Toddler Sleep Help Please

Updated on May 21, 2012
J.K. asks from Palmerton, PA
5 answers

Since she was an infant, my DD has always slept the minimum amount of hours recommended. I'm beginning to wonder if she gets enough sleep. She doesn't appear to get cranky often, but she seems very tired in the morning especially around 8:30/9:00. She becomes quiet and loses interest in any type of activity.

Before last week she was going to bed at 7:30 and waking at 5:30. It was taking her time to fall asleep, so she was maybe getting 9.5 hours of sleep. Then taking a 1-1.5 hour nap at 12:30. After realizing that she may need an earlier bedtime, we began putting her down at 7:00. She is still waking at 5:30, but at least she is getting 10 hours of sleep. I have also started putting her in for a nap at 12:00, resulting in a 1.5-1.75 hour nap. So right now she is getting approx. 11.5 hours of sleep in a day, seems on the low end.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I hate to see her so tired and quiet in the morning, but she just can't seem to sleep past 5:30. Is it possible, she still needs a morning nap? If you have gotten this far, thanks!

ETA: 20 months

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.C.

answers from Atlanta on

Have you tried to get her to nap longer? Or perhaps two naps?

My daughter, 19 months, goes to bed between 8:30 and 9:30, wakes up between 7:30 and 8.

But then she takes a two-hour nap in the middle of the day.

Also, just because she wakes up at 5:30 doesn't mean she has to get up then. At 20 months, she's old enough to entertain herself for a little while when she wakes up. I have a couple of books in my daughter's crib, and she reads them before going to bed at night and when she wakes up in the morning. Frankly, I had never stopped to calculate how many hours she is getting. I watch for signs of sleepiness and crankiness. If your daughter is seriously sleepy, leave her in bed or even rock her back to sleep at 5:30 in the morning, and then talk to your pediatrician about other methods to help her sleep. Good luck.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

How old is your daughter?

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I think she is getting a lot of sleep. I think making her room dark with some sort of blocks in the windows would be good. If she is just waking up and you are okay with that then I guess it isn't much of an issue. I have issues with getting up that early though. It's not for me!

For a 20 month old child one nap per day is expected. It may be her blood sugar is dropping, being up that early if she is eating when she gets up then it would be normal for her to be spacing out around 8:30-9:30. She may need to add an extra small meal to her day.

Otherwise I would work on getting her to sleep at least another hour by making it appear that it was not time to get up. Her body will take a while to do this though.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.M.

answers from Missoula on

It may sound weird, but what helped my DD sleep longer was to put her to bed LATER. Sounds counterproductive, right? lol. I used to put her down around 7-7:30, and she would fight sleep, toss and turn all night, etc. I moved her bedtime back one hour, and within a couple nights (after the adjustment) she was sleeping SOOO much better! She went from sleeping 8-10 hours to 10-13 every night, in addition to her 2-3 hour naps. :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.S.

answers from Columbia on

she's only an hour or so shy on the sleep chart.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions