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SeaSoul
member
Does your toddler get enough sleep?
SeaSoul
member
Cal has been so unpredictable with sleep for the last couple of months, and he seems tired a lot of the time. Not to the extent that he can't carry on normally, but he just seems sleepier than he used to.
Even when things are good, he usually wakes up once/night, but has gone through a number of phases in recent months where he was either up several times in the night, or was up for long periods at a time (hours), or woke up for the day super early (4:00am). When he's at home he naps well, but at daycare (lately) he can't get past the 1st sleep cycle, so naps all of 20-30 mins!
I don't know if he's just making up for lost sleep or what, but this Saturday he took a 2-hr nap in the AM and a 2hr, 40-min nap in the PM (normally only naps once/day)! The AM nap was unexpected - I put him in his crib b/c he wanted to hang out in there (he likes it b/c it's the only place he's allowed to have his pacifier), and next thing I knew, he was asleep! This has happened a few times lately.
He also always falls asleep in the car, which I've read can be a sign of sleep deprivation in a toddler.
He slept quite well last night and didn't get up until 5:30 (better than 4am!) but was yawning a lot before we even left for his babysitter's house.
I'd say his average length of sleep overnight is 9-10 hours. Certainly nowhere near the 12 that is recommended for kids his age.
I just hate to see him tired, and wish his sleep were more consistent - not for my sake, but for his. I don't know how long to expect this to go on. He's certainly gone through phases before, but this one has lasted much longer, and things just seem really screwed up. Of course I know that there are so many factors that can affect sleep: illness, teething, developmental milestones. But I'm starting to suspect this is more than that (nothing bad; just maybe how he is?).
Just curious what other toddlers around Cal's age are like when it comes to sleep (he'll be 19 months tomorrow).
Childhood cancer (DH) + chemo + radiation = 0 sperm.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Does your toddler get enough sleep?
DS will be 19 months this week! He's been a pretty solid two-nap a day kid. The entire month of May was dealing w/ him being sick, so that set him back some and totally whacked out his sleep (he was up multiple times at night). But once he was on the mend, I started seeing what I thought were signs that he might be ready for one nap. So we started working on that.
He still, though, wasn't STTN (he had been before he got sick), and trying to keep him going until 11 or so was hard.
Finally, I was like "Let's just go back to 2 naps". Ever since, it's like a switch was flipped. He's now STTN the night again, and still taking 2 solid naps a day.
Overnight, I'd say he gets 9 - 10 hours. I do wish that was a little longer. I actually think if it were longer, he might move to one nap. Right now, he's usually only good for about 2 - 2.5 hours before hes ready for his morning nap.
I've been reading HSHHC because I feel like he should be going to one nap, and while more kids than not are at 1 nap now, the book was saying that many kids are still on 2 naps until 2 years of age.
So that made me feel better - and I'm just going to continue going w/ his lead. He's SO super active now when he's awake, and I really do think he just expends a TON of energy.
Luckily our lifestyle/daycare (PT nanny and then my parents) is such that we can accomodate this.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
Okay, I feel better, b/c he sounds a lot like Cal. The only reason we switched to 1 nap/day (at 17 months) was b/c his 2 naps were getting shorter - not that he dropped one, like some kids do. And when we did, he slept for a good 2 hours at a time (at first). Sometimes I feel like 2 would be better for him, but the problem is, when he's at his babysitter's house he doesn't really want to nap in the morning anymore, b/c her daughter doesn't. I think he likes being on the same schedule she is. We'll see how today goes - we were on vacation last week, so maybe he'll go back to sleeping better at his babysitter's. The 20-30 min. nap phase was going on for the 2 weeks prior.
He was sick for a while, and his language skills have really improved lately, so there definitely has been a lot going on (possibly teething, too, but I haven't seen any physical signs yet)...maybe that's all this is about.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
I suspect DS doesn't get enough sleep either.
I still bedshare with him and I'm not sure if you do, but I get up a lot to go to the bathroom and I think I cause some of his awakeness.
He tosses and turns a lot lately....just in the past week. So he may be down from 9-10pm (lately it has taken him an hr of tossing and turning to go down at night). and wakes up at 7am or 8am. But I am not sure all htose hours are restful.
He is also a bad napper. We are lucky if he does an hr. Sometimes he does 2hrs, but that is rare.
Cal's were only 45 mins! And then he was napping 2-2.5 hours, which was good. Maybe we should try to enforce the morning nap at his babysitter's...see how it goes.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
We bedshare only after his 1st waking. Which, when things are going well, is not until 3:30 or later, but in recent weeks, it's been earlier - anywhere from 11-2. I don't get up much, and when I do, he doesn't wake up. Usually it's the other way around - he wakes me up! (and then if I try to leave the room to pee he FREAKS OUT). I shouldn't be complaining, b/c I'm so thankful the latest phase seems to be over. It was killing us when he'd be awake for hours in the night! Or waking up multiple times and having such a hard time getting back to sleep each time!
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
It's weird. As I said, it's like trying to move him to 1 nap flipped a switch where he now again realizes that he needs and likes sleep! I feel like we're kind of back to where we were before he got sick.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
DD get about 10-10-1/2 hrs at night. If I didn't have to wake her to get her ready for the nanny, she would probably sleep longer. If I am not in bed with her when she wants to nurse, she will wake up, otherwise she sttn.
