Posts Tagged ‘toddler nap’

This article outlines the average toddler schedule, including feedings, naps and night sleep. If your toddler is having trouble napping, you may be interested in my toddler nap tips. And, for good ideas on feeding your toddler, check out Wholesome Toddler Food. You may also want to encourage your toddler to get involved in his routine by teaching him to tell time with this Melissa and Doug Wooden Shape Sorting Clock.

 
 
Two Nap Schedule | One Nap Schedule | No Nap Schedule

Toddler Schedules - General Info

At this age, your toddler should be sleeping through the night, with no night feedings. Obviously, all babies vary, but here are some rough schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby.

I think of a “toddler” as a 1-3 year old, which is a wide range. Sleep needs change in that time-frame. While your one year old may be sleeping 12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day made up of 2 naps, on average, your three year old is likely starting to transition into not napping all together and will do so most likely before the age of four. At 2 years old, the average amount of sleep drops to between 12 and 12 1/2 hours in 24 hours, including just one afternoon nap. The average age for a toddler to transition to just one nap is 15-18 months. Transitioning too soon can have disastrous results with a very cranky toddler.

This article will give an example of 3 different types of schedules, 2 naps, 1 nap and no naps.

Toddler Schedule - Two Naps

7:00 - Wake
7:00/7:30 - Breakfast
9:30 - Light snack if she needs it
10:00 - Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:30/12:00 - Lunch
2:00 - Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:30 - Afternoon Snack
5:30 - Dinner
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Bedtime

Toddler Schedule - One Nap

7:00 - Wake
7:00/7:30 - Breakfast
9:00 - Light snack if she needs it
11:00 - Lunch
12:00 - Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:30 - Afternoon Snack
5:30 - Dinner
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Bedtime

Toddler Schedule - No Naps

7:00 - Wake
7:00/7:30 - Breakfast
9:30 - Light snack if she needs it
12:00 - Lunch
1:00 - Quiet/Rest time (45 minutes to 1 hour)
3:30 - Afternoon Snack
5:30 - Dinner
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Bedtime

If your toddler is waking too early or going to bed too late, you may be interested in shifting his schedule. If you need help for your specific situation, you may be interested in our sleep consultation services.

Share your toddler’s schedule

Getting a toddler to nap is not always an easy task. Here are 5 tips to help your toddler nap better.

1. Age-appropriate nap schedule for your toddler

The first tip is to make sure you are napping your toddler at the right time. Some people are surprised to know that toddlers do not typically transition to just one midday nap until 15-18 months, on average. At many daycares, for example, they tend to transition many toddlers to one nap around their first birthday. While this may be okay for some (my first did, in fact, transition to just one nap around his 1st birthday), it can have disastrous results for others. Not only may it make a very cranky toddler, but they may not nap long enough because they are overtired and they also may not sleep through the night.

If your toddler is still taking 2 naps, a typical schedule might be 7-10-2-7 (that’s wake at 7, naps at 10 and 2 with a bedtime at 7pm). A one-nap schedule might be 7-12-7. Please review how much sleep your toddler needs.

2. Have a nap routine

Routines set the stage and expectations of your toddler so he will know what to expect at any given time of the day. So, to help transition him from playing hard to a nap, it is best to develop a routine. If he is on one nap, for example, his nap may fall soon after lunch. Therefore, you should not get into an exciting game, but perhaps “storytime” is a good activity after lunch. A typical routine might be a quiet game for 5 minutes, some light music, read 2 books, cuddle for a minute and then put him down for his nap. If you are consistent, he will likely start to know what’s coming next and start to get tired before you even get to step 2.

3. Be careful of how she falls asleep

It is important to encourage your toddler to fall asleep a certain way that he can go BACK to sleep after his sleep cycles. We all wake periodically while we sleep going from deeper sleep into lighter sleep and back into deep sleep, again. It is when she is in lighter sleep and needs to go into deep sleep again, but is no longer rocking or sucking a pacifier or nursing or some other sleep association that she has trouble going back to sleep, making for a too-short nap. Encourage her to learn to fall asleep without your assistance. Of course, if you enjoy the snuggle and she takes a nap that is at least one hour (the minimum to be considered restorative), then it’s not a problem at all for you to do that.

