If you are reading this right now, maybe you have been up to through the past few nights. And now you are searching for answers as to why your heavy sleeper child who never had sleep problems in the past won’t get back to sleep now. In this blog, we will talk about how to deal with toddler sleep regression.
There is a high chance that you’ll either be appreciating yourself for accomplishing an amazing job or, you’ll be thanking the person for the things which were responsible for your luck and sound sleep. Not only that, but you may also be thinking that why does every parent talk about hassle after conceiving.
However, after just some months, you’ll get the reason. As of now the baby has turned into a toddler and doesn’t have a proper schedule of sleeping.
Here is how we’ll learn about the sleep regression for an 18-month old baby and how to handle the fuss. Most people use the word sleep regression. This means that your toddler or baby who usually sleeps very comfortably has begun to stay awake for longer hours and usually wakes up frequently at night.
This regression, although sounds unique, they’ll be extended to a long period ranging from 2 to 6 weeks. After that, your toddler or baby will be out of the zone and will be sleeping as per his schedule. It is also considered that some regression can last from 3 to 4 months after which that particular sleeping pattern becomes permanent.
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Stages of Sleep Regression
There are two initial stages of sleeping regression happening in the toddler age limit. In these two sleep regression patterns, the first one takes around minutes. While the other one is carried away when your baby reaches up to the two-year mark.
2 Year Sleep Regression
2-year sleep regression might feel a little harder to deal with than the previous one. This is because there are so many things going on with your toddler at that time. The toddler might be learning the basics of potty training or maybe the sleeping place of the toddler has changed again now that he’s/she’s older. This can cause trouble for your toddler, keeping him/her awake at night.
Another problem that is your toddler might face during this period is nightmares. Nightmares sometimes scare us adults bad then they can surely disrupt the sleep of a toddler. Moreover, toddlers also have to deal with night terrors, which are less common in adults, and these can have a bad effect on the sleep of your child.
How long does sleep regression last?
Toddler sleep regression might seem to last forever, but they are temporary, and as soon as your toddler adapts to the change in his/her routine, the sleep regressions will be long gone. Sleep regressions can take up to anywhere between 2-4 weeks, and the duration varies from baby to baby. The cause of sleep regressions also determines how long it will last.
How to solve sleep regressions?
Your child needs to adapt to the change that has come, and when he/she does, the problem will be solved. Now you need to figure out how you can help your child to battle sleep regression. Sleep regression is temporary, so even though your child disturbed your sleep during the night, you need to remain calm.
To cure sleep regression, these are the ways that work best:
Consistency is key
This is one of the most important factors that you need to control when helping your toddler sleep regression. You need to keep the routine consistent, fixed bedtimes every day, and what to get back to sleep when your child wakes up at night. Before getting ready for bedtime, make sure your child knows it’s time to sleep.
Buy organic or simple cotton pillows to support your baby’s spine. Don’t ever compromise with the comfort of your baby by putting on cushions and simple pillows. At the age of development, your baby needs great body support not just when he is awake only but also when he is asleep. Keep his room comfy by choosing the best bed linen along with the toddler pillows.
Limit screen time
Since smartphones, monitors, and TVs are everywhere, they can disrupt the sleep of your toddler. The screen makes the brain think it’s morning due to our natural ability to judge if it’s morning or not by looking for sunlight. This can cause your toddler to take a while before going to sleep.
So to avoid this, take away all screens from your toddler an hour before bedtime. Moisturize and nurture his skin by using good products to keep him comfortable.
Calm and patient
Consistency will help you a lot to take care of your child during sleep regression but what helps more is to remain calm and patient throughout. Your child will be as confused as you are as to why it’s happening and since all of this is temporary, you should keep a level head when dealing with it.
Also check the baby’s skin for rashes, redness, and allergy. Sometimes a little toddler does not sleep well or simply fails to sleep when her skin is irritated. Use Aquaphor skin ointment to heal any rashness or redness. The ointment is known for curing skin problems.
Try to comfort your child by either making him/her sleep with you on your bed. But be sure not to introduce anything you don’t intend on continuing in the long term as the child will more likely want to continue doing it. Maybe try a baby nested cotton blanket to keep your child comfortable.
One more thing you can try is to keep your child’s room dark if there are a lot of lights outside your home. Baby room window blinds keep the room dark enough for your child to sleep. Keep your baby nursery dark and warm by installing blinds over the windows.
Toddler’s health
One thing that might keep your child awake at night is sickness. Be sure to check if all the child’s basic needs are being met and if there is any sort of pain troubling the child. If there’s nothing wrong with the health of the baby, see if there’s anything wrong with the environment.
Also, check if your toddler is breathing well. During the winter season, a baby usually finds it difficult to breathe properly due to the extremely cold environment. Keep a baby nasal aspirator close by in all seasons to tackle the baby’s breathing issues.
Conclusion
Toddler sleep regression might be a tough phase for both the parent and the child, but it’ll pass. You need to keep calm and patient, looking at what troubles your child and then finding appropriate solutions for it. Keep that up, and you and your child will once again have peaceful sleeping nights. If you need more assistance.