How Best To Support Your Toddler’s Sleep.

By: Jessica Carroll, certified baby & child sleep consultant, Nurse and mother to 3 gorgeous children.

I work with many families of toddler-age children (2.5-5yrs) as this is a common age for sleep issues to arise. There are a number of factors that can lead to these issues:

Decreasing/eliminating day naps
Transitioned to a ‘big kid’ bed
Increased stimulation due to daycare/kindergarten
Starting to test boundaries around sleep and bedtime
Fussiness around food

When sleep issues arise, parents understandably become desperate to achieve sleep. This can, however, lead to the development of further unwanted issues. These short-term ‘fixes’ can lead to nightly patterns and routines that simply aren’t sustainable long-term, such as reactive co-sleeping, later bedtimes, early morning starts, bottles/food overnight, and giving into the multiple bedtime stalling tactics your toddler may throw at you (one more drink, one more book, one cuddle!).

If this is sounding familiar and you are succumbing to laying with your little one until they fall asleep, or starting your day at 5am with your determined toddler who is adamant they **don’t need anymore sleep (!) ** then read on for my best advice and tips to get their sleep back on track.

Sleep Environment

Ensuring that your child’s sleep environment is best set up to promote sleep is your first step!

Darkness is an important component in achieving good quality sleep. Our naturally occurring sleep hormone melatonin is produced during darkness, therefore the darker the better. This becomes particularly important if early morning rising is an issue. If there is a genuine fear of the dark, then a dim red or pink light may be appropriate. Note that, although red light doesn’t block your melatonin production like blue and white light does, it won’t aid in your sleep, so I would avoid a night light if possible.
Sleep music or sleep meditation is a lovely sleep association that can aid in your little one’s sleep. There are lots of free apps/music that can be downloaded to play during your wind down routine and whilst your little one sleeps. It can help calm busy minds and remove the pressure to fall asleep. It can also assist with early morning rising to block out any external noise that could be driving them awake.
Room temperature is another easy element we can improve to help with our child’s sleep. Our body has a natural dip in temperature around 3am, which can cause overnight waking. It can be difficult for some toddlers to keep blankets on, so ensuring that they are dressed appropriately for the weather is vital. Opting for a sleep suit with legs can be a great tool to help regulate body temperature.

Nutrition

There is a strong link between nutrition and sleep, therefore it is important to ensure that we are including foods that promote sleep.

Foods rich in Tryptophan and B complex vitamins help support sleep neurotransmitters such as serotonin and melatonin. Examples include turkey, chicken, nuts, bananas, oats, and eggs.
A good intake of protein across the day is important in stabilising blood sugars to avoid a hypoglycaemic dip overnight, which can trigger adrenaline production and contribute to night waking. Foods such as eggs, legumes, tinned salmon/tuna are great protein sources.
Zinc, Iron, and Omega 3 are important in helping promote sleep.
Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant and can aid in sleep. Having a bath with magnesium flakes prior to bed is a wonderful way to prepare for sleep.

I like to aim for lunch as their main meal as this takes pressure off dinner when they are more tired and fussy. Include a protein source here.

Age-appropriate Routines

From 2.5yrs, it is important to begin decreasing nap lengths to protect bedtime and overnight sleep. Continuing long day naps beyond 2.5yrs can lead to prolonged settling, fragmented night sleep, and early morning rising.

From 2.5yrs, I recommend a nap beginning at 12:30pm/1:00pm for no longer than 45-60 minutes.
Naps are generally gone by three years, but the efforts will be worth it when your toddler goes down happily at bedtime with little protest.
For bedtime, I recommend 6:30pm/7:00pm, which aligns with their natural sleep window as melatonin levels rise at this time.

A common misconception is that a later bedtime equates to more sleep overnight or a later morning start. This is rarely true, as later bedtimes risk overtiredness, which leads to prolonged settling, frequent night waking, and early morning rising. Overtiredness increases cortisol, diminishing the ability to settle into deep sleep.

Sleep Associations

Sleep associations are what your child relies on to settle and resettle to sleep. This could be a dummy, feeding, or parent laying next to them.

Sleep associations can greatly affect a child’s ability to move from sleep cycle to sleep cycle. They become attached and may have difficulty falling asleep without them.
We want children to fall asleep the same way they wake up, so during partial arousals every 2-4hrs, they can resettle independently.
A child can become dependent on bedtime assistance, contributing to overnight waking. Address settling at bedtime first to improve sleep quality.

Sleep Strategies

Toddlers thrive with clear positive boundaries, routine, and consistency. My top strategies include:

Sleep rules: Create a clear routine for the whole family. Include visual posters, number of books, kisses, and cuddles. Make it fun and eliminate the “one more” battle.
Clear rewards: Set achievable goals and rewards for your toddler (stickers or morning rewards) to encourage independent sleep.
Role play: Use a teddy or doll to model sleep rules and nightly routine expectations.
Settling: Use a consistent technique (in-room or out-of-room) to prevent mixed messages and protests. Avoid laying with your child if inconsistent.

I truly believe that, by using the right tools and consistent approach, all children can achieve good quality sleep that they and their parents need and deserve.

Jessica Carroll

The Holistic Bub

Jessica Carroll is a certified baby & child sleep consultant, Nurse and mother to 3 gorgeous children.

She has completed further training to enable her to work with children of all ages with additional needs such as Anxiety, ASD, ADHD and other developmental delays.

At Holistic Bub Jessica works closely with families to create a plan of action that accommodates not only their child’s individual needs but also aligns with their parenting values and beliefs. Her aim whilst working with families is to educate, empower and encourage them on their sleep journey to help restore a sense of calm and rest within their household. She wants families to not just survive but THRIVE!