Sleep Training Your Toddler: Tips and Strategies for a Restful Night's Sleep

As a parent, there are few things more precious than a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, when you have a toddler who won't sleep in their own bed, getting a full night's rest can feel like an impossible dream. That's where the Taking Cara Babies program comes in. This sleep training program is designed to help parents teach their toddlers to sleep in their own beds, and stay there all night long. In this blog post, we'll explore the basics of the Taking Cara Babies program, and share some tips for using it to help your toddler learn to sleep on their own. I personally used her program for both my children and I want everyone else to know about her and our success! There are several links throughout the post of the tools I used that worked great for me and my toddlers.

What is the Taking Cara Babies Program?

The Taking Cara Babies program is a sleep training program developed by Cara Dumaplin, a pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four. The program is designed to help parents teach their babies and toddlers healthy sleep habits, and promote healthy sleep patterns that will last a lifetime. The program focuses on sleep associations, bedtime routines, and creating a safe and comfortable sleep environment. It includes a series of online classes and resources, as well as one-on-one coaching and support from Cara and her team of sleep consultants. The program is flexible and customizable, and can be tailored to fit the unique needs of your family.

Tips for Using the Taking Cara Babies Program:

1. Start with the Basics: Establish a consistent bedtime routine and create a safe and comfortable sleep environment. Follow these tips to help your toddler get into the habit of sleeping in their own bed:

• Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time

• Create a calming bedtime routine, like reading a book or singing a lullaby

• Make sure the room is dark, quiet, and cool (no nightlights)

• Use a white noise machine to block out background noise

2. Stay Consistent: Consistency is key when it comes to sleep training. Stick to the same routine every night, and don't give in to your toddler's demands to sleep in your bed. This can be challenging at first, but it's important to stay firm and consistent in order to help your toddler learn healthy sleep habits.

3. Use Positive Reinforcement: Praise your toddler for staying in their own bed all night, and offer rewards like stickers or small treats to help motivate them.

4. Be Patient: Teaching your toddler to sleep in their own bed can take time and patience. Don't expect overnight results, and be prepared for several sleepless nights during the training process.

Our Personal Bedtime Routine:

1. Immediately after dinner, we clean up all the toys

2. Bath time- we let them play in the bath and brush their teeth

3. After bath, we go to their rooms and rub them down in lavender lotion and put Vicks on their feet and chest for easy breathing. We put their pajamas on and brush their hair

4. They get a bottle of milk and we read a book or two while they finish their milk

5. We clean up the books, turn on their sound machines, and tuck them in bed fully awake

6. Turn the lights off, pray, and kiss goodnight. We close the door and walk away

We chose 7:30 PM as our bedtime, so our routine after dinner begins at 7:00 PM. They are usually asleep between 7:30 and 8:00 PM depending on how tired they are. The Taking Cara Program also teaches you how to make sure your child sleeps through the night even if they wake up throughout the night. My children sleep 12 hours for the most part between 7:30 PM to 7:30 AM give or take. Sleeping on their own gives them a sense of self-confidence and a good sleeping environment makes them feel safe even though mom and dad may not be in the room.

It can be difficult sticking to specific routines, especially because you have to plan most of your day around nap and sleep schedules. But don’t worry, you can continue having a life, traveling, running errands, and having a normal life! I travel very often with my toddlers and have been able to minimize the impact to their sleep schedules by following the same sleep routine from anywhere in the world.

Lastly, if you feel or think to yourself, “there is NO WAY this will work for my child because….”, this program is for you! I thought the same exact thing with my toddler. I co-slept with both my kids, they were both breastfed, and had NEVER slept in their own beds let alone their own rooms. But I was shocked that my toddler was falling asleep on his own, in his crib, IN HIS OWN ROOM, after only. 3 days of following Cara’s advice. So don’t walk, RUN to Taking Cara Babies and start working on getting yourself some good night sleep and some much needed freedom!

Good luck mommies, and night night babies!