Sleeping FAQ: 12-18 Months – Other

My 1 year toddler’s frustration with a grobag.

My one-year-old child has been a great sleeper so far, sleeping for 13 hours each night and about 3 hours during the day. The problem is that he gets extremely frustrated when he wakes up as he is in his gro-bag and is unable to stand up in his cot. I would like to be able to leave him in his cot to play, but his frustration causes him to cry as soon as he awakes. He sleeps in a 1.0-tog towelling gro-bag.

I have never been very keen on towelling gro-bags, particularly once babies start to move around. The problem you describe of your baby getting tangled in the gro-bag is very common, especially if it is extra-long. You could try using a shorter one made of cotton, or perhaps switch to an all-in-one fleece sleep suit, and this may encourage him to play happily in his cot. He is, however, doing incredibly well to be sleeping thirteen hours at night and three hours during the day. A total of 16 hours a day is quite a long time for a baby of this age to spend in his cot and, in my opinion, he could be crying because he is actually ready to get up and start the day after such a long spell asleep. If changing the sleep bag does not improve things, I think you may just have to accept that he wants to get up and be sociable. He is obviously a great sleeper, so at least you can take comfort in that – well done!