🌸 The Toddler Bedtime Win That Took All My Tricks (And Still Barely Worked)
After one long travel day and one big meltdown, I pulled off the impossible — toddler bedtime without tears… mostly.
Let me tell you about last night.
We’d just gotten back in town. I was beyond ready to drop — baby, toddler, bags, chaos. But there was one more obstacle in this motherhood marathon:
Getting my 3-year-old to sleep in his own bed.
Cue the tiny, heartbreaking voice:
“But I want to sleep with you, Mama!”
Oh, sweetheart.
My mom heart almost folded.
But nope, this mama needed the win.
How I Won the Toddler Bedtime Battle
Honestly? I used the stuffy.
Yep — his beloved stuffed animal did the emotional heavy lifting.
My husband and I have been trying all sorts of tricks. Songs, extra hugs, even laying in his bed until he falls asleep, but nothing helped him feel settled until we brought in his stuffy. It was the emotional reassurance he needed. You see, travel always throws our sleep routine into chaos. With my toddler, the trip meant a shift in his environment, and with the new baby, our bedtime routines were getting more and more unpredictable. It felt like we were starting from scratch every time. But last night? I knew I had to pull out a new tool.Here’s the play-by-play:
Step 1: He picked which stuffy to talk to about his feelings.
Letting him choose gave him a sense of control, something I realized he was craving.
Step 2: Stuffy “said,” “I missed you! Welcome back! Can I have a hug?”
The stuffed animal’s words weren’t just comfort; they were a tool to express emotions safely. It wasn’t me comforting him—it was his stuffy doing the emotional heavy lifting. (The more and more we do this, he asks to talk to stuffy instead of me lol)
Step 3: Stuffy wiped his tears and gently asked why he was upset.
We always talk about how feelings are tough for toddlers to process, but this simple interaction helped him understand why he was feeling sad. And when he spoke to the stuffy, it felt less like he was being “corrected” and more like a conversation.
Step 4: Stuffy hyped his room: “This is the coolest room ever! All your stuffy friends live here!”
Positive reinforcement is key. We created a safe, exciting space with words, rather than the usual “go to bed” command.
Step 5: We did disguised deep breaths: blowing out the stuffy’s “finger candles.”
Turns out, blowing out imaginary candles is a toddler-friendly version of deep breathing. And let me tell you, it worked like a charm.
Step 6: Light stretches with stuffy.
Yes, we got goofy, but light stretching was another way to calm him down and redirect his energy in a positive way.
Step 7: He picked who slept where, tucked them in, and he asked, “Will you sleep here too mama?”
I told him, “I’ll stay next to your bed until you fall asleep.”
And y’all… he passed out. Instantly.
Did We Keep the Win?
Two hours later…
I found him on the sofa. Sleeping with Daddy.
😩 BUT A WIN IS A WIN.
(Backstory: Since baby #2, Daddy’s been sleeping in #1’s room because travel keeps messing up our sleep-training. I’ll unpack that chaos another day.)
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Mama’s Takeaway
✅ Use stuffed animals as emotional translators – Toddlers process feelings best through play and familiar objects.
✅ Let kids process feelings through play – Sometimes a stuffed animal is the best “listener.”
✅ Give choices = give control – Toddlers crave autonomy. Let them pick how the bedtime process unfolds.
✅ Celebrate partial wins – Even if your kid ends up in the bed with you (or Daddy), that’s still progress!
✅ You’re not failing if bedtime isn’t perfect – The chaos is normal. You’re just in the trenches with the rest of us
Okay, mamas — your turn:
How long did your kid sleep with you before finally staying in their own bed?
What worked? What flopped? What broke you?
Drop your stories below — the messy, funny, and real ones. Let’s swap bedtime battle scars.
📤 Know another mama in the bedtime trenches?
Send her this post. She needs the laugh (and the hope).
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