As your baby becomes a toddler, their sleep timings will change.
Toddler sleeps less during the day, but sleeps about 11 or more hours at night.
You’ll be transitioning your toddler to fewer naps and even a cranky tired baby can have difficulty getting to sleep.
Up to 20 percent of children may have sleep disorder. The most common problem is difficulty falling asleep.
Toddler sleep problems:
- Lack of routine and bed time rituals
- Childhood depression, anxiety or trauma
- Intestinal worms
- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome symptoms include, snoring, difficulty in breathing or mouth breathing during sleep. It affects 1-3 percent of the children. The main causes of sleep apnea are obesity and neuromuscular disease.
- Narcolepsy – this toddler sleep disorder have a great difficulty in getting up in the mornings. When awaken the child may appear to be mystified or may be destructive or verbally abusive.
- Bed wetting is one of the most prevalent toddler sleep problem. It is a hereditary disorder.
- Night terrors- occur approximately 90 minutes into sleep. The child suddenly sits upright and screams and is devastated for up to 30 minutes and falling back to sleep.
- Sleepwalking and sleep talking. In this stage a child sits up in bed with eyes open but is unseeing.
- Some of the toddler sleep disturbances are night awakenings and bedtime resistance.
- Snoring, noisy breathing, coughing during night and sweating during night are the common toddler sleep problems.
Tips for getting a toddler to sleep:
- Develop a steady night time routine with supper, bath and a bed time story every night.
- By following a nightly bedtime ritual, he knows that what is expected of him and what to expect at night.
- Some children go to sleep more easily with white noise from a fan or sound machine. Baby music helps to calm your baby.
- Massaging your toddler for 15 minutes before bed time makes your toddler to sleep.
- Create calm, soothe, secure and pleasant sleep environment for toddler sleep.
- Maintain the room temperature between 60 and 65.
- Turn off the lights in your bedroom.
- Gently rock your baby to sleep. The motion of rocking chair or being carried in a sling will lull baby to sleep.
- Offer your child a cup of warm milk before going to bed. This may help him get to sleep.
- Leave the door open for a toddler to feel secure.
- If your child will go to bed only if you are around, then teach him how to soothe himself to sleep.
