5 Ways to Help Your Toddler Sleep So You Can Too

Getting your toddler to sleep through the night can feel like a never-ending battle, especially when you’re running on empty yourself. Between midnight wake-ups, cries for water, and little feet crawling into your bed at 3 am, it’s no wonder so many parents feel exhausted. Sleep deprivation doesn’t just affect your energy levels; it can impact your mood, patience, and overall well-being. But the good news is that with a few simple changes to your child’s sleep habits and environment, you can start to reclaim your evenings and enjoy a full night’s rest. Here are five tried-and-tested tips to make bedtime easier for your toddler and more restful for you.

Create a predictable bedtime routine

Consistency is key. A calming routine, such as bath time followed by a story and a cuddle, helps signal to your toddler that it’s time to wind down. Doing the same things in the same order every night builds sleep cues and helps your child feel secure and ready for bed.

Stick to a regular sleep schedule

Putting your toddler to bed and waking them up at the same time each day, even at weekends, supports their internal body clock. Overtired toddlers often struggle more to fall and stay asleep, so keeping to a set routine can really help.

Make their bedroom sleep-friendly

A quiet, cool, and dark room creates the ideal sleep environment. Blackout curtains and white noise machines can block out distractions and encourage deeper sleep. For extra comfort, have a look at Simba Sleep. Their high-quality mattresses and pillows use clever temperature-regulating technology to keep your toddler cosy and comfortable all night.

Help them learn to fall asleep on their own

It’s tempting to stay with your child until they drift off, but helping them learn to fall asleep independently can reduce night-time wake-ups. Try sitting nearby and gradually moving further away over a few nights to help build confidence.

Limit screens before bedtime

The blue light from screens can interfere with the body’s natural sleep hormone, melatonin. Aim for screen-free time at least one to two hours before bed, and replace TV or tablets with quiet activities like colouring or bedtime stories.

Dinner time

Children need the right nutrients to make hormones that help them sleep. Melatonin tells the body it’s time to rest. Serotonin helps them feel calm. These come from what they eat. Lisa Artis from The Sleep Charity shares her advice on how food links to sleep, and which foods might help or make things worse.

Low levels of things like magnesium, vitamin B6 and tryptophan can make sleep harder. Foods that cause sugar highs and crashes can also wake children up in the night. And if they eat a big meal too late, their body is busy digesting when it should be settling down.

Some foods help the body relax and sleep more deeply. These are good to include in your child’s evening routine.

Lisa Arthis, from the Sleep Charity says, “You don’t have to give up some of your favourite foods, snacks or treats to get better sleep, but you do need to be mindful of when to eat them, especially if you want to increase your chances of feeling well rested in the morning.”

Now it’s time to prioritise your sleep too.

Simba SleepCreating better sleep habits for your toddler is the first step, but your rest matters just as much. Start prioritising your sleep by making your own bedroom as restful as theirs. Using sleep-supporting gear from Simba Mattress, such as a mattress and a Hybrid Duvet, could help you create a calm, comfortable space that encourages deeper, more restorative rest. You could even complete the set-up with a Ludlow Bed frame. A well-rested parent is better equipped to handle the joys and challenges of parenting, and you deserve to wake up feeling refreshed, too.