How much sleep for a 20 month old

[Jodileen]

Hi guys,

I'm just wondering how much nap time should a 20 month old be getting during the day?

My little boy is currently waking at 4.30-5am every day

He goes for a nap usually straight after an early lunch but because of early rising he is going down about 10.30. He is sleeping for 1.5 2 hours. Should I start reducing that? He is then in bed for 7 but might resist till 7.30ish.

He has moved to a bed as he just wouldn't stay in his cot so I'm sure this isn't helpingX I just wanted to know if he is getting too much sleep during the day.

[First mum]

Hi Jodileen, my dd is nearly 20 months and does generally 7:30 pm to 6:10 am and has a 2 hour nap at 12 pm.

What's you lo's temperament  like with the current amount of sleep? Has he always been lsn?

[creations]

At this age LOs tend to do well on set nap times rather than working out the A times each day based on WU time.  By shifting the nap earlier to fit his WU time you may inadvertently be encouraging an early wake up, followed by an dearly nap and possibly some OT by BT meaning he doesn't settle at 7 but takes longer to relax.
My suggestion would be to move the nap back to where it used to be regardless of WU time.  So if it used to be say 12 then either:
- shift directly to 12 now, he may have a day or two of OT waking during the nap but if you stick to the set nap time he will adjust
or
- shift in 30 min intervals over the next several days.  11am for 2 days then 11.30 for two days then 12 and stick there.  Wait to see if the nights and EWs change (if nap used to be at 12 he might need it a bit later than 12 now, maybe 12.15 or 12.30 but you can assess this a bit further down the line)

For BT you could either:
- stick to 7pm BT, the A time from nap to BT will shorten due to the later nap and ought to help with him settling better. Set naps and set BTs are very helpful for LOs this age.
- give a couple of days EBT to help with that OT.  I wouldn't do it too many nights as you don't want to totally shift to an earlier BT and earlier WU but one or two nights of BT at 6pm might help him sleep better at night and therefore help move that nap to a more suitable time again.  After the one or two nights you go back to 7pm BT.

IMO he is not getting too much day sleep but it is perhaps not coming at the best time for him. If you move to the set nap and set BT using whichever of the above methods you feel best suits you/your LO you could well see the night lengthen to a more reasonable 10+ hrs rather than 9hrs and he will be overall better rested.
hope this helps

[Jodileen]

Thank you for this information. I have managed to keep him up till 11.45 today. He is a very strong not minded stubborn child and what ever his 3 year old brother can do he thinks he can do better. I will see how tonight goes but I might try and stretch him to 6.30 or 7 at the latest and see how we go. Thanks again. I'll be in contact with updates

[creations]

FX for you

[Jodileen]

Ok so what a disastrous night. He napped from 11.45 yesterday for 2 hours. Then I took him off to bed at 6.45, he was asleep by 7.10. He then woke at 12, 1 and 5. The 5 was his waking him to start the day. This has now started waking my 3 year old at 5am. Should I just stay consistent with nap and bed times?

[creations]

I would stick at it. Routine changes can and often do throw up odd disturbances whilst LO settles into it.  Sorry you had a bad night though, I hope tonight is better for you all.
Prior to the EW and the 10.30am nap was his nap 11.45 or something else? Just wondering if you have reached the previous routine nap time yet or not.

One other thing, now that he's had a few NWs rather han just the EW I looked again at your LOs age. There is often a language leap at around 21 months, I wonder if he may be close to this?  It can of course come early for some LOs.  The language leaps for us (and threads I've seen) cause huge night disturbance, shockingly so.  I wonder if you remember going through it with your older DD?
But like I said, might not be the leap yet, might be any number of things, a tooth moving, a cold on its way, settling into the change in routine...

[Jodileen]

Thanks so much for all your advice. He is very much trying to his point across at the moment by crying and I do remember this with my eldest just don't remember night wakings. Between the two of them they have had me up half the night last night. Oscar was up at 1, 3 and up at 6. Hugo who is 3.8 was up in between. 🙉🙈😪

[Jodileen]

So after being awake half the night my 20 month old refused his nap. I didn't pick him up from childcare till 1 and usually he goes straight asleep. Today he resisted, fell asleep on me at 2.30 then when I went to put him in his cot bed he woke screaming. Early bedtime tonight for sure

[Jodileen]

So last night after refusing his nap yesterday he went to bed at 6. Then now has been awake since 4.30. He woke my 3,8 year old again too and he is just being a nightmare. Is it worth trying a later bedtime if I can get the nap in? I know consistency is the key and it isn't happening this week due to nap refusals and he is at crèche on a Thursday and Friday till 1 so doesn't get a sleep in till then. What if today I try to get bum to sleep around 1.15 for 2 hours then put him to bed maybe 7.30 or 8. What do you think?

[creations]

Sorry I'm too late for today, only just got on.
I hope you are having a better day.

FWIW my DS eventually had a late nap, form 2-4pm with BT at 8pm (it gradually worked up to 8pm with the need for a longer A time), his morning A was very long but his afternoon A very short.  for your at the moment I would think that you could still continue with a 7pm BT unless there is resistance, it does make he afternoon A short but perhaps this suits him like it did with my DS?  Worth a try to prevent OT for the night sleep I think.  it's what I would do, the later nap but relatively early BT. If he is hugely resistant at BT you can take him out of the room for 15 mins and try again, but he might just go down at 7 pretty well.

[Jodileen]

Thank you. He went to sleep in the car at 1 and I lifted him in. Still asleep at the moment 2.20. Will attempt a 7pm bedtime. Fingers crossed x

[creations]

Good luck x

[Jodileen]

20 month old up since 4.10 and my 3.8 year old up since 4.50 😪

[creations]

Hope you had a better night.

Any teething going on with the 20 month? Sometimes there can be a whole bundle of things going on at once which doesn't help matters. So whilst you're trying to tweak the routine there could well be teething discomfort at the same time.


Hope you got some rest!