Pop Outs 2.5 years +.

Why choose this method?

Your child has shown the ability to settle

independently in the past.

You have already tried in room or hands on

settling methods and your child finds this
distracting or becomes frustrated.

Your child will remain calm if you leave the room

briefly.

You are confident in your child’s ability to settle

and know they just need to be given the
opportunity.

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Pop Outs

This method is about building trust and is a great for toddlers and even older
children who are usually “good” sleepers but have recently regressed and require
a little more reassurance to get back to settling independently.

Method
Sit with your child in their room as they are getting ready
for bed and tuck them in, then find an excuse to “pop out”
of the room for a short interval then return.
The first time you pop out, say something like “I’m just
going to get a drink of water, I’ll be right back”. Leave the
room very briefly before returning to sit with them. This
builds their trust that you are still there and that you will
return.
With each pop out, gradually increase the amount of time
you spend out of the room. This is allowing your child the
chance to fall asleep on their own.
If at any point they cry out, go straight back to the room to
reassure them. Remember, we are building trust.
You can do several pop outs on one night, gradually
increasing the intervals out of the room until your child falls
asleep.
Alternatively, for a more gradual approach, you can just do
one or two pop outs each night to build trust, increasing the
intervals each night until they fall asleep with you out of the
room.
When they fall asleep (while you are out of the room), still
go back in as promised. You can leave a small token like a
heart cut-out each time you return. When your child wakes
in the morning they'll see the pile has grown and know you
continued to check in on them after they fell asleep.

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Pop Outs

Reasons to “Pop Out“

“I’m thirsty, I’m going to quickly grab a drink of water, I’ll
be right back”.
“I'm going to stack the dishwasher/wash the dishes, I’ll be
back in a moment”.
“I’m just going to get dinner started, I’ll be back in a
minute”.
“I’m going to put a load of laundry on, I’ll be back soon”.
“I need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be back as soon as I’m
done”.
You get the idea...

If your child has a younger sibling/s (especially a new baby), don’t use them as
an excuse to leave the room. E.g. Avoid saying “I’m just going to feed/ check on
the baby”

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Notes.

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