Sleeping FAQ: 18-24 Months – Lunchtime Nap

My daughter of 19mths has suddenly stopped sleeping at lunchtime. How can I get this nap back?

My daughter of 19mths has always settled with no problem by 1pm for two solid hours, sometimes slightly longer, always woken by 3pm. Suddenly she stopped sleeping at lunchtime and is also taking longer to settle at night. She is in bed just before 7pm and sometimes still awake chatting but not crying at 8pm. She seems to be awake earlier than normal in the mornings although not much before 6.45. Until this began to happen my daughter had always slept until 7am or mostly later, sometimes 7.30/8am, with the two hours at lunchtime. The worse she sleeps in the day, the worse it is at bedtime; although she is not waking at night, she is waking earlier in the mornings. I believe this could be since we paid a day trip to family where she was settled in her travel cot for lunchtime nap, she would not sleep and cried hysterically for 1.5 hours despite cuddles from myself and husband, she eventually fell asleep on my husband’s chest which is the first time since she was days old that she has not been put down and fallen asleep on her own. This was a week ago. I truly believe she is overtired although she is not miserable; she is also eating lots more than normal so possibly a growth spurt. I am 17 weeks pregnant and need to rest at lunchtime! Today she did not have a nap at all just chatted from 12.50 till 2.15 when I went and got her. Other days she is settling around 1.30pmand I wake her at 3pm.

My daughter eats three meals a day, having her protein meal at lunchtime. This is something such as beef stew and dumplings, with mixed vegetables. After this she will have cheese biscuits spread with cheese spread. For tea she will eat pasta with a sauce followed by yoghurt. All her food is home made. My daughter rarely has biscuits or sweet things. She does not really eat fruit apart from the occasional piece of banana but loves her vegetables. She drinks around 11ozs of milk in the day and about a beaker and half of water in total, given throughout the day.

At this age sleep needs can begin to change. When first learning to walk your daughter was really tired with all her efforts in the morning, and ready for a good lunchtime nap. Now that she is probably a competent walker she is not using up so much energy in trying to keep upright and so is less tired.

Despite the problem possibly starting originally with a refusal to sleep in a travel cot, this side of the problem has not remained. Your daughter is content and chatting in her cot, so is resting as much as her body needs at this time. It would seem she is just not tired enough to sleep.

As you are in the early stages of pregnancy you may be feeling tired and so not taking your daughter out and about so much. Now that we are in the middle of winter, it is a good idea to make the most of the short days by going out in the morning. If you have to leave some housework undone, do so. You can catch up in the afternoon as darkness falls so early. If you batch cook, and so have frozen meal portions for your daughter, lunch won’t take too long to get ready once you come in around 12/12.15pm. You may even be able to set your cooker to automatic so all you will need to do is cook some green vegetables for her once you are back. Try to get out for at least an hour, letting your daughter have some free running in a safe place.

Continue to put your daughter down for her nap. She may be moving to a time of only needing 1.5 hours of actual sleep in the day. Gina does say that most babies will need two hours sleep midday until they are two years of age. But she recognizes that some can also suddenly cut back on their sleep at this age. As your daughter is happy in her cot at lunch-time and taking a while to fall asleep it would appear that she is one of those children who does need less daytime sleep. Try putting her down around 1.15pm and see if she settles herself quicker at this later time. Providing she remains content and not crying at this time don’t worry too much about it. Take a break yourself and put your feet up.

By cutting her lunchtime sleep back to 1.5hrs your daughter should settle earlier in the evenings.

Make sure that after her bath is a quiet time of day. Running around and getting a “second wind” will not help her settle to sleep well by 7.15/7.30pm. Aim to have her in bed half an hour after coming out of the bath.

Toddlers can seem to change overnight from one phase to the next. It can be frustrating and worrying but, if your daughter is managing to cope with less sleep in the day, than that is a sign of her growing up a little.

Getting out into the fresh air on a daily basis if at all possible does really help toddlers of this age, who have amazing reserves of energy. They may need to be in a buggy for shopping trips but ensuring that they have enough time to run free in a park, garden or fields on most days will help them sleep better. Winter time can be difficult with small children. Just getting them ready to go out takes twice as long as in the warmer months of the year. This can make it seem too much of an effort, especially by the afternoon. Make sure she is dressed suitably for the park which may be damp and muddy. The best option is an all in one suit which is waterproof and lined with fleece to keep her snug. This, with a pair of wellies, hat and mitts should keep her warm but allow her enough freedom to move. If she is allowed to jump into puddles, climb up frames and slide down again she will be getting all the exercise she needs. This will all help her eat a good lunch and she will be far more likely to sleep well at naptime.