How many naps should a 18 month old have? Post Reply

[Jetsettingbaby]

I am a little confused on how many hrs my 18 month old son should nap during the day? He still wakes during the night and I am wondering if he is having too much or too little sleep. he has a sleep from 11 to 1 or 12.30pm . then goes to bed at 7pm wakes any time between 12 - 4 am . is that normal? should he have more naps during the day or less?

[ckwmum]

It's really hard to say how many naps a child of any age should have because it really depends on your kid so it's best to follow what they need. It doesn't sound like he's having too much sleep during the day to me, I'd say it's normal to have a 2-hr nap at that age. It's maybe a little bit early because his afternoons are much longer than his mornings, but I'm not sure if that would make a difference. What happens when he wakes in the night? Is he able to settle himself or does he cry until you go to him? And also, how does he fall asleep each time?

Has he always woken up in the night or is it something he's suddenly started doing?

[dancing_queen59]

I stretch my boys out till 1pm for a sleep and then they sleep 1-3.15/30pm. I never let them sleep longer than 3.30pm. They also go to bed at 7pm and wake at 7.30/45am.

That wasn't always the case with one of them who I had to do controlled crying with to get him not to wake up. Highly recommend!

[topmama]

I think all children are different and some need more sleep than others. I have a 2 and a half year old and a 15 month old they both sleep from 12.30-2.30/3pm, I usually have to wake them. They go to a nursery 3 days a week and only usually sleep for 1 to 1 and a half hours there so tend to need more sleep when they are with me. They go to bed at 7pm.

However a friend of mine has an 18 month old who no longer has a sleep at all in the day and if she does she can't get her to sleep until after 9pm.

I will miss the day time nap when they no longer need it!

[Lionheart]

I try not to let mine sleep more than an hour and a half in the day (usually any time between nine and eleven), and he goes to bed around 7:15pm, and is usually up again between 5:45 and 6:30am.

Not long ago though, he was waking in the night and/or up at around 5am. I thought he was getting too much sleep in the day, but it turned out that in his case he was hungry. That came as a complete surprise, because he eats loads in the day!

However, I realised I was giving him his dinner quite early, usually before 5pm, so actually he was going well over 12 hours before eating anything again <guilty emoticon needed here >, which i know works for some toddlers but not for him. So despite his bedtime milk, there was a big gap before his next meal that stopped him going through the night. Anyway I've started giving him a big yoghurt or banana around 6:30 along with his milk and that has made a really big difference.

Sorry if that's really obvious, though!

[Jetsettingbaby]

dylan has always woken up through the night. being a big hungry boy when I breast fed him he was up every 1 1/2 hr to 2 hrs even up till he was 4months then i started him on formula which meant he woke every 4 hrs that was until he was 8 months then it was twice a night . Now its usually once a night which is still too much for me> I did the controlled crying but he got louder and louder and more and more determined then worked him self up in to such a frenzy I couldnt get him to stop! .. so that was the end of my controlled crying. think ill need to go back to it though as i am exhausted all the time!
Might try the night time banana and yoghurt at 6.30 before bed, as he also eats at 5pm
Gosh no one told me it would be this hard to be a mum, always second guessing your self!

[twin-mummy]

I have 19 month old twin boys who have slept through approximately 7 times between them!

Have tried everything bar crying out (just can't do it). Might try more food before sleep to see if it works, but sometimes that just seems to give them tummy ache!.

I put them to be at around 6.45/ 7pm depending on how much lying on the floor they are doing.
The wake up times vary from night to night, but they both usually wake in the morning eventually between 5 and 6.

At my wits end.