TinyStepper
Parent and child on a sofa with a picture book, warm lamp light

Quiet Settle Practice

Daytime rehearsal of waking up in the night and self-settling — pretend to wake, find the sleep buddy, hug it, lie back down. Builds the muscle memory the child will use at 3am.

Activity details

2y–4y8 minslowindoorStuffed Animals

Instructions

Get ready
  • Sit on the bed in the daytime with your child and the sleep buddy.
  • Say: 'We're going to practise what to do if you wake up in the dark.'
  1. Sit on the bed in the daytime with your child and the sleep buddy.
  2. Say: 'We're going to practise what to do if you wake up in the dark.'
  3. Lie down together. Pretend the room is dark and very quiet. Whisper.
  4. Say: 'Step one — open your eyes slowly. Look around.' Demonstrate.
  5. 'Step two — find sleep buddy. Where is she?' Let your child find it.
  6. 'Step three — give her a big squeeze. Tell her good night again.' Whisper.
  7. 'Step four — close your eyes and stay very still.' Count to ten silently.
  8. Sit up and praise the practice: 'Brilliant. That's exactly what to do tonight if you wake up.'

Parent tip

Set out stuffed animals before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Relaxed child lying on a floor cushion with blanket and pinwheel in a cosy calm corner

What success looks like

A few quiet minutes together without pressure. If your child relaxes even slightly, that’s self-regulation building.

In the middle of the day, lie on the bed together and pretend to wake up in the dark. Show your toddler the sequence: open eyes, look for sleep buddy, give it a squeeze, close eyes again. The point is to rehearse the self-settle in daylight, when the child is calm and capable, so the steps feel familiar when they actually wake at 3am. Toddlers don't naturally know how to resettle — they need to be taught, in the same way they're taught to brush teeth.

Why it helps

AAP HealthyChildren puts it directly: children need time and opportunity to learn to go back to sleep on their own. Daytime rehearsal turns the night-time skill into something the child has practised and owns, rather than something they have to figure out at the worst possible moment. The brave-faced confidence of having done it before in daylight is what gets them through the actual 3am moment.

Variations

  • Use a small torch under the duvet to make the practice feel slightly more like night.
  • Practise with the door closed and lights off for a more realistic version, once your child is comfortable with the bright-room version.
  • On nights when your child does wake and resettle alone, mention it the next morning: 'You did the practice all by yourself — well done.'

Safety tips

  • Keep the daytime practice cheerful and short — never let it become drilled or stressful.
  • Don't practise this if your child is already anxious about night waking; build the confidence indirectly first via Sleep Buddy Naming Day.
  • If your child resists the practice, drop it for a week and try again.

Want to try another?

Bedside Comfort Tour

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