How to get your baby or toddler to sleep.

There are hundreds of books out there at the moment that promise to help you manage your child's sleeping. There are e-books too, as well as e-courses. You can even buy videos that show you how to do it.



Because sleep deprivation affects behaviour (both yours and your child's) and heightens stress levels generally, if you don't get it right, your family life will be affected. The problem is that every child is different, right?



Wrong. There is one simple method to sleep train your child that works. And, if used early enough (while the child is under two years of age) it is guaranteed to solve poor sleep habits for good.


And here it is.


All you have to do is leave them to cry.


Put them down to sleep calmly and softly after reading them a story. Then walk calmly out of the room. If they are too young to get out of bed then wait two minutes (while they cry) and then go into the room and soothe them. Don't pick them up. Soothe them and then leave the room.



Then:

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. At two/five minute intervals.

Until they fall asleep. They will stop crying eventually and go to sleep. Trust me.

If they are a bit older, and can get out of their bed, pick them up, and gently tell them that they are going to sleep. Then return them to bed. When they get out again, just say 'night, night', and then return them to bed. When they get out again, say nothing, and return them to bed. Then:

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Until they fall asleep. And they will fall asleep. Because children do go to sleep, especially when they realise that their parents aren't stressed about it, that they aren't angry at their child, that all they want as parents is for their child to just go to sleep like a normal human being.

If you stay calm and just expect sleep to happen, following the steps above, your child will learn to sleep. This is a guaranteed method.




(A caveat. Never, ever, leave a child to cry for longer than ten minutes. Ever. You know it is wrong, so don't do it.)