Will Toys in Bed Disrupt Sleep

Will Toys in Bed Disrupt Sleep. What ages toys might be okay for your little one. Tips to know if giving your little one toys in bed will help or hurt baby sleep.

Toys in a baby bed

Every so often, I get a question about the appropriateness of toys in bed. As in most things with parenting, this depends on your child. Not only does it depend on your child in general, but it depends on your child at the moment. At some stages, toys are a distraction from naptime. At other stages, they are something that seem to help naptime happen.

Can Your Child Have Toys In Bed

Let’s discuss the various ages of children and whether or not toys might be harmful in bed.

Young Babies

As a newborn, your child should not have any sort of toy in bed. Toys can be a hazard for little ones. You want to keep the crib free from objects.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), loose articles in the bed can lead to sudden infant death syndrome and can greatly increase the risk of SIDS. You want to follow safe sleep practices.

Even crib bumpers can be unsafe at this age. So while you avoid loose bedding, you also want to avoid plush toys and fluffy items.

You might have a mobile above the bed. If so, be mindful of the possibility that the mobile could distract from sleep. Some babies might look at it and get overstimulated or be so interested in it that they miss the sleep window. Others might look at it and peacefully slip into slumber.

My oldest two children had a mobile as young infants. It wasn’t a problem for either child. Our mobile had very mild colors. It also was just a mobile; it doesn’t move or make music at all. If your mobile does move and/or play music, I would caution you against turning it on for naptime or bedtime. You don’t want your child to become dependent on it for sleep.


Read: When Sleep Props are Okay and When to Avoid Them


You want to be sure you take the mobile down once your child can reach it. Brayden only had it for a couple of months, but Kaitlyn had it for quite a while (though I can’t remember exactly how long).

Older Babies

You might put a stuffed animal in the bed with your baby. I did this with Brayden around 6 months. It was a lovey for him. You want to wait until your baby can move from front to back and back to front easily and unassisted.

If you do this, be sure it is a safe stuffed animal with no parts that can come off and be choked on (like buttons or hard eyes that could be pulled off).

You will want something with soft materials.

We used stuffed animals are “friends” or “loveys” for my kids. They have never been a distraction for sleep. Both of my kids would go to sleep without a problem once they had a friend in bed. When they woke up, they would “talk” to the “friends.”

Will Toys in Bed Disrupt Sleep. What ages toys might be okay in bed. Tips to know if giving your little one toys in bed will help or hurt sleep

12-24 Months

This is an age when any sort of toy in the child’s sleep space can really start to become a distraction for some pretoddlers and toddlers. My kids still had stuffed animals in this age range.

Kaitlyn liked to hug one sometimes as she fell asleep. She didn’t ever play with them before sleep. We had to set them up so they are all sitting along one crib rail. Then she went to sleep. When she woke up, she would play with them and talk to them. If I went in to get her right away, she would be disappointed because she wanted to play with her babies.

When we moved Brayden from the crib to his twin bed, I was really glad he had his “friends” that he was familiar with. When we moved him, he moved beds and bedrooms. I was glad for him to have something familiar to sleep with. We plan to move Kaitlyn this month sometime, also, and I am sure her babies will help with a smooth transition.

Also, Brayden had a love for one of his “friends” in particular. When he had his surgery when he was three, he was able to take that friend in the operating room with him. They bandaged his stuffed animal up just like Brayden was bandaged. His bond with this stuffed animal helped him through this scary process.

2-3 Years Old

You can continue with the special friends. You might also start to think about something like a toy car for your child to play with or a book or two to read. If you do give him something, pay close attention to what happens. He might play with it for a few minutes then drift to sleep. But he also might play with it so long it takes him past his second wind and prevents sleep from happening.

3 Years and Up

During the third year, your child will start to drop the nap some days. Throughout Brayden’s fourth year (ages 3-4), we had to vary what did and didn’t go in his bed. At the beginning of his fourth year, he had nothing in bed with him for naps except for a blanket and pillow. That helped him to sleep better. As the year went on, he started to not sleep well for naps. So we gave him one to two cars and a couple of “friends” for a nap. That again got him sleeping well.

