay in their own room and play there quietly, or read books only (in essence, avoid rough play or screen time).
And that is it, dear parent! Four tips to help you avoid the toddler bedtime pushbacks.
If you need more posts regarding preventing tantrums, check the following posts below:
How To Deal With Pushbacks After School
7 Steps to Handle Your Toddler’s Big Feelings
How to Decrease Your Child’s Tantrums During a Lockdown
I hope that this post resonated with you and comment below if you have any more ideas to prevent these bedtime battles.
As always, cheering for you in this parenting journey we have together,
Kristine
