How the the Bedtime Pass can make your evening struggles disappear


When parents think of sleep training, they are often just imagining extinction sleep training (commonly known as "cry it out" or CIO). Thus, they imagine lots of crying, tantrums, and battles when trying to change the status quo.

The fact is, CIO doesn't work well for older kids anyway. That's why I love the Bedtime Pass. A simple yet effective tool for managing nighttime interruptions. Instead of battling wills, your child can use a "Bedtime Pass" for a trip out of their room or to call for you at night. If they keep the pass until morning, they earn a small reward. It's that easy!

This technique has been shown in multiple studies to

  • Rapidly reduce "curtain calls" (requests for hugs, glasses of water, extra stories, etc)
  • Reduce night time awakenings
  • Help anxious children transition out of their parent's rooms

The best part: this avoids the "extinction burst" of increased crying and fighting which may occur with CIO based techniques.

In my new article on the Bedtime Pass, I explain

  • The best age ranges for this technique
  • How to use it for children who are coming out of their room multiple times per night
  • How to STOP using the bedtime pass, as ending rewards based systems can be tricky.

Please, check out the article, comment and share if you find it useful!

Thanks

Craig

Craig Canapari MD

I'm a pediatric sleep doctor, author, and in my day job I run the Yale Pediatric Sleep Center. I've been writing about pediatric sleep issues for tired parents since 2012. Join my newsletter to get the best information about sleep problems (and solutions) in children.

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