Our 13 month old is sleeping a lot. For example, last Sunday and this Sunday she fell asleep around 5:00 PM and didn't wake up from the evening nap - she'll probably want to nurse sometime tonight, but won't wake up until 6:00 AM or later (I know it is a late nap, they are atypical), her second nap yesterday was from 2:30 to 6:15, she had a 4 hour nap at day care one day this week (her babysitter woke her up from it), and otherwise her naps have been very long and there are usually 2 naps, but both are not that long. She doesn't sleep through the night, usually waking up 1 or 2 times to eat, but is back to sleep quickly. One evening she had a fever spike to over 101, but her temperature was back to normal about an hour after giving her Tylenol. Also, she is teething molars (which may have explained the fever). Except for missing dinner because she slept through it, she eats really well and eats meals regularly and nurses or has mama's milk regularly throughout the day. She typically is happy and plays hard during the day when she is awake. Bedtime is around 8:PM and she wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 AM. I would say the increase amount of sleeping onset was 1 week ago. Also, her schedule varies somewhat, not drastically, from the days she is at home versus daycare. So anyway, is this normal or typical, or are there signs I should be watching for? Thanks for any ideas.
My son usually naps 4 hours so that is normal around our house. I do notice that he sleeps longer when he is going through a growth spurt, it lasts maybe a week or two then he is back to his normal sleep schedule.
A child her age needs 12-14 hours of sleep total per day when you add together night plus naps. During a growth spurt, or illness, she will sleep more. My guess is that she is either going through a growth spurt or her body is working hard to fight off an illness that has not succeeded in actually making her sick. Either way, you need to let her sleep as much as she needs to as often as possible. Be careful though because atypical stretches like this are what mess up schedules and routines.
After reading the responses, I'll add another ditto to them. It sounds like a growth spurt. Teething can add to some of that also.
Trust your instincts, as someone else mentioned. You know your daughter best.
Good luck,
D.
While I agree that this is probably a growth spurt I figured I would mention something that I observed with our friends' children who were in daycare. We new 4 couples with children all the same age and most of them went to daycare full time starting at 4 months when mom went back to work. In every case as soon as they turned 1 they were moved out of the infant "room" and into a "room" where they only got to take one nap a day. I was able to stay home with my son and he so clearly needed two naps a day until he was about 18 months. So, I don't know what her situation is at daycare (and it does sound like they are letting her sleep) but I wonder if she is only getting one nap a day there if by the end of the week she is short on sleep? Hope you get it figured out, without losing too much sleep yourself.
My first thought was a growth spurt as well... Both my boys still do this at 7 & 10, and it has always been that way. They sleep and eat a lot for a week or two, and then the next thing I know, their clothes don't fit :) If it goes on for a long period of time and you're concerned about it, though, get her checked out just to be sure.
Sounds like you are dealing with a growth spurt. My daughter has a healthy appetite and sleeps a LOT when she is growing a lot. Then she goes back to normal. It lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks and then goes back to normal.
If it continues and you are worried, trust your instincts. If you think something is wrong, it is better to be safe than sorry. Just call or take her in to the pediatrician.
