It can be very difficult sometimes to get your toddler to go to sleep. It is even more difficult to do so when they do not want to. You would have tried to establish a routine but at times that could fail too. Once a toddler decides to play and not sleep, it is extremely tough to change their mind. Parents need to be patient and try to coax them into sleeping at such times.
When a toddler refuses to sleep and no amount of convincing and coaxing helps, you should know a few tricks and techniques which might help. These tricks would work in most cases but there are always some exceptions. Not all tricks work on all toddlers too. You need to know exactly what will work and when it will work on yours.
The most commonly exercised tricks are:
Let Them Play
Allowing your child to play for longer than usual could help in some cases. If the hour is not too late, let them enjoy themselves for a while. If you have established a routine, it will not be long before your child will get tired and want to sleep. This however, should not be allowed every time as it could end up spooling the routine.
Lighting and Sounds
Put your toddler in bed and dim out the lights. Once the room is darkened, the child will have limited visibility and therefore, will not get distracted easily. Also you should limit the sounds in the room. Making it as quiet as possible you should try to make the child go to sleep. This is very effective in most cases but again there could be some exceptions.
Pretend to Sleep
In some cases, by pretending to sleep, you can change moods of toddlers. Keeping in dark and quiet and convincing them that everyone but them is sleeping, toddlers have a higher chance of changing their minds. They could try to resist for a while but eventually they will adapt to the environment around them and decide otherwise.
Lullaby
This is probably the oldest trick in the parenting book. Singing a lullaby or even a simple song can help in getting your toddler to sleep. Research has shown that Lullabies have a soothing and relaxing effect on toddlers and they go to sleep much more easily. This technique has been widely adopted all over the world by parents and you could try the same.
Change the Environment
This too can help in many cases. Making a small change can help too. For example, if your child is used to sleeping in a certain amount of lighting, you could increase or decrease it. This has been seen to be an effective way of getting them to go to sleep as it helps in altering their moods. Although not as widely adopted as other tricks but can be useful in certain situations.

Mike is a father or two. He loves blogging about parenting. When he is not writing, Mike distributes girls toys for an Australian children toys store.