Little Kid Night Wakings: A Kinder, Smarter Fix That Actually Works

If your toddler is creeping into your room at 1am, 3am — or both — this episode is for you. Dr. Cathryn shares a simple, no-cry strategy that helped Katie sleep through the night in just one week, and gave Cecil's family a way into bedtime that finally felt collaborative instead of combative. Middle-of-the-night wake-ups are biologically normal — the goal isn't to stop your child from waking, it's to help them comfortably drift back to sleep without coming to find you. The Big-Hearted Ask works by turning your child from the scared one into the rescuer — giving them a stuffed animal that "needs their help" at night taps into their natural empathy and gives them a job to do at 2am. Four steps to set it up: introduce the animal during the day (not at bedtime), make tucking it in part of the wind-down routine, practice comforting it before lights out, and leave a simple reminder as you walk out the door. Whether your child is sneaking into your bed or battling bedtime from the very start, this strategy meets them where they are — and it's simpler than anything you've probably tried. RESOURCES How To Help Your Child Fall Asleep Without You (the smarter, kinder way) My Big-Hearted approach is a calm, step-by-step way to help your child fall asleep independently—without cry-it-out. Potty Without Pushback FREE workshop Learn a proven approach to ditch diapers that doesn’t chip away at a child’s dignity. The Potty Training Made Easy Program Finally ditch diapers without battles, pressure, or moments you wish you could take back. A pediatrician-designed approach trusted by 1M+ families to potty train with confidence instead of conflict. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.