Toddlers : The tantrums, the turmoil and the impact on sleep
Toddlers : The tantrums, the turmoil and the impact on sleep
Nobody warns you that a toddler can bring you to your knees before 7am and still look cute doing so.
Friends, family and endless social media posts all warned me about the chaos that comes with a toddler. But until you are living it, you are never truly prepared. I certainly wasn’t.
How can such a tiny human exert such power over a household? How can they just switch off and ignore everything you say? How can they put away so many snacks? Why do they have no sense of fear? The answer : they are a toddler.
“At around two years of age children start to learn the concept of self and what causes a reaction. Their brains are wired for experimentation — pushing boundaries, testing reactions, and asserting independence. ”
They crave control and they don’t stop until they (think) they have got it. It can be frustrating, stressful and exhausting for parents.
They’re also undergoing huge developmental changes. You may notice rapid progress in speech and physical skills, sudden food refusal, and a general increase in defiance — all completely normal for this age.
I remember my son screaming the house down, completely inconsolable, his little face like a beetroot — ‘Noooo, Mummy!’ — all because I cut my own piece of toast in half. What it had to do with him, I still don’t know. Yet it was enough to cause a complete meltdown and throw our morning routine completely off.
This demanding age can sometimes also have an impact on sleep, particularly bedtime. It is the perfect storm: they’re tired, overstimulated, and desperate to cling onto the last bit of control they have left in the day. You may start to see real battles and feel like you are losing your evening to a little person who insists they are suddenly starving or need endless numbers of stories, all to avoid the inevitable.
“The key is to remember what they want, to feel control over every situation. ”
Some tips to keep bedtimes peaceful:
Eliminate surprises — communicate the plan so they know what to expect.
Offer controlled choices — let them choose their story, pyjamas or teddy.
Praise the positives — even small wins matter.
Hold your boundaries — it’s tempting to cave when you’re exhausted, but consistency shows them that you are in control, not them.
It’s messy, loud, and wildly unpredictable — but it’s also a phase filled with wonder, growth, and the kind of love that makes the tantrums survivable.
If you’re exhausted by bedtime battles and ready for real change, I offer personalised toddler sleep support designed to bring calm, consistency and rest back into your evenings. Click here to get started.