My 22 Month Olds Sleeping and Nap Problems

Hi there i know just how you feel.I have a daughter that went through this nap here and nap there.I tried all ways of fixing the problem and finally we would let her have a nap between noon and 2,but would be sure if she wasnt awake on her own by 2 we wake her anyway and keep her busy and occupied till 9,then make her eat and shortly after we did that for awhile she was down to one nap around the same time and in bed by at least 10...like i said though it take awhile,but we finally got it done.She had to adjust to our routine for her and we realized that she wasnt sleeping the way she should had been because she was still hungry and wasnt able to tell us..maybe he is going through it too,i hope it works out for ya cause it does make ya feel as if youre doing something wrong at times.good luck to you.

I had the exact same problem with my son. He only slept 8 hours at night and took two 1-2 hr naps during the day for a total of 12 hours of sleep at max. Everyone else was telling me their kids slept 10-12 hrs at night and I thought, "What's wrong with my kid?" I eventually went down to one nap during the day around 20 months and put him to bed really early (between 6-7 pm), but had to get up early every morning to get him back to sleep for another couple of hours. We transitioned him to a twin size bed on the floor so I could lay down next to him and we would both go back to sleep (or I would sneak back to bed once he fell asleep). Now, at 39 months, he doesn't take a nap but goes to bed between 7-8 pm and sleeps to 6-7 in the am. Other mothers tell me their kids would wake up at night at this age, but my son NEVER wakes up! He sleeps through the night, every night (unless he is sick), and is happy all day. He just needs less sleep than most. Hope this helps-it does get better...

Hi R.,my daughter is 15 months old and generally,only takes one 45min-2 hr nap a day.She usually goes to bed 'round 7:30-8:00 every night and "gets-up" 'round 5:30-6:00 every morning,however,no matter WHAT time I put her to bed at night,she gets up at the SAME time!!!!I'm chalking it up to,it's just how she is-down with the sun/up with the chickens.Also,because I'm just SOOOOO lucky(lol),she still wakes up at least 2-3 times a night for something to drink.I guess my point is,we just have to adjust to them,and maybe out of exhaustion or time,we'll get used to it,JUST HANG IN THERE!!
lotsa luck,R.

Hey R. I have a (almost on the 7th) 14 month old and she does also sleep 10-12 hours every night just about but she does ONLY take one nap She was sleeping too much during the day but that bc i would lay down with her and stuff like that but a few months ago i tried some things out and i would not let her lay down and then she would pass out some where and she would be so tired she would sleep well enough for one nap and then sleep through the night. She goes to bed between 7-9 depends on our day and sleep through. She may get more naps if we are on the go but she gets woke right up when she gets out the car. Do you make him lay down? or lay with him?? Only thing i could tell you is what i did but i dont know if will help you problem or not... Good luck Any questions you can ask me

R.,
I would suggest slowly shortening his afternoon nap. This is something that I had to do with my son when he was a toddler. I am going to try to explain what I did...

I started by making sure he was getting up at the same time each morning. At the time is was not hard to do since I had to get his sister to preschool everyday. Then when it was the normal time for his morning nap, we would go outside for a half an hour, that way I could keep him up a little longer (you may find that this is to long for your son then I would suggest starting with 15 minutes). When the time was up, I put him down for his nap and set a timer for it...two hours was what worked for my DS. Then when it was time for his afternoon nap, I again shortened it by taking him outside or playing with him for a short time. I would wake him up at the normal time he would be getting up anyway. This slowly moves the morning nap towards the middle of the day and cuts down on the afternoon nap slowly too.

We had a dedicated bedtime routine each night. This included the normal...bath, brush teeth, comb hair, play a quiet game together, and a book. We started our routine an hour before bed time so that he had plenty of time to "get the wiggles out" before it was time for sleep.

This is a suggestion that I have made to some of the parents of children coming into my class at the day care and it worked for them too. Changes in routine need to be done gradually so that it does not traumatize him (or you)=)

Good luck with this...I know how difficult it can be!

Hi R.,

I know where you're coming from. My kids are not long sleepers either. My pediatrician suggested I should put them to bed earlier than their usual "somewhere between 9 and 10:30" bed time, I told him that if I put them to bed at 7:30 they'd be up at 4am. He said that some kids are just like that. My boys are 5 and 3 1/2 now and everyonce in a while, I get to sleep until 7:00!!

Good luck!

well i really don't have any suggestions but a little insperation maybe, i have an 18 month old who does take 2 hour nap everyday from noon to around 2pm, but heres the kicker he still dosen't sleep through the night, wakes @ least 2-3 times a night. so i guess what im saying is you are blessed... oh well maybe this will help, if you cover the windows with dark coverings, black works well, maybe he'll sleep longer in the morning. good luck

Can't offer you many suggestions, but just wanted to let you know that I am right there with you and you are not alone!! Both my daughters slept great, in bed by 7-7:30pm and slept until 8 or even 9am on weekends. Not my son!!! He stays up until 8-10 pm depending on what time his last nap ended during the day, and is up by 6am! He is only 16 months, but has been this way since he was born. His father is an early riser, so I figure he inherited it from him.....or maybe it is a boy thing????? This morning......he was up at 4:30!!!!! Luckily this isn't the norm, but boy am I tired today!!!!!
What we have done though, is put up a baby gate at his door, put him in a big boy bed (just a week ago) so he can get out when he wants, baby proofed the room, and set out Little People play areas for him to play when he wakes up. It doesn't happen everyday, but he is starting to wake up and start playing for at least half hour most mornings before calling me. Maybe he won't sleep any longer, but maybe you can get a little more rest if you set him up so he can occupy himself for a while inthe morning??????

Good luck!!

I have a three year old and he does not takes naps. And he only sleeps for about 10 hours a night. But i have seen putting him on a schuldel help. Like we eat dinner take a bath read a book then it is bed time. HAve you tryed that?

Hi R.,

When my son was small he only sleeped 8 hours as well. I would put him to bed between 8 to 9 and he would be up at 5 to 6 am. Which I really couldn't complain at the time because I was a working mom. Some kids do not sleep in long until they become teenagers then they don't want to get up at all. My son did though by the age of 2 stop taking naps altogether. It was difficult especially when he started daycare and they tried to put him down for a nap. He had to lay there once in awhile he would take a nap but not often. My point being every child is different and they develop their own sleeping patterns. If you are an early riser then he will be one too. You may try a routine that doesn't include naps in the day. Keep him busy and if he does take a nap let him nap morning only. This way during the afternoon he is occupy and hopefully will sleep a little longer. Good Luck.