Naptime

Posted by Nikki Montgomery on

Remember when baby slept more than she was awake? Remember how exciting it was when she was awake more often? 12 months later you wish she'd take a nap so you can get something done or you just want to sit down for minute instead of constantly chasing her around the house?

Here is a chart of how naptime changes with age.

Age Nighttime Sleep Daytime Sleep * Total Sleep
1 month 8 8 (inconsistent) 16
3 months 10 5 (3) 15
6 months 11 3 1/4 (2) 14 1/4
9 months 11 3 (2) 14
12 months 11 1/4 2 1/2 (2) 13 3/4
18 months 11 1/4 2 1/4 (1) 13 1/2
2 years 11 2 (1) 13
3 years 10 1/2 1 1/2 (1) 12
*Note: number of naps in parentheses

Does your child fit this chart? My daughter takes between 1 and 2 naps a day. The length of time she's asleep varies from day to day.

Sleep expert Jodi Mindell author of Sleeping Through the Night, claims that most children are not getting enough sleep. To find out if your child is one of them ask yourself these questions: 

  • Does your child fall asleep almost every time he's in a car?
  • Do you have to wake your child almost every morning?
  • Does your child seem cranky, irritable, or overtired during the day?
  • On some nights, does your child seem to crash much earlier than his usual bedtime?
If you answered yes to any of these questions your child doesn't get enough sleep.
My answers:
  • YES, but if I were riding in the back seat of the car in a reclined position in a seat that comfortable for 40 minutes or more I would fall asleep too!
  • YES, but Josh has to get up and get ready for work starting at 4:45 and be out of the house before 6. She would sleep until 6:45 or 7am everyday if left to her own devices.
  • NO
  • YES, on the rare occasion she will start acting super tired by 6:30 instead of her usual 7:30, but we all have those days right? There's no way we'd be able to get her to bed every night at 6:30 or 7.
Okay so it turns out my daughter is sleep deprived. Sleep deprived toddlers are usually more irritable or crankier, though Mia seems pretty happy most of the time. They may have a hard time concentrating during playtime and may appear more active to try to keep themselves awake.
As a parent what do you do when you know your child is overtired?

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