3 Ways to Handle the 3 Year Old Sleep Regression
Dealing with the 3 year old sleep regression is frustrating. Learn what to do when your child won’t sleep through the night or stay in bed.
The 3 year old sleep regression is enough to leave any parent feeling drained. The stall tactics, the sleep disruptions, and the endless meltdowns at the end of the night continue to happen despite your best efforts.
Rest assured friend, this won’t last forever. You can help your child take to bedtime and sleep through the night in her room.
We won’t go over the tactics you’ve likely already tried. Instead, let’s cut to the chase and get to the root of the problem, so that you can finally put these problems behind you.
As a mom of three, I’ve had my fair share of sleep issues (hence the blog name!). I’ll share what has worked for me and what my general sleep practices looked like. By the end of the article, you can hopefully come away with actionable tips to try.
In fact, one parent found the tips helpful and effective, even at 4:30 in the morning. She wrote:
Table of Contents
1. Experiment with naps and bedtimes
Many of us mistakenly think of nighttime sleep as isolated—that our kids’ resistance to sleep centers only within the evening hours.
The thing is, how well your child sleeps during the day affects his sleep pattern at night.
This could mean not letting him nap past a certain time or adjusting the time he naps so he has more time to be awake in the afternoon. You might even drop naps entirely, especially if it takes him a while to fall asleep.
In other circumstances, you might need to enforce nap time to begin with. It’s tempting to assume that lack of sleep will make him conk out by bedtime, but sleep begets sleep. The more sleep he gets during the day means better sleep at night.
And still yet, he might need a new bedtime, especially depending on his nap. For instance, if he takes a later nap, push bedtime back. Or if he’s transitioning to taking no naps, you’ll likely need to have an earlier bedtime, even temporarily (sometimes even as early as 6:30pm).
Experiment with his sleep throughout the day, from morning wake-ups to bedtimes, to reduce how often he wakes up crying every night.
Free resource: Do you struggle with getting him to take a nap? Grab your copy of The Five Habits That Will Make Your Child’s Naps Easier and make the nap transition easier! Discover the five steps you need to do to finally get a break while he naps. You’ll also get my newsletters, which parents say they LOVE:
2. Help your child feel confident sleeping alone
It’s tempting to succumb to your child when she begs to sleep in your bed or demands that you stay in her room until she falls asleep. After all, it’s a quick way to end tantrums at bedtime, right?
The thing is, this isn’t sustainable. She can’t continue sleeping in your bed in the long run, and spending hours waiting for her to fall asleep takes so much of your time. Obliging her requests also sends the message that all she has to do is throw a fit to get her way. Although you’re sleep-deprived, agreeing to her unreasonable demands sets up habits that can be difficult to undo.
Most importantly, you’re preventing her from learning a crucial skill: developing the confidence to sleep alone.
Each time you agree to sleep in her room, you’re reinforcing her fears that her room isn’t a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Similarly, inviting her into your bed every night confirms her suspicions that she’s better off sleeping with you than alone in her own toddler bed.
Instead, focus on building her confidence that she can sleep in her room alone. Remind her of past hurdles she overcame as well as coping tools (like holding onto her favorite stuffed animal) she can use.
3. Address issues of separation anxiety
As annoying as it is to deal with sleep regression, the root of the issue is anxiety. All kids go through separation anxiety, which is normal and even celebrated (it signals a healthy attachment to parents).
For instance, a 3 year old’s attachment to her mom could be a sign of a deeper fear of being apart. Separation anxiety at night can stem from new changes in the family such as welcoming a new baby.
Take a good look at what’s going on in your child’s environment and any developmental milestones he may be experiencing. Is he entering a new school or starting to potty train? Could he have seen something scary on television or in a movie?
Another reassurance you can offer is to let him know when he can expect to see you again. While it may seem obvious that you’ll reunite in the morning, he might see the long stretch ahead and wonder if you’ll still be nearby.
The bottom line
Going through the 3 year old sleep regression is hard, especially when typical parenting tips and advice don’t work. But by digging deeper and getting to the root of the problem, you can say goodbye to bedtime battles, walking her back to bed over and over, or trying to sneak out of her room without a peep.
Get more tips:
- Examples of a 3 Year Old Sleep Schedule
- What to Do When Your 3 Year Old Won’t Go to Sleep
- 3 Year Old Waking Up Too Early? Must-Know Tips for Parents
- When Your Child Regresses Because of New Baby Jealousy
- When to Transition from a Toddler Bed to a Twin Bed
Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and grab your copy of The Five Habits That Will Make Your Child’s Naps Easier below—at no cost to you: