Getting your infant/toddler to sleep on their own.

It's never too late to teach a child to fall asleep on their own.  Each child needs to learn this important skill; if not for their own benefit, for the benefit of their parents.  But how do you do this, especially when your child is a little older?

It all comes down to a consistent bed-time routine, beginning at as close to the same time each night.  What you do for a bed-time routine is up to you.  For a suggestion, here is what we have done with our daughter since she was about a month and a half.  If it's bath night, we begin with that.  Now we all help to clean up her toys.  Then I would feed her, now a days I give her a bottle.  We have a little cuddle time as we talk about the day and give hugs and kisses.  Then my husband takes her upstairs, brushes her teeth, changes her into her sleeper, reads her a book or two and lays her in her crib and tucks her in, wide awake.  By the time he gets downstairs and turns on the monitor, she is sound asleep.  It doesn't matter who puts her to bed, we still do the same things, except that I sing her a song instead of reading her a book.  She didn't always fall asleep so quickly.  It took a little while of doing a consistent routine that helped us get to this point.

Now I know that not every child will fall asleep that quickly, even after a consistent routine.  But the key is to lie them in their bed while still awake.  It also helps to start when your child is very young.

From what I have read and heard about doing this with toddlers, it is still important for things to be consistent.  Your toddler will probably cry and that's okay, but you need to refrain from picking them up.  Calm them down and soothe them, lie them back down and leave the room.  Staying in the room, if leaving it just makes things worse, also helps as long as each night you slowly make your way closer to the door.  They will probably still call for you, but you need to resist the temptation to pick them up and cuddle them until they fall asleep.  You'll just be back at square one.  It also helps for them to have something special to comfort them in bed.  My daughter can't go to sleep if she doesn't have her fleece blanket. 

Eventually you'll be able to lie them in bed, tuck them in and relax because you know they'll be asleep soon.