When he was 3.5-4 years old, he moved more and more toward rest time rather than nap time. He had one or two cars, his friends, and a few books. Some days he slept, others he didn’t, but during his nap or rest time, he was quiet and stayed in bed without a problem.


Read: Dropping Naps: Moving To Rest Time 


Will Toys in Bed Disrupt Sleep. What ages toys might be okay in bed. Tips to know if giving your little one toys in bed will help or hurt sleep.

Toys in Bed Tips

No matter the age of your child, whether or not toys are in bed with him is up to you to decide. There is no “rule” that says it is always okay or always not okay (other than those first 6 months). If you see toys are a problem, remove them. If you see toys help naptime go more smoothly and happen, use them. Here are a few guidelines I would use:

  • Delay Introduction of Toys in Bed: I would wait until you see a need for a toy in bed before you ever introduce it. Putting it in earlier than the child is able to handle it is akin to giving a freedom too soon. If it turns out the toy is a hindrance to naptime, your child might be really upset when you take it.
  • Analyze All Angles: Before trying the toy in bed, be sure you analyze all other possible reasons for poor naps. You don’t want to offer a toy when what your child really needs is more waketime. See sleep problems and The Cornerstone for Good Naps for help in this.
  • Keep the Quantity Low: Your child doesn’t need every beloved toy in bed with him. A couple will suffice.
  • Take Note of Effect: This might be a good time to keep a log. Before you give the toy, keep a log of how long it takes him to fall asleep and how the nap goes. After you give the toy, do the same. Then you can concretely see if it is helping or hurting.
  • Pay Attention: If the toy helps, pay attention to watch for it to become a problem. It can. If the toy becomes a distraction, remove it.
  • Avoid Props: I would avoid letting this become a prop. I would rotate toys if needed to ensure that your child will not be particular about which toy, book, or stuffed animal he has. I like to have my children able to sleep so that wherever they are, they can go to sleep. I don’t want to have to remember to pack certain toys or items to help them sleep. If we are at Grandma’s, I grab a stuffed animal she has there. Even though my kids have had the same stuffed animals for basically their entire lives, they are fine with having different ones. Monitor your child so you don’t create a prop.

Conclusion

When deciding what is best for your child, always pay attention to the results of what your child is doing. Remember your hierarchy of goals  and work toward the end-goal. Read up on My Sleep Hierarchy for Newborns , Sleep Hierarchy: 3-6 Months, and Sleep Hierarchy: 6-9 Month for guidance on sleep goals.

16 thoughts on “Will Toys in Bed Disrupt Sleep”

  1. Awesome post, thanks so much! We just introduced a stuffed animal at 14 months when I went back to work part time. I am away from our son only a few hours a week, but he noticed it on the day I miss his morning wake up. I had a gut feeling to rotate the sleeping animal & now I feel your post has given me confirmation. Thanks so much!

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  2. My son is 2.5 and we have gone through periods of having toys and periods of no toys. For a long time he had some books and small toys… he would play with them in the morning before we got him up. But eventually they became a distraction when he went down for his nap. Now, if he wants to take a special toy to bed, I tell him he needs to put it under his pillow (he likes to take a Thomas train or small car) until he wakes up. He knows if he doesn’t go to sleep I will take the toy… that is his current currency. 🙂

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  3. If you have the chance, will you chronicle the first few nights with Kaitlyn in her toddler bed? My girl is 19 months and I keep debating on when to do the transition. Anxious to see how Kaitlyn does. Thanks!

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  4. I will for sure. We ordered a bed, it came, we opened it, the headboard was broken. So we ordered another one. Hopefully it will be here within a day or two so we can try it this weekend! If not, it will be next.

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  5. have been following your posts for the last year. I have done BW since my baby was 4 weeks and now she is exactly a year. Since 3 months, she has never had a problem with going down for naps or bedtime. Within the last week, when I put her in her crib for naps, she stands up and cries for 15 – 30 mins. I eventually go in and try to calm her down, then place her back in her crib, but nothing seems to help. I know she is tired. She is not hungry, no dirty diaper, not sick, etc. My question is what should I try to help her out and is this normal?? I am at a loss!! HELP!! Thanks!

