Being the parent to a tiny preschooler is one of the most wonderful, fulfilling experiences a person can have in life, full of more laughter and smiles than you could have possibly imagined. However, as much as we all appreciate the good times of raising small children, it’s also healthy to acknowledge the more challenging ones, too, like making sure they get enough sleep.

Although ensuring your little one sleeps well is a necessary part of raising them, you'll know that it comes with its drawbacks, such as stress, tiredness and repetitiveness. Which is where sleep training comes in. But one of the challenges that many people don’t talk about when it comes to sleep training is the morning wake-up management.

Making sure that you are completely consistent with all sleep scenarios (for both nighttime sleep and naps as well), can go a long way to helping to manage your toddler's sleep.

But if you’re struggling to know how to go about managing these areas, know that you’re not alone, and that things will get better by following the advice given here.

So, to start off with, let’s explore how you can manage morning wake-ups.

How can I manage morning wake-ups?

You may already be aware from friends or family who have sleep-trained their children that sometimes mornings can be particularly difficult. However, it's always important to remember that each day is a chance for a new start, so try to start each day thinking positively about the changes you are making, regardless of how well they slept the night before.

Get your child to acknowledge the clock. If you have set a sleep clock in your child’s room, go into their room at the time it is due to go off. As soon as you see that the clock has shown your little one it’s time to wake up, go in and refer to this. For example, you could say something like, “Oh look, the clock is telling us that it’s morning and time to get up!” Even if your child is not looking at the clock, try to get them to acknowledge it.

Help the process along with kisses and cuddles. Your child may be feeling stressed or tired from the night before if they haven’t slept well, so it will really help to ease the morning along with a lot of kisses, cuddles, and positive attention.

Don’t make a big fuss about any problems the night before. A really important point to remember is to not make a fuss about any issues that occurred the night before, during sleep training. Don’t make a reference to it at all, if possible.

Give praise if possible. Children usually respond well to praise, and it encourages them to continue good behaviour. Therefore, try to give a little praise if your child has done something good. For example, you could say something like, “Well done Sabrina, you stayed in bed all night and didn’t come into my room!”.

Now that we’ve looked at what you can do to manage morning wake-ups, let’s dive into how you can also effectively manage your child’s naps.

How can I manage my child’s naps?

Use the same sleep training techniques. If you find that your child is still needing a daytime nap, then you might want to consider using the same techniques that you’ve been using at bedtime for naptime as well. Remember, your child needs to learn the difference between nap time and nighttime, and this is crucial.

Use sleepy-time phrases and techniques. Practising using the same sleepy-time phrases and techniques that you also use at night when you are laying your child down for sleep, can be really helpful when it comes to daytime naps.

Use white noise and blackout blinds. The use of white noise and blackout blinds can be useful for anyone’s sleep patterns – especially children. And when it comes to sleep training your toddler, they can be as helpful for daytime naps as during the night.

Use a sleep clock. Little children tend to respond very well to sleep clocks, and if it has a nap-time setting, then this can also be very helpful.

Remember that nap-time routines are harder for children to accept. Our little ones can find change difficult, especially when it comes to sleep! So if you’re finding it difficult to get them into a healthy nap-time routine, try to have a little more patience than normal.

Now that we’ve looked at how to manage your child’s naps, let’s consider how you can do the same for their early morning waking!

How can I manage my child’s early morning waking?

If your toddler is waking before 7am, they may not be getting enough sleep. Strangely, often if our little ones are consistently waking too early, that can be a sign that they are not getting enough sleep because the timings of their naps and bedtime aren't working with their natural body clock, so they are overtired by the time they need to be going to bed.

Be aware of your child’s natural going to sleep time in the evening. Science tells us that a natural bedtime for most toddlers is during the early evening – between 6-8pm, and that their wake time will be around 12 hours later. So, in order to predict when your child will wake, look at what time they go to sleep.

Aim for their sleep cycle to be from 7pm – 7am. As a general guide, it’s advised that you suggest sleep timings for your child by going to bed at 7pm, and waking up at 7am. This will naturally ease them into a much healthier routine for their age.

Be as reassuring and positive as you can. Issues like early morning waking warrant a lot of reassurance from you. So if this seems to be a problem that keeps recurring, try to greet your child with positivity and reassurance. This might solve the problem naturally.

Keep timings consistent. Whatever timings you choose for your child’s sleep cycle, always keep them consistent.

Also consider other reasons your toddler may be waking up early. When it comes to your child’s sleep, it’s important to consider all reasons behind any difficulties. If they appear to be waking up early on a regular basis, it could be for a number of reasons. For example, too much sleep during the day, milk feeds during the night, an acid-reflux issue, the neighbour’s dog barking, or just bad habits.

It's always advisable to consult with a paediatrician or sleep specialist for personalised guidance tailored to your child's needs.

How can I manage mornings, naps and early morning waking whilst sleep training?

Sleep training your preschooler is a breeze with Unii’s tips.