Make sure your toddler starts each day at the same time when you're in a sleep emergency

These six topics in the It's an emergency section of The Possums Sleep Program are a place to start if you're in a toddler sleep crisis. To really turn things around over the next couple of weeks, so that the days and nights are as enjoyable as possible, and you're no longer so utterly exhausted and sleep-deprived, please go to the whole of The Possums Toddler Sleep Program, starting here. Or you might like to go to the Brief & simple version first, starting here.

When you find yourself in a toddler sleep emergency, it’s important that your little person starts each day at the same time. This is how you reset her body clock. Choose the very earliest possible wake-up time that you and your family can stick to consistently over the weeks ahead!

Open the curtains or blinds and bring your child into the noise, activity and light or sunlight of a new day, at the same time each morning. It helps to gently but actively wake a toddler up at this regular time.

If you’ve been sleeping in very late with your toddler because you’re trying to cope and catch up on sleep, you might bring your child’s get-up time earlier only gradually, perhaps by 15 minutes a day, until you reach your chosen wake-up time. It's hard, doing the transition, but definitely worth it in the end.

You’ll probably have lots of questions about this and I have more information about the challenges of starting the day at the same time elsewhere in The Possums Toddler Sleep Program.

But right now, if someone else can take your toddler to start the day at the same time each morning and you can go back to sleep, that would be wonderful!