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  6. I've been fretting over the issue of my son's naps for a while now and realized that it might be best for me to just ask someone who knows. :)My son is 14 weeks old and we have been following Babywise principles since about 4 weeks. Up until about 2 weeks ago, he was on a predictable 3 hour schedule and was taking 1.5 hour naps at 9:30, 12:30, 3:30, and 6:30. Suddenly, these are all out of whack, ranging from 45 minutes to two hours a piece. I know that, at this point, he could probably drop a nap if he wanted to and go down to 3 longer ones but 1) how do I know that and 2) how do I do it? I read the posts on dropping naps, but I'm just not seeing what I need. Thanks for your help!

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  7. cfriece, it seems that this is normal for some. I would just tell her gently but firmly that it is time to sleep, lay her down, and leave. Experiment with you going in. Some might be better if you go in after 15 min or so and tell her to go to sleep, others will do better if mom doesn't re-visit at all.

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  8. Miranda, 14 weeks is a little young for most to go to 3 naps. Most are ready at 4 months. If it were an issue of needing only three naps, then the fourth nap would be the problem nap OR night sleep would be the problem.It is likely he is having a growth spurt. Have you tried feeding him as soon as he wakes up?

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  9. First of all I love reading your blog…it helps me a lot and I appreciate all the time and effort you have put into this! Ok, as for sleeping problemss…I have a few. We have been doing BW since she was 2 weeks old and we CIO during week 9. She goes to bed/nap great! She doesn't cry, but is waking up at the 45 minute mark occasionally. She is now 14 weeks old and is almost or just at 12 pounds. My biggest problem has been as of late. In the evenings I feed her at 5pm, 7:30pm, and dreamfeed her at 10:00-30ish. She had been waking up 2 times at night and then I decided to put in the pacifier at the early wake time (around 2 or 3ish AM) instead of feeding her to see if she could go longer. Well she did and that seemed to work. Then she woke up to eat around 5ish for a few days. (and I still put the pacifier in when she cried during the early morning). Ever since we have been putting the pacifier in during the night, she has been waking up even more. Last night she woke up at 1:45, 2:30, 3:30 (I fed her) and 6am! I am not sure what I should do. i don't think she is going through a growth spurt because she doesn't seem more hungry during the day. (I breastfeed) Should I let her CIO during the night? Is the pacifier being a proop and causing her to wake up? I have read all about the sleeping props and sleeping disruptions. Just need some advice! Thanks!!!

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  10. pkgormongit does sound like the pacifier is a becoming a problem. You can definitely try CIO if you would like to and are sure she isn't hungry at all. Good luck!

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  11. Hi! Thanks for your blog, I just love and appreciate it. It has helped so much and I have referred many friends. I am wondering if using the shush pat can become a prop for my 4.5 month old. I use it with more success to extend his naps (he's a 30 minute waker) now that he sleeps on his tummy, and also I sometimes use it (always while he's lying down in his crib) if he cannot settle and is screaming. I have been doing controlled crying for 5 days now, but the shush pat seems to really help when he is screaming not just complaining/mantra/ etc. Is he still learning to self soothe if I only use it as needed? Or will I end up having to do CIO in the end anyway?THANKS for your opinion.Brandi (and Nickolas)

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  12. Brandi,I haven't ever done it, so I can't say for sure. I would say it likely depends more on his personality than on the method itself. The Baby Whisperer highly recommends it, so I am sure there are plenty of babies it works really well for. However, I can also feasibly see some kids getting to where it was a prop.If you are wanting to avoid CIO, then I think trying sshhh/pat is a good idea. You can do that and hope he naturally transitions to sleeping on his own. If not, try CIO. But you don't need to jump to CIO right away if you would rather not.

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  13. Thank you so much for doing this blog, I love it. It has helped me a lot with my little guy.I do have a question though. My son is a pretty good sleeper "little crying before naps" But when he does cry or wake up early I turn on the radio static on very loud and it puts him right back to sleep. Do you think this is a bad "sleep prop" that I will regret using later on? He can fall asleep w/o it but I find myself using it more and more just so I dont have to hear him cry before a nap.What do think?….

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  14. It depends on his age. 0-6 months, I think it is fine. Older and it might be something you regret. But that said, I have humidifiers in each of my children's rooms, which provide some white noise. They still sleep fine in other places without the humidifiers.

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