This page is part of a collection of short articles called Brief & simple, which together make up a quick summary of The Possums Sleep Program in plain language. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Sleep (for all humans) is controlled by

• The body clock or circadian clock

• Sleep pressure

Your toddler's body clock is set by daylight and activity. It tells your child's body when it is night and day - when it is time to be sleep or be awake. There are many ways of keeping your toddler's body clock in sync with yours.

• One way is by having your toddler nap in the middle of lots of daylight noise and activity during the day.

• Another very important way is making sure that your toddler has days that are full of rich adventures and experiences outside the home.

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles in the Brief & simple section of The Possums Sleep Program. They helped me keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.