4. Avoid snoozes

Have you ever napped at 6 pm and then had trouble falling asleep at your normal bedtime of 10 pm? Similarly, a short snooze in the car, stroller, etc. may recharge your toddler making it hard for him to nap during his normal nap time. If you know he gets sleepy around a certain time, try to avoid car rides or walks in the stroller.

5. Have a set amount of nap time

Establish a “nap hour” where your toddler will be in bed, regardless if he is asleep. This gives him some down-time, away from the household hustle and bustle, at the very least. And, it gives you, mom and dad, a much needed break to recharge yourself. If he naps 45 minutes and you leave him alone for another 15, he just might drift back off to sleep. If you are consistent, they will come to expect that their nap hour is just that, and will either play or learn to sleep at least that long. Sometimes all they need is 5 minutes to drift back off to sleep.

Need more help with your toddler’s sleep problems?

If you need more help with your toddler’s sleep, you may be interested in my e-Book, Help Your Child Sleep, a Detailed Guide which discusses toddler sleep issues such as waking up too early (or going to bed too late), transitioning to a big boy bed, and more! Or, you may be interested in custom sleep advice for your unique child and situation.

Do you have any toddler napping tips? Please share!

Last week I posted my newborn sleep tips. Today I’ll talk about getting your baby to nap. I am specifically talking about babies older than newborns (i.e. 3+ months old).

A nap is considered to be restorative if the baby is not moving (i.e. such as in a swing or car or stroller) and the nap is one hour or more. I specifically want to mention this because it widely varies what people believe to be a “normal” or “good” nap. Some think babies should sleep 3 hours each time and others seem to think 30 minutes is enough.

It is normal for babies younger than 6 months old to take 3-4 short 30-45 minute catnaps. Around 6 months, they should begin to lengthen to 2-3 longer naps. The 3rd nap is almost always just 30-45 minutes, just to help them get to bedtime. However, some babies don’t have this nap at all and only have 2 longer naps. The average amount of napping is 2-3 hours each day.

With babies younger than 9 months old, short naps are almost always due to too much wake-time between naps. When a baby is overtired, he will have trouble settling down enough to nap well and make it past that first sleep transition around the 30-45 minute mark. If your baby is short-napping you, try to decrease the wake-time between naps. This wake-time should ideally be just 1-2 hours, tops when baby is under 6 months old and 2-3 hours, after. When she isn’t overtired, she is better able to transition to the next sleep phase.

Also, around 6 months of age (some are ready by 5 months and some won’t be ready until 7+ like my first-born), you should nap baby more on a schedule. I have several sample baby schedules on this website (and always working on more). You should always use your baby as a guide, first and foremost, but in general, a schedule works wonders for babies who are having trouble napping (particularly when the problem is short-napping in an older baby). We all have internal clocks and if you get your baby used to sleeping at the same time every day, this will make it easier for her to nap. Remember, our bodies release hormones to fight fatigue, so if she is napping at different times every day, her body will be fighting fatigue and make it even harder for her to nap when you want her to.

Finally, a nice 10 minute nap routine will cue him that a nap is coming up. Change his diaper, read a short book or two, cuddle for a few minutes, and put him down for a nap. If you stay consistent, it will become crystal clear to him what’s coming up and prepare his body for relaxation and a good nap.

If none of these things seem to help and your baby is either continuing to fight his nap or takes short naps, you might need to encourage him to nap more. You may want to look at sleep training him for naps. Remember sleep training is not cry-it-out! And, you may be interested in reading my Sleep Training (from No Cry to Cry) Series.

If you are still having trouble getting your baby to nap, you may be interested in our step-by-step baby sleep guide or one-on-one baby sleep advice for your unique situation.