The ideal sleeping routine for your toddler

Fortifying a healthy sleep habit will ultimately result in a good health for babies. Therefore, the key to good napping is to set a good nap schedule. In order to build a habit of falling asleep all by themselves, you can look for some cues in baby so that it becomes easier for you to decide when to put the baby in sleep. For example: if you see your sleepy toddler rubbing eyes, or being fussy, that might be a good time to put the baby into sleep. Therefore, babies get to sleep all by themselves and this builds up into good habit.

12-18 months

At this age babies generally sleep 13-15 hours. Most babies nap twice a day until around 16 months. By 18 months, most children move to one nap. Usually, they nap at noon and ideally the duration is of 2 hours. Some babies start to resist sleeping at night. They want to stay up with the family. This behavior is at its peak at around 18 months and tends to go away with age.

18-24 months

Until 24 months your child should be sleeping around 11-12 hours each night. During the day he/she should get one nap for 1-2 hours. At this age they may start to experience the nightmares and a fear of the dark, which can interrupt the proper sleep. Try to make eye contact with your baby or read some story before putting him/her to sleep. This will sooth your baby and help the baby to have a better sleep.

By 12 months your baby will wake up multiple times during night. Don’t respond to every cry; see if your baby can get to sleep himself. If he wants to play in the middle of the night, gently discourage with some soft shushing, and avoid making eye contact. With time your baby will get used to the routine and become less dependent on you to sleep every time he wakes up.