How to Regulate a Toddler's Sleep Habits

Drown out distractions with a white noise machine to create a serene ambiance. As KidsHealth.org notes, kids this age are more likely to be diverted from the mission at hand -- snoozing -- than babies. So, your little one may have a hard time falling asleep if an older sibling is making a lot of noise in the hallway or she may be preoccupied with what she is missing after lights out. Keep the environment quiet so she can fall asleep easily.

Avoid putting your sweetie to bed with toys, which will only serve to divert her from shutting her eyes.

Establish a night time routine, beginning with a bath, followed by story time, for example. KidsHealth.org recommends winding down in the evenings about 30 minutes before bed. Do this at the same time each night.

Establish a similar, but shorter, routine at nap time. The National Sleep Foundation advises against scheduling naps too close to bedtime, as it may make it harder for your honey to fall asleep for the night.

Place your child in her own bed every night. Allowing her to sleep with you sometimes and not others will only confuse her and extend the bed time routine.

Exit the room quickly to avoid wagering from your wee one. Protests like "Can I have one more story?" or "I need to find my doll," are common but don't linger too long. If your tot keeps calling for you after you've said goodnight, HealthyChildren.org suggests waiting a bit longer each time to respond.

State clearly that it's time for bed and you will not keep going in there. For example, you can say "Do you have everything you need? This is it."

Insist that your child go back to bed if she tries to get up during the night. PBS.org recommends gently reminding your little one what is expected the first time she wakes. Say, "It is not morning yet. You must go back to sleep," as you take her back to bed.

Keep your interactions with your child throughout the night as uneventful as possible to discourage frequent night wakings, suggests PBS.org. If your tot tries getting up several times during the night, quickly guide her back to her room without engaging in conversation. Repeat the process each time. Eventually she will get the picture: this is not playtime, it's bedtime.

Set up a clock in your child's room that changes colors when she is allowed to get up in the morning, in an effort to keep her in bed as long as possible. As the National Sleep Foundation points out, the fact that she is now able to get out of bed by herself is a true temptation. Another suggestion is to use room-darkening shades to keep out those bright sun rays in the a.m.