Best Way to Establish a Sleeping Pattern to Your Toddlers

During the second year, toddlers need about 12 to 14 hours sleep within a 24-hour period. Sleep is very important to babies, and deep sleep is necessary for all children, as it is restorative and helps to promote growth.

Getting enough sleep

Ideally toddlers need a long period of uninterrupted sleep at night and one or two naps during the day. However, it is worth bearing in mind that, without adequate sleep, your toddler may find it hard to do all the growing and developing that this busy second year demands. A well-slept toddler is more able to make use of the time spent awake than a toddler who is cranky.

We are all too well aware of how we feel when we don’t get enough sleep, and it’s the same for your child. If you are concerned that your toddler is not getting enough sleep, especially on a regular basis, took for the signs in his behaviour. Is his hand-eye coordination less efficient that usual, making him misjudge movements slightly? Does he have tantrums more frequently? Is he more withdrawn and less sociable? Do games always seem to end in tears? Does he have little enthusiasm for going to the park, where formerly he was always keen? If the answer to several of these questions is “Yes”, then he probably isn’t getting enough sleep, and you should speak to your healthcare professional. Remember that toddlers can recharge their batteries during quiet periods – they do not always have to be asleep to do this.

Establishing a sleeping pattern

It is through the regular occurrence of different daily activities – getting up, mealtimes, nap times, and bedtime – that your child learns about the difference between day and night. As children’s brains mature, their internal circadian rhythms adapt to the patterns of life they experience. So, if you want them to adapt to a pattern that suits you – sleeping through the night, for example – they have to experience how.

Your toddler’s bedtime and waking patterns will have some influence on what times suit you and him for naps. You may find your toddler can keep going during the morning, have an early lunch, and then a good two-hour sleep in the early afternoon, before bed at seven in the evening. Alternatively, if your child wakes very early, a long morning nap and a short one in the middle of the afternoon works best. Although your routine will probably change over this year, as your child’s sleep at night improves and the daytime sleep needs drop, a routine is helpful to your child. However, there may be days when you need to be more flexible.

If your child wakes very early, or is wakeful at night, don’t be tempted to drop the day-time naps in order to try to increase night-time tiredness. Overtired children find sleep more of a problem than those who are generally well slept. When children don’t get enough sleep for long periods of time, they come to rely on stress hormones to keep them going. This can make them cranky and overactive. If your child finds sleep difficult, he needs help to learn to sleep better, not less sleep.

If the bedtime routine seems a little difficult to you, it may be because you are starting it too late. Start it a little earlier when, being less tired, it may make it possible to manage the idea of bedtime more easily. And, if he has missed or had a shorter daytime nap for any reason, aim to put him to bed a little earlier to compensate. The idea is that your child will be so calm and contented that he will be able to go to sleep in his own bed and by himself. All of which may take consistency and patience.