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Healthy sleeping habits of a 2-year-old

As the proud parent of a young toddler, you’ve probably begun to notice that their sleeping habits are evolving. But exactly how much sleep does a 2-year-old need? Are naps an integral part of their routine?

Why do babies need so much sleep?

Understanding why babies sleep as often as they do is integral to understanding the changes that occur in a child’s sleep schedule as they age. In a child’s first few years, they grow and develop very rapidly. This demanding course of growth needs lots of energy to power, meaning that lots of rest is also needed. This explains why newborns sleep for 14 to 17 hours each day. Sleep lets the body and mind relax and recharge.

By the time a child turns 2 years old, the amount of time they spend sleeping and the amount of time they are awake become more equal. Your average 2-year-old needs to sleep between 11 and 14 hours every day including naps. And yes, when it comes to the sleeping habits of your 2-year-old, it is encouraged to get them to still take at least one nap per day. A study found that 2-year-olds who didn’t nap were unhappier, more anxious, and more easily frustrated than those who did nap.

toddler sleeping
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Napping has benefits beyond the energy it provides. One study discovered that preschoolers who took a nap did better on a memory game than those who did not nap. And other groups of researchers have shown that people who sleep irregularly or are often tired have more unhealthy eating habits, putting them at a higher risk for obesity.

When should my child stop napping?

mother and daughter reading
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The age children no longer need to sleep during the day is unique to each individual. A good night’s sleep is the most important component of a healthy sleeping routine for a 2-year-old.

To figure out if your child is ready to skip a nap, do some experimentation. Pick a day for them to not nap, and observe their behavior in the evening. If this experiment ends with an exceptionally cranky toddler, you should continue to let them nap. By the time a child reaches the age of 5, napping does not have many proven benefits. Instead, sleeping too long during the day can cause issues when a child or adult tries to fall asleep at night. On the other hand, an overtired person may also have problems at bedtime. If your older child is exhausted after a long day, encourage them to take short naps for no longer than about an hour as a quick energy boost.

When it comes time to transition away from napping, consider introducing a “quiet time” when your child can play, read, or make art quietly and independently. This peaceful and quiet period may be all it takes for a child to feel energized enough to carry on their day.

How should my 2-year-old be sleeping?

By the age of 2, a child has spent more time asleep than awake. This will soon change, however. Throughout your child’s first few months, you likely established a daily routine. Young children thrive on routines, so if you don’t have one yet, you should start making one soon! Maintain a routine, complete with naps, as necessary through toddlerhood.

Every child should have a cool, quiet, dark place for naptime and bedtime. Preferably, they will always sleep in the same location. They have probably progressed past the need for a crib and may want to sleep with you, but try to encourage your toddler to sleep in their own bed. Having a favorite blanket or toy to sleep with can make a child feel more comfortable sleeping in any given environment.

toddler sleeping
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Naps taken throughout the day should be short. The longer or later a toddler naps, the harder it will be for them to fall asleep at night. Again, a routine is paramount — your child should take a nap and go to bed around the same times daily.

Napping and getting a good night’s sleep are important to having a healthy, happy child. As your child progresses in age from baby to toddler, they will need less sleep and fewer naps. Although the normal sleeping habits of any given child are unique, now you know what is normal for an average 2-year-old.

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Getting a good night's sleep isn't just important for your toddler but for everyone else in the house as well. Having a well-rested household means everyone functions better and is in a better mood. If your toddler takes forever to fall asleep, that can affect everyone's sleep. Fortunately, there are some bedtime hacks and tips to get your toddler to sleep that can help.
Setting up the right timing and routine and sticking to a consistent schedule make a big difference in deterring kids from getting out of bed to ask for a snack, water, or song every few minutes. When toddlers know what to expect at bedtime, they're much more likely to have an easier time drifting off to dreamland. Read on for our eight best tips to get a toddler to sleep.

8 tips to get toddlers to sleep
1. Time bedtime perfectly
If you start trying to put your toddler to bed for the night at 4:00 p.m., you'll probably have a very long and terribly frustrating bedtime process. It's the same if you don't start until 11:00 p.m. In general, you can't force a bedtime. It's best to make bedtime the time that your toddler naturally gets sleepy but isn't yet overtired. You can control when your toddler gets sleepy by letting them nap or not and when you schedule the nap, but by the end of the day, you pretty much have to go with the flow.
2. Keep bedtime consistent
While you want to go with your child's natural rhythm as we just discussed, once you know the time your child typically gets drowsy, pick that time on the clock to be bedtime every night. Staying up an hour later one night and an hour earlier the next won't encourage a successful bedtime routine with minimal resistance.
3. Time dinner appropriately
Does your child come out of bed asking for a snack? Make sure they haven't eaten too early so that they're hungry again after the bedtime routine. Time dinner to be over an hour or less before bedtime to avoid this issue. The digestion will also help make them sleepy.
4. Wind down
Kids shouldn't go straight from running around outside into bedtime. After dinner, wind down with books, chatting about their day, quiet music, stretching, or even breathing exercises or meditation. This isn't a good time for tablet time since the light can mess with their circadian rhythm. Bedtime starts long before bedtime, prepping the mind to be quiet and restful.
5. Set up the space for success
Make sure your child's bedroom encourages sleep. You want them to feel safe and calm, so some soothing music or a white noise machine can help. Some fairy lights or a night light that projects stars onto the ceiling can also make a child less scared of the dark. You can even put a lavender spray or sachet under the pillow to encourage sleep. Invest in blackout curtains so natural light doesn't keep your child awake or wake them up too early (they might also be scared of the dark out the window, so keep the curtains closed).
6. Stick to a consistent routine
The repetition of the bedtime routine should cue your child's brain every night that it is time for bed. For most kids, this involves brushing their teeth, washing their face, going potty, and then once in their room, putting on PJs and having some books read aloud to them. You may also add rubbing their back or another soothing and calming part of the routine after story time. Even the number of books and length of the stories should be consistent.
7. Attend to every need preemptively
If you are potty training or post-potty training, you might not let your child have unlimited water overnight. In this case, having their last drink of water should be part of the bedtime routine. Make sure going potty is one of the last parts of the routine before heading to the bedroom so they can't come out saying they have to go again. Whatever they come out asking for nightly, attend to it right before going to bed to avoid the request coming after bedtime.
8. Leave them with a recording still entertaining them
Your child likely misses you once you leave. Record your voice telling them a story on an old phone (or a tape recorder, tablet, or whatever you have available), and let the recording of you telling them more stories continue as you leave. They can fall asleep to your voice without you needing to be there. If you don't want to record or don't have a device for that, there are many audiobooks, bedtime podcasts, and pre-recorded short stories for kids (many specifically for bedtime) that you can leave playing.

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