If you need to do toddler sleep training with your toddler you are not alone. In the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers, Elisabeth Pantley highlights that 70% of parents with toddlers would change something about their child's sleep if they could. However, there's a lot you can do to minimise toddler sleep problems. For me, toddler sleep training begins from when your toddler first awakes and continues throughout the day right up until bedtime. If you want your toddler to sleep well at nights, then his activities, his routine, his daily naps and your presence all play a part. A toddler's bedtime routine is also extremely important to help your child drop off to sleep. The article also contains some tips about settling your child back to sleep if they wake during the night. So, if you're asking the questions such as why is my toddler not sleeping through the night or why does it take 2 hours for my toddler to drop off to sleep read on for some advice.

The daily routine is vital for toddler sleep training. It helps ensure that your child is tired enough to drop off to sleep quickly at bedtime.

• Wake up time. If you want your child to have an early bedtime it's best not to let them sleep too late. The wake up time of your child is very important because it will affect the time your toddler take his daily nap and therefore his bedtime. Obviously your timings may vary a little but if your child is sleeping until 8am or later it means their nap will be later and therefore bedtime is likely to be later than 7pm.
• Daily activities. Research has shown that children who are physically active take less time to fall to sleep. Therefore it's important that your toddler gets lots of physical activity throughout the day. Think trips to the park, the playground, soft play for toddlers, and swimming. Even a trip to a toddler group is stimulating and means your toddler will be wandering about playing with different toys. If you do things like shopping make sure your toddler gets a chance to walk about and isn't just sitting in a pushchair. If its raining and you're stuck in the house, put on some music and dance around or maybe do some active nursery rhymes such as head, shoulder, knees and toes. Try and get your toddler out and about during the day. Lots of exercise and fresh air is very helpful for a good nights sleep.

• Naps. Every toddler is different but many toddlers need or benefit from some kind of daytime nap until they are about 3 years old. Having a daytime nap helps toddlers to be alert, active and awake throughout the afternoon so that they have enough energy to tire themselves out for their night sleep. If a toddler doesn't have a nap there is a danger that they will over tire themselves and then find it hard to settle at night.  Don't let your toddler nap too late as then they will not feel sleepy at bedtime. As a general rule toddlers of a 12 months to 2 years require 1 to 2 naps totalling 2 to 3 hours. A 2 year old requires at least 1 nap of about 1 to 2 hours. Some 3 year olds may even need up to an hour's nap. However, make sure your toddler doesn't get more sleep than he/she needs in the daytime. When I was having sleep problems with my 2 year old, I found that cutting down his daily nap to 1 hour (I wake him up at this point) means that he drops off to sleep much more quickly at night.

The bedtime routine is very important in helping your child become drowsy and leading them to sleep. Allow at least 1 hour after your child's final meal to follow a routine. Each family and child is different. Some children become relaxed by and after a bath, whereas other children become more hyperactive. Make the bedtime hour an hour to wind down. Start with some quiet play or a bath. Get them in their pajamas and then into bed to read lots of stories and books. They won't be this age for long so enjoy this quiet time with your toddler. If they are worn out after a day filled with fun and exercise, 15 minutes of book reading should make them drowsy enough to lie down, relax and fall to sleep.

If your child is still not settling consider some of the following options:

• Wait in your toddler's room until they fall asleep. If you keep a consistent day and bedtime routine you should find you don't have to wait very long for them to fall asleep. If you choose to do this don't make eye contact with your toddler while you are in the room and be as boring as possible.
• Use the elastic band method. Wait until your toddler is calm in his cot/bed and then move away from him. If he starts to get distressed, you come back and reassure him by touching him but not by making eye contact. As he becomes more settled move further and further away from his bed so he gets used to you not being there.
• Leave your child to drop off to sleep and check on them every 5 minutes if they cry. Not my favored approach but experts say this works after about 7 to 10 days. If you do intend to leave your child a good tip is to record your voice reading them a bedtime story and leave it playing for as long as they want. The sound of your voice should help calm your toddler.

If your toddler wakes during the night here are some possible actions to take.

• Put your child back in bed /see them in their bed. Comfort them, touch them but don't speak or make eye contact. Just comfort them until they go back to sleep or are settled enough for you too leave.
• If you don't mind them sleeping in with you, settle them in your room. A good tip is to get an air bed/mattress for them which can be put on the floor in your room for them to sleep on. This means that they won't be kicking you in the head in the middle of the night!