What the research includes
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s review of 52 studies addressed bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children, not babies alone. One randomized trial, which enrolled 264 mothers of children aged 6 to 36 months, found children fell asleep faster and had fewer, shorter night wakings, with gains visible by one week and larger gains by week two. Toddlers are able to change their sleep, and they do.
How toddler sleep problems are different
| Baby | Toddler |
|---|---|
| Wakes needing a feed, a rock or a pacifier | Wakes needing you, a drink, one more story, your bed |
| Protests with crying | Protests with negotiating, stalling, calling out, climbing out |
| Cannot grasp rules | Can grasp simple rules and rewards |
| Schedule centers on wake windows | Schedule often centers on shortening or dropping the nap |
One-size toddler advice often falls apart because toddlers spot every gap. When one adult gives in, or the rule bends on a tired night, the toddler learns that pushing pays off. Actually Sleeping supports babies and toddlers from the newborn stage onward, and Dr. Sam builds toddler plans around your child, your room and bed setup, and every adult who handles bedtime.
What a toddler plan needs to cover
- The routine. Brief and fixed, so the sequence is not open to debate.
- Curtain calls. The extra drink, the extra hug, the extra question, and how each adult responds.
- Getting out of bed or climbing out of the crib. Read toddler won’t stay in bed.
- Mornings. A toddler with no clear sign of when morning begins will test it at 5 a.m.
- Timing of naps and bedtime. Plenty of toddler bedtime battles come down to a toddler who simply is not tired yet. Read the 2-year-old schedule.
- All caregivers. Grandparents, sitters and both parents must follow the same plan.
Situations toddlers often bring
- Bed sharing that was fine for a while and no longer is.
- A switch from crib to bed that happened too soon. Read when to move to a toddler bed.
- Bedtimes that drag on past an hour.
- A new sibling arrives, and the older child abruptly starts waking at night.
- Separation anxiety at bedtime. Read separation anxiety at bedtime.
- Night waking that began with an illness and never went away.
What is harder, and what is easier
Older habits mean the first few nights may be noisier, and toddlers check whether the new rule truly holds. On the plus side, toddlers follow explanations, respond to praise, and can notice their own progress. Many families discover toddlers change more quickly than they feared once every adult responds alike, and holding that line is precisely what daily support helps with.
When to see your pediatrician first
Loud snoring on most nights, pauses in breathing, mouth breathing, very restless sleep, or unusual daytime sleepiness. Any of these may signal a medical cause. Read sleep consultant vs pediatric sleep specialist.
How Actually Sleeping approaches this: Actually Sleeping supports babies and toddlers from the newborn stage onward, so toddlers are well within scope. Dr. Sam builds the plan around your child’s age and their room and bed setup, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, 1:1 check-ins every day and nap coaching until naps are solid. It is neither cry it out nor wait it out. The result is guaranteed in writing: “We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan.” If not, you receive a full refund. Parents of children 12 months and older talk about their results in these video reviews. Book a free consultation to go over your toddler’s nights.
Ready to solve this for your baby?
Actually Sleeping offers 1:1 coaching: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your baby, you get bootcamp-style preparation before night one, and we check in every day until it works. 700+ families coached, 129 video reviews, and a written guarantee of 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or your money back in full.
Frequently asked
Is a 2 year old too old to sleep train?
No. Two-year-olds are able to learn new sleep habits, and many do well with clear routines, simple rules and praise. The approach differs from a baby’s, with more explaining and more planning for stalling and getting out of bed. Actually Sleeping supports babies and toddlers from the newborn stage onward.
Can a sleep consultant help keep my toddler in bed?
Yes. A plan sets out what each adult says and does every time your toddler gets up, how mornings begin, and timing. What makes it work is every adult staying consistent at bedtime, and daily check-ins help you keep that up.
Will moving my toddler to a big bed fix sleep?
Usually not. A move seldom solves a sleep problem and can create a new one, since a toddler in a bed is free to get up. If your child is still sleeping in a crib, it generally makes sense to fix sleep there first.