Parenting Tips for Your 39-40 Month Old Child
For some families bedtime can be a struggle. Your child may resist all attempts you make to get him to sleep at a reasonable hour. Here are some tips you can use:
- Have a bedtime routine. Do quiet activities with your child before bedtime like reading a book, taking a bath or listening to soft music. Doing fast-paced activities right before bedtime may make your child too excited to sleep.
- Be consistent. Make bedtime the same time every night. This creates a schedule so your child knows what to expect.
- Allow your child to take a favorite safe thing to bed like his teddy bear, blanket or favorite toy. This will help him fall asleep at bedtime and help if he wakes up in the middle of the night.
- Make sure your child is comfortable. Your child may need a drink of water, a dim light left on or the bedroom door left open. Try to handle these needs before bedtime so he cannot use them to avoid going to sleep.
Do not go to your child’s room every time he calls for you. Instead, try these tips:
- Wait several seconds before you answer and wait a little longer each time he calls you.
- Reassure your child that you are there. If you need to go into his room, do not turn on the light, play with him or stay long.
- Remind him each time that it is time to sleep.
Offering choices to children around bedtime issues can also help make going to bed easier. Offering choices will give your child practice at making decisions and help them feel like they can control some parts of their life.
When stating choices, be sure that you will be happy with either choice your child makes. For example, “Would you rather wear the pink pajamas or the yellow ones?” As a parent, you need to be okay with your child choosing either one. “Would you like the light on or off?” Do not offer these choices if you are not willing to leave the light on.
Other examples of offering choices are:
- “Would you rather sleep with the door open or shut?”
- “Would you like to sleep with the blankets on or the blankets off?”
- “Would you like a drink of water in the green cup or the red cup?”
- “Would you like to read in bed or go right to sleep?”
