You finally have a baby that sleeps great… and then BOOM they are a toddler and all hell breaks loose! They suddenly protest bedtime, become masters at stalling, and have very big opinions! Don’t worry, we can fix this! I am starting a new “my favorite things” series! After polling y’all on instagram last week, we will be starting with my favorite toddler sleep item!
Drum roll….
It’s a colored night light system! These are A MUST for training your toddler to stop fighting bed time, stay in their bed all night long AND wait until a reasonable hour to get up in the morning! These issues are SO common with toddlers. But, the problem is, they are too young to understand the concept of time! Enter…. a colored light system. Telling a toddler it’s 7:30 and time for bed means nothing to them. Tell them “the clock is red , it’s time for bed!?” They get that instantly! Let’s talk about some of the options, and then I’ll tell you how to use them!
My top picks:
The Hatch rest+ ($89) and the Momcozy ($39) are both very user-friendly and work through an app. I love this set up for times when they are sleeping in, and you need to *last minute* switch the clock to turn green at 7:30/8:00 instead of 7:00. Never had a kid sleep in before? Stick with me, my friends 🙂
These two are super low-tech and easy to use. They are both so simple, you just set the time right on the clock- old school. With both the Stoplight ($39) and the Dog ($34), you don’t have to worry about any app glitches or high tech set up.
How to use it:
Now that you have chosen your clock, let’s learn how to use them!
- Introduce the clock to your child and explain how it works. “When the clock turns red, it’s time for bed. We stay in our bed allllll night until the clock turns green!” Practice with their stuffed animals/baby dolls/favorite super hero, etc. Put them in their bed when the light turns red, then 1 minute later turn the light green and act excited for the stuffed animal to get out of bed!
- Establish a rewards system as they learn to use this. I like to use a sticker chart. They get a sticker every night they stay in their bed all night long until the light is green! I created a bedtime sticker chart you can use for this here!
- HOLD THE BOUNDARY. If you are committing to this red light system, do it! If you waiver and let them delay bed time/get out of bed/come into your bed this will not work! Stay calm and consistent and hold firm! “The light is red it’s time for bed”
If you need any additional assistance with this, or anything toddler sleep related, reach out and let’s do a $99 Quick Fix call and I can walk you through any additional questions you may have.
As always, I’ve got your back and you’ve got this!!
xoxo,
Elizabeth