Toddler bed time | Imamother

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Toddlers

Toddler bed time

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amother

Mon, Sep 11 2023, 8:31 pm

I used to have a hard time getting my toddler to go into bed.
I would tell him, beg him, try to manipulate him into going to no avail.
And even once he was in bed he would come out to play.

Oddly he is a pretty cooperative child in all other regards. Clean up time, bath time, getting out of the bath and such he does happily.

Now we say shema together, sing a few songs and I tell him he can play quietly in his room and when he’s tired he should go to his bed.
It works every time. He plays and then gets into bed and falls asleep.

I didn’t do it this way with any of my other kids. Is there any damage to doing it this way?

amother

NeonYellow

Mon, Sep 11 2023, 8:34 pm

I think all my toddlers have read or played in their room/bed before going to sleep. What could be wrong about it?

amother

Carnation

Mon, Sep 11 2023, 8:37 pm

Be careful. He might learn to trust his body to tell him when he's tired. He might learn to respect his feelings and sleep when he's tired and get up when he's not. That can get very inconvenient for you.

Other than that I can't see any downsides.

iamamotha

Mon, Sep 11 2023, 8:39 pm

As long as he's going to sleep at a decent time and not exhausted in the morning why could
Be wrong? My opinion it's is more damaging to try to bribe and manipulate him to get to bed... this sounds like a great balance you spend time with him and then he'll fall asleep as soon as he's ready.

amother

Chestnut

Mon, Sep 11 2023, 9:02 pm

How old is he?

amother

Pearl

Tue, May 28 2024, 2:33 pm

Also curious how old he is, thinking about trying it with my son but not sure if he’s old enough to actually do it.

mha3484

Tue, May 28 2024, 2:39 pm

This works for my 3 year old who is able to sleep the latest. I focus on my older kids who have an earlier wake up time and she will play and tell us I want to go to bed now. I see nothing wrong with it. I tend to lean towards letting my kids of all ages understand their tired cues and how much sleep they need. Its not always as much as I think it is.

amother

DarkMagenta

Tue, May 28 2024, 3:28 pm

I do that with my toddler, 2 years old. I don't see any problem with it. I've heard of lots of people doing it. Unless you see that your toddler is not going to sleep and is still too tired during the day, I don't see what the problem would be. Calm bedtime is a huge win in my books!

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