Naps are mostly a struggle with good days and bad days. For the past 2 weeks she has been napping 2-3hrs, one nap. Her bedtime really depends on her nap during the day. If she has a bad nap day, she will fall asleep in my arms when I get home from work.
The weekends are a complete different scenario. She will nap up to 3hrs or more with me. I know it is because I am home.
So I'm thinking maybe Cal's short naps are messing up his sleep maybe?
The more we talk about this, the more it seems this is the problem. Cal, too, asks to nap in the AM (when at home), or falls asleep in the car at that time. So, maybe we need to switch back. Glad it did the trick for you!
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
I feel like this is the same reason DD went to one nap. Our nanny now has her grandchildren and DD likes to do what they do. They are older and do not nap, so DD naps when they are gone. The only plus is that DD is eating better because she sees them eating and has learned a lot from them. So sometimes I just try not to let it bother me much.
we only do one nap and we are good to get that out of him - he is my insominac.
daycare only gives him one nap. Esth2000, the opposite is true for our weekend naps...he will not go down easily with mommy or daddy. even when really tired...it is like he wants to stay up to play with us. at daycare he goes down better and if our babysitter is there (ok we used her one time), she put him down no problem for a nap.
seasoul, let us know if 2 naps make a difference. we were doing 2 naps until 15m or so, but then stopped.
most times on the weekends we have to get him to fall asleep in the car and then we transfer him to the bed.
the funny thing for us is that I know her tired signals and that is when we lay down for our nap
with the nanny she point to the pillow and says "up" when she is ready for a nap
her behavior is different with the nanny
in fact..this morning I found out she naps on her tummy!!! I was shocked!! She still sleeps on her back with me!!!
Cal's babysitter, who has a background in child care, told us that most kids nap differently at home vs. day care. In Cal's case, he naps much better at home, but I think for some kids the reverse is true.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
Same is true w/ Cal. I think that's typical. At her house, they all walk upstairs together (Cal, babysitter, and her daughter), and she puts them each in their cribs, says goodnight, and that's that. He puts himself to sleep. At home we've always helped him go to sleep, though that seems to be less necessary lately.
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
Yes, I know Paige gets enough sleep. She is a sleeper. Her normal schedule is:
Wake: 7:30
Morning cat nap in the car: 10:15-11 or so
Afternoon crib nap: 2-4:30 or 5
Bedtime: 8:15 or 8:30
If she doesn't get her morning catnap, she goes to bed closer to 7:30 or 8.
Normally adds up to 15 hours!
According to "The Bump" standards? Hell no. According to Dr. Ferber (just started reading his book courtesy of somethingchanged and while I still can't get on board with the crying yet, I liked his ideas on how much sleep), perfect.
Toodle generally sleeps 9.5-10.5 hours/night (Ferber says 12-18 mos. shoudl be sleeping 9.25-10.25/night). He naps about 2 hours a day, sometimes a bit less, sometimes more. Ferber says at this age they should be getting 1.5-2.5 hours of naps. So again, right on target. Of course Ferber would probably have a heart attack if he knew all of this sleep only comes via rocking/driving/stroller walks and then having mommy next to him, but the amount = A-ok.
FWIW, Toodle doesn't seem tired generally, so I think it's enough for him, but you should pay attention to cues...
Jacob goes to bed shortly after 7pm and wakes anywhere from 6-7am. So, usually 11 hours overnight. Then he takes a 2-3 hour nap. Usually closer to 2 hours. But I think he's getting enough.
On the days/periods when he's sleeping less at night - particularly getting up too early in the morning - I can tell that he's really lagging that day. In fact, he hasn't taken an AM nap for months (he transitioned out of it at 13-14 months), he took a 2 hour one in the morning and still slept an hour in the afternoon.
Being almost 16 months is tiring!
Ferber's making me feel better, then! Although I'm less concerned with the "shoulds" than the signs that he's not getting enough for him, you know?
LO #1 - 1 unmedicated/self-monitored IUI w/ donor sperm.
LO #2 - 1 m/c, 2 BFNs, 4th IUI worked (unmedicated/self-monitored with new donor sperm).
Life is beautiful!
If Jack gets 10 hours at night - I'm happy .. the occasional 11 - over the moon. Sometimes it's only 9 to 9.5 - and I get stressed that it's not enough.
Naps - anywhere from 1 - 2 hours - and for a LONG time, he'd wake up after an hour and then only sleep another hour if in someone's arms. On Sunday he SHOCKED me and took at 2.75 hour nap in his crib. Also - a couple nights this past week he went ALL NIGHT in his crib -- this had previously only happened once or twice a long time ago, prob before he was even a year old. Usually he wakes up once and then comes to bed with me - anywhere from 2 - 5 hours after first going to sleep at night. He is still rocked to sleep every night - and then put down in his crib totally asleep.
But it does seem to slowly, slowly be getting better... we'll see! I feel like a million bucks today - I went to bed myself at 10:45pm, brought him to bed at 2:30am and we both fell right back to sleep - and then he started waking up around 6:45am (rolling around - this can go on anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour if he falls back to sleep) -- but he did sort of fall back to sleep for a while so we didn't get up until around 7:45am. Heaven!!
"When it comes to sleeping, whatever your baby does is normal. If one thing has damaged parents enjoyment of their babies, it's rigid expectations about how and when the baby should sleep." ~ James McKenna, Ph.D., Mother Baby Behavioral Sleep Center, University of Notre Dame