Up until 2 years of age, a child needs about 14 hours of sleep a day, most of which should be at night. At age 12 months, your child should still be taking two naps each day. Around age 18 months, most children will only take one nap a day. It can be a difficult time when a child transitions from two naps to one nap per day. Some experts suggest that you alternate; one day give your toddler one nap, the next day give two naps. Also, on the days with only one nap, it’s a good idea to put your toddler to bed a bit earlier than normal.
Following a nightly routine is important to allow your child to be calm and get better sleep. It’s also important to keep your toddler’s daytime schedule for meals and naps as consistent as possible. Lastly, your toddler should fall asleep without depending on being held, rocked, sung too, or breast-fed. A toddler must learn how to put themselves to sleep so that they can do it when they wake in the night.
