How to Help My 1-Year-Old Go to Sleep on His Own

Getting a one-year-old to go to sleep on their own is a tough challenge faced early on, as a parent. You may want to be near your child's side when he or she sleeps but good sense says the child needs to learn to be independent. The anxiety of being away from parents can be one of the reasons for sleep issues. There are many sleep methods and techniques which encourage your child to sleep on his or her own. Finding a method that works best for you and your child is a matter of trial and error.

Instructions

    • 1

      Establish asleeping routine and bedtime rituals. Consistent bed timings and familiar bedtime rituals can encourage babies to sleep easier and longer. Establish a 15- to 30-minute bedtime ritual for your one-year-old including activities such as a warm bath followed by story-reading or listening to soft music. When followed consistently, such sleep-time routine program your baby's body to ready itself for sleep.

    • 2

      Encourage your one-year-old to take routine day naps. It is a common misunderstanding that not letting the child sleep during the day will make him sleepier as night apporaches. On the contrary, chidlren find it very difficult to sleep when they are overtired. Regular naps promote longer stretches of night-sleep. Choose specific times in the morning when you are tired and lie down with your child. It is not necessary that your child sleeps through the nap; so, avoid forcing him to sleep. It is simply enough if he or she has quiet time. Follow this routine for one week to get the child used to the routine.

    • 3

      Avoid picking up your child and rocking him or her when you hear the child crying. You will only be encouraging this action to be repeated. Just pat the baby's back, make soothing sounds or sing, as the baby cries. It can be hard, but by doing this you will be teaching the child that it has to learn to go to sleep on its own. Continue to pat or sing, or repeat soothing sounds till the little one falls asleep. As you apply this technique consistently, the child's cry-time will decrease gradually and the child will learn to sleep on its own eventually.

    • 4

      Be consistent. Once you begin to implement these bedtime routines do not waver with their patterns or the time of bed. The first night can be the toughest and it may take 30 minutes or more to get your child to sleep this way. As the cry-time gets shorter and shorter, start leaving her alone only for a few minutes while he or she is crying.

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