How Much Sleep Does Your Child Need?

 

 

I have been struggling with my 2 year old daughters sleeping habits from the womb. She was up every hour of the night for the first handful of months. I blamed this on her having colic, until I finally got hit over the head with a full nights rest. I was so in disbelief that I thought for sure I had just slept through her cries, which are much less dramatic now that she is a wee tot. I couldn't blame it on colic any longer, she had long outgrown that. I tried everything from kicking the naps, bedtime stories, baby massages, warm baths, warm milk with honey, you name it and I've tried it. After that single night of full rest, I decided to do some research on the amount of hours of sleep a 2 year old needs. I found that a 2 year old is supposed to have a total of 13 hours of sleep a day. That's insanity, when it comes to my child anyways. I used to give her naps, and she would nap away for 2 hours, and only sleep 5 or 6 at night. Thats when I decided to kick naps, and she started waking up a bit less at night. My daughter is now sleeping 9-11 hours a night and only waking up once, or even at all.

 

 

They say that a child who doesn't sleep through the night is more than likely sleep deprived, rather than not tired. I beg to differ in my case, because now she is sleeping much better than she ever has before.

 

 

+Sleeping Schedules by Age

 

 

Does my child frequently fall asleep while riding in the car?

 

No, not usually. They are more than likely singing, dancing, or whining for drink.

 

 

Do I have to wake him almost every morning?

 

My children are my alarm, so that answers that.

 

 

Does he seem cranky, irritable, or overtired during the day?

 

She has her cranky moments, but what 2 year old doesn't?

 

 

So according to Babycenter, my children are not sleep deprived, just require less sleep than the average child. I plan on continuing to receive my beautiful full nights sleep. :)

 

 

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