Written by Dr Sarah Blunden and Dr Kirrilly Thompson
Many parents experience difficulty getting their toddler to go to bed at night and to stay in bed and fall asleep by themselves. This book sets out a simple reward system for encouraging a consistent bedtime routine and for getting toddlers to stay in bed and fall asleep without their parents present. Learning these routines will also help the toddler settle themselves back to sleep if they wake during the night.
The strategies outlined are based on sound psychological principals and years of experience in helping parents overcome their toddler’s behavioural sleep problems. The book begins with a bedtime story that shows how different Australian animals prepare for sleep and relates their behaviour to what is expected of the toddler. The animal pictures are colourful and cute and the messages simple. Each animal picture is followed by an illustration of a toddler carrying out their own bedtime routine – cleaning their teeth, washing their hands and face, and getting ready for bed. The toddler is rewarded with a sticker immediately if they go to bed without fussing and another sticker in the morning for being the “Boss of My Sleep” and staying in bed. If they get two stickers they also receive another small reward.
The book outlines in detail how parents are to use the book and the evidence behind the methods used. It provides strategies for preventing toddlers getting upset when parents leave the bedroom and most importantly for the toddlers to remain calm and become confident that they can become independent and settle themselves to sleep.
Professor Rosemary SC Horne
Department of Paediatrics
Monash University
December 2019