Toddler sleep

Brooklyngirl6

Is it normal for my 21 month old to take 2-3 hours to fall asleep? Will this pass?

We have moved our son to a floor bed since he is climbing out of the crib. It is not going well. We have to sit in the room with him for him to fall asleep but it takes at least 2 hours to get him to fall asleep. In his crib- he would lay there for 20 minutes and fall asleep by himself. He sleeps for about 5 to 6 hours and then he is up every hour to 90 minutes until he is up for the day between 5am to 7am. He used to go down in his crib at 7:30 and sleep til 7am. Is this just a phrase or are we in it for the long haul? When I go back to work in August this is not going to be fun.

doodleoodle

Around 2 years of age there is another sleep regression. I would say that, in combination with his newfound freedom of the toddler bed is the issue. I might try putting a gate in his doorway and just leaving the room after laying him down in bed so as not to create the expectation that you will stay with him until he falls asleep. He may fall asleep on the floor while playing though.

lovekids2016

guys - the forum isn't allowing me to post a new discussion so sorry piggybacking on this thread. My todder is 23 months old and has been sleeping fine since age 1 but it does take a little under an hour to put him to sleep. At what age can we  expect a toddler to put himself to sleep i.e. leaving him in the room baby bed or crib with 1 toy and a book and just let him put himself to sleep. And what strategy should I use - simply close the door and regular check-in? He understands the meaning of sleep at this age

Thx

meggyme

lovekids2016 said:

guys - the forum isn't allowing me to post a new discussion so sorry piggybacking on this thread. My todder is 23 months old and has been sleeping fine since age 1 but it does take a little under an hour to put him to sleep. At what age can we  expect a toddler to put himself to sleep i.e. leaving him in the room baby bed or crib with 1 toy and a book and just let him put himself to sleep. And what strategy should I use - simply close the door and regular check-in? He understands the meaning of sleep at this age

Thx

@lovekids2016 What does your current bedtime routine entail? My 18m old gets pjs on, read a book, nurse, and bed; takes about 15 minutes.

lovekids2016

shower first, then lotion and pjs on, then drinks cow's milk with lights off or with lights on and we read a book. Takes 30-45 mins to go to sleep and have to hold him to prevent him from playing. If he misses his afternoon nap, he'll fall asleep immmediately after finishing his milk but don't think he's at a stage of missing afernoon nap as yet

meggyme

lovekids2016 said:

shower first, then lotion and pjs on, then drinks cow's milk with lights off or with lights on and we read a book. Takes 30-45 mins to go to sleep and have to hold him to prevent him from playing. If he misses his afternoon nap, he'll fall asleep immmediately after finishing his milk but don't think he's at a stage of missing afernoon nap as yet

Are you having to hold him for 30-45 minutes for him to fall asleep? Or is that how long the whole routine takes, because that sounds pretty normal. On nights that I bathe my LO, it ends up taking almost an hour, mostly because she loves to splash in the tub.

If you’re having to hold him for 30-45 minutes I’d say work on shortening that time gradually by putting him down when he’s sleepy, but not yet fully asleep.

nackie

lovekids2016 said:

guys - the forum isn't allowing me to post a new discussion so sorry piggybacking on this thread. My todder is 23 months old and has been sleeping fine since age 1 but it does take a little under an hour to put him to sleep. At what age can we  expect a toddler to put himself to sleep i.e. leaving him in the room baby bed or crib with 1 toy and a book and just let him put himself to sleep. And what strategy should I use - simply close the door and regular check-in? He understands the meaning of sleep at this age

Thx

Mine has been able to put himself to sleep since he was less than a year.  Yours definitely isn't too young.
We do snacks and milk while reading stories, then brush teeth and put on lotion and pjs. 5 minutes of snuggles then he goes into his crib. Depending on the day he'll be asleep in anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

lovekids2016

Folks - what other milestones should I be aware and at what age does the average child perform these independently.  Brushing oneself, Changing himself, sit on the toilet without being in the bathroom with him, Feeding himself, reading. I'm trying to keep these in mind in for the future. Thx

 

meggyme

lovekids2016 said:

Folks - what other milestones should I be aware and at what age does the average child perform these independently.  Brushing oneself, Changing himself, sit on the toilet without being in the bathroom with him, Feeding himself, reading. I'm trying to keep these in mind in for the future. Thx

 

I think you’re setting yourself up for failure by asking this. All kids develop at their own pace. The only milestones you need to concern yourself with are the ones the doctor tracks, as falling behind in those could be indicators of bigger issues. Otherwise don’t borrow trouble. Enjoy your kid and try not to worry if they’ve learned to feed themselves on schedule.

If you’re looking to encourage independence, I like to give my LO opportunities to develop skills. For example, even though I fully expect her to eat with her hands I give her a fork anyway. Sometimes she surprises me and does really well, other days not so much.