Naps for Preschoolers: Your 3 and 4-Year-Old Nap Questions, Answered I have received LOTS of questions about naps for preschoolers and late bedtimes for 3 and 4 year-olds. I chose the most wide-reaching to answer here! Late Night Bedtime Cycle Parent Question: My son will be 4 in September and has generally been a great…
Does Your Preschooler Still Need to Nap? Probably Does your preschooler still need to nap? Surprisingly, many parents and educators feel that preschoolers shouldn’t need this important developmental assist in their education. The Huffington Post recently published an article that points out the necessity of naps when it comes to learning, as well as the…
Quiet Time for Toddlers — Dropping the Afternoon Nap Dropping the afternoon nap in favor of quiet time can bring a big transition for the whole family. Many families ask about the appropriate age to drop their naps for good. On average children give up their afternoon nap at 4 years old. That being said,…
Baby and Toddler Naps — Everything You Need to Know Many parents assume that nighttime is the only time that we should worry about our baby’s and toddler’s sleep. What parents often don’t realize is how important naps really are to babies’ development, temperament, and growth. Naps are incredibly important for babies and toddlers, but…
Cosleeping with Multiple Children: The Family Bed A family bed — a fancy name for instances when parents are cosleeping with multiple children in a ‘family’ bed — is quite common. Although not many families talk about it, they do need to consider what happens when another baby is introduced into a family bed. You…
Toddler Naps: Nap or Not to Nap for My 4 Year Old? A reader wrote in this question about toddler naps: “I am struggling. Does my 4 year old need a nap? On weekdays, she goes to 1/2 day preschool, naps afterwards in her room with dim lights and a sound machine from about 12:45pm…
Drowsy But Awake — The Cornerstone of Successful Sleep Training The term “Drowsy But Awake” comes up in just about every piece of advice about sleep coaching. But just what does it mean? Newborns drift in and out of sleep in short cycles, while older babies and toddlers consolidate into more regular patterns. The minutes…
Cosleeping Toddler: Teaching Independent Sleep in Your Bed At some point, everyone needs to learn to put themselves to sleep, and that includes your cosleeping toddler. The point of cosleeping is to allow everyone in the family to sleep well. That also means that you do not have to continue to go to bed at…
Bottle Weaning – Saying “Bye Bye” to the Bottle for Good There are so many factors that affect baby and toddler sleep. If your toddler (or even preschooler) is using a bottle at naps, bedtime, or to re-settle overnight, then he or she might be using it as their sleep crutch. If you notice that…
Toddler Night Weaning: How Do I Stop the Constant Night Wakings? A mom named Hailey wrote to me and asked me a question about toddler night weaning: “My one-year-old wakes up six times a night. Sometimes it is for his pacifier and sometimes it is for milk. But mostly it is for no reason other…
