Weird Toddler Sleep!
If you have ever watched your toddler on the monitor or slept in the same room as them, you know toddlers can do a lot of strange things in their sleep!
Here are some headlines on what your toddler does at night and explanations:
Toddler Talking In Sleep
Sleep talking is also known as somniloquy. This can range from muttering nonsense to whole sentences.
To learn more about sleep talking check our this article here.
If the sleep talking is also accompanied by screaming, crying, and not able to be comforted it could be night terrors. Not enough daytime sleep or too late of a bedtime can cause toddlers to have night terrors. Night terrors typically happens before midnight, within the first 4 hours of sleep. Try to keep a regular bedtime and naps to ensure your child is getting enough sleep.
Toddler Sweating In Sleep
If your toddler is sweating in their sleep, not to worry if the don't have a fever! You should try to keep their room between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A lot of work and restoration is done in sleep! If you notice other symptoms along with the sweating, it would be a good idea to mention it to your Pediatrician. For some children they can have enlarged adenoids and tonsils that cause "infant sleep apnea" and you will often find children sweating or sleeping in bizarre positions.
Toddler Snoring or Mouth Breathing In Their Sleep
When your child is snoring or mouth breathing it could be caused by a cold or illness. Is this is something that happens all the time, you should mention it to your pediatrician because it can be a sign of enlarged tonsils, adenoids, or may be a sign of a sleep disorder as mentioned above with "infant sleep apnea"
Toddler crying in sleep or screaming in their sleep
Why do toddlers cry in their sleep? It could be night terrors. Night terrors typically happens before midnight, within the first 4 hours of sleep. Toddler do lots of screaming and crying and eyes can be open or closed. Often the child is not able to be comforted. Pediatric Chiropractic and sleep science can be a great way to combat night terrors. Watch my interview with Pediatric Chiropractor Dr. Elise Hamilton here.
Toddler Coughing in Sleep
If you hear your toddler coughing in sleep, it can be interrupting a great sleeper to keep waking throughout the night. On days your toddler is fighting an illness, try giving them a bath or even running a hot shower and just letting them spend some time in the bathroom so the steam can clear out their sinuses. If you haven't heard of the Nose Freida this is great product to have for babies and toddlers that aren't able to blow their own nose just yet.
Toddler Grinding Teeth in Sleep
Have you woke up to a grinding noice and realize its your toddler grinding teeth in sleep? This is also known as sleep bruxism. Causes can vary, but may include teething, misaligned teeth, stress, genetics, or separation anxiety. If this is something you hear your child doing, it's a good idea to mention it to their Pediatrician or Dentist.
To learn more about sleep bruxism check out this article from the Sleep Foundation here.
Toddler Does Not Know Their Sleep Skills
One of the biggest misconceptions about raising children is that they are born already knowing how to sleep well.
The reality is sleep is a learned skill.
If your child needs you to lay down with them or needs you to pat them to sleep or sing to sleep or they require you to do something to or for them in order to go to sleep, this means your child has a "SLEEP CRUTCH". Sleep crutches are not bad or dangerous, and they can work beautifully and reliably for a long time, but at a certain point, it becomes difficult for a parent to "keep up" with the demands. Any time a child needs parental assistance at bedtime or in the middle of the night, it means they have not learned their sleep skills. Toddler to not "grow out" of bad sleep. It is something you have to teach your child.
The act of learning to sleep includes three important life skills. Self-regulation, self-settling and self-soothing children. It is never "too late" for a child to learn their sleep skills. I regularly work with toddlers, in fact, I work with children up to age 6.
My approach to Guilt-Free, Gentle Sleep Coaching® is to create the right environment and offer the right support for your child to easily and successfully learn how to sleep well.
This is why I offer an alternative to cry it out methods. The ‘cry-it-out’ method does not help your child learn sleep skills. They just ‘crash out’ instead of learning how to self-settle and self-soothe to sleep.
With Gentle Sleep Coaching®, our science-based method provides a systematic, proven process for nurturing your child’s sleep skills.
No psychological trauma.
No mommy guilt or shame.
The Blissful Baby Stairway to Sleep™ is designed to limit frustration, confusion, and tears.
It’s meant to optimize your child’s healthy growth and lifelong sleeping habits.
Are you struggling with your child's sleep? Could you use some support?
The first step to see if I can help you achieve beautiful, blissful sleep is to schedule a 60 minute ZOOM sleep strategy session. Go to this link and complete the contact me form and I will be in touch within 24 hours with directions on how to schedule your Sleep Strategy Session.
If you are still wondering if I can help, please know I do NOT advocate 'cry-it-out'. I am a Gentle Sleep Coach. If you want to learn about my guilt-free and gentle process, please go to these links.
The Blissful Baby Stairway to Sleep
Please join my Sleep is Bliss Tribe in Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn so we can stay connected and you can continue to get amazing resources on sleep and family wellness.