The 5 minute toddler sleep routine

When my first baby was born, I was determined that we would never co sleep, that he would be sleep trained and soothe himself to sleep and that I would get my full night's sleep back before he was 1.

What really happened? I didn't even use a crib till he was 6 months old. We did sleep train but that didn't stand the test of time and we didn't have the heart to do it all over again. I rocked/patted/shushed him to sleep till he my second was born. In fact I was putting him to sleep even while I was in labour!!

And after that? He co sleeps with my husband and I! So we've come full circle after 3 freaking years. He falls asleep only if he is "stuck to me" (his words, not mine) but he takes only 5 minutes to go to sleep after which I sneak out and he stays asleep till the next morning.

What is the secret of this 5 minute toddler bedtime routine? Here are my top toddler sleep tips:

1. Don't follow the clock, follow the child

My son doesn't have a fixed bedtime. We follow his cues and keeping his waking time and activity levels of the day in mind to decide when to head to bed. It changes a bit every day which makes all the difference to both falling asleep quickly and then actually staying asleep.

2. Create an atmosphere of sleep

The moment he seems sleepy we start dimming the lights all over the house, keeping our voices low and slowly keeping toys away. He has now come to associate this with bedtime.

3. Have a soothing routine based on your child's needs, not something you read in a book

My ideal routine would be to read 2 stories, give him a goodnight kiss and leave the room while he falls asleep. My kid's however is 2 stories, maybe 3, then basically trying to use me a mattress till he falls asleep. He needs those few minutes of (slightly suffocating) snuggles after a long day of sharing me with his sister and I'm happy to oblige.

4. Keep physical activity levels high during the day

Toddlers need a lot of outdoor time to walk and run and play. Unless it is pouring rain or someone is ill, we go out every single day. It really tires him out.

5. Drop the nap

I'll do a separate post on how we did this but yes, ending naptime forever, while it was super painful especially with a newborn, has helped a ton. Otherwise we used to have our toddler resisting sleep even at minight and it made us grumpy and sleep deprived and resentful. Without a nap he sleeps 11-12 hours overnight which is miraculous. Sometimes he'll come to me at 7pm and say "I'm tired, let's go to bed." How absolutely unbelievable and amazing is that?!

This advice may seem simplistic but these ideas have made getting my toddler to sleep the most awaited part of my day and I really hope they do the same for you.

Finally after 3 long years we have the world's easiest sleep routine, my son gets a good night's sleep and bedtime is early enough that my husband and I can get some down time. Or so I think until I remember I have another kid who still wakes every couple of hours! Oh well, we have just another 2.5 years to go!! ;)