Toddler sleeping too much?

[Gem13]

I am getting a bit concerned about the amount of sleep my 14 month old DS seems to need.

Basically he sleeps about 12 hours at night - 7.30 - 7.30, then a morning nap from 9ish to 11.30/12 and then another nap from 3-5. The afternoon one can be shorter if we are out but he will fall asleep in the car and usually has roughly an hour. Usually around 4 hours in the day in total.

He has always slept well, sleeping through from 9 weeks, eats well and is alert and busy when he is awake. He is very sociable and passed his 8 month check with flying colours. So I haven't been worried about him up until now but I am starting to wonder if I should be.

It's treated a bit as a joke by everyone "I should be so lucky", etc. and I can't find anything on the net about it. Does anyone else have this 'problem'?

He is a good sleeper.... not sure if it is a problem though.
DD who is also a good sleeper but she has never been that good.
I think at 1 she was sleeping 13h at night (6:30 to 7:30) and then 45 mins in the AM and 2 to 2h30 at 1PM so about 16hours a day... It is not a whole lot less than your DS !
She (2yo) now sleeps 7 to 7 (though she talks a lot when I put her down so she may actually sleep at 7:30 - but she is discovering language so normal!) and has 2 hour nap at lunchtime... so still some 14hours.

Oh Gem ... don't complain ... please! If he is reaching all his milestones and is bright and alert and everything then I would thank my lucky stars if I were you

I'm not complaining at all! I'm expecting number 2 next year and am already worrying about those early sleepless nights. And what if D? isn't like his/her brother?!

It's just it's proving difficult to fit the usual toddler groups around his sleeping and he doesn't fit in with his childminders routine either. He seems to need his sleep so badly and is grumpy and bad tempered without it that I'm feeling rather restricted. Most of his friends are only having an hour so I wondered if it was strange.

Good to read your DD sounds the same, pupuce - that's reassuring.

Gem13 - my ds is also exactly the same. In fact I posted almost exactly the same as you a few weeks back - spooky!
ds is 12.5 mths, sleeps 2 hours 9:30-11am then up to another 2 hours 12:30pm - 2pm. He goes down almost instantly at 7pm and sleeps till 8 am. Also slept through from 9 weeks - have you kidnapped my boy?!

I came to the conclusion that he was so busy crawling (v fast)/cruising etc that he is just exhausting himself - huzzah! More mumsnet time

bobsmum - hurray for a fellow mum!

It's so reassuring to hear other children are like this. It's difficult to talk to friends whose babies are still waking 5 times a night and not having much sleep during the day. I don't expect sympathy - I know I'm lucky - but at the same time, they're the ones off enjoying the toddler groups which are run at such inconvenient times while I sit twiddling my thumbs on mumsnet. Actually the house could do with a clean...

My eldest dd (8 next month, & that's yrs not months!) still sleeps 11 - 12 hours per night. She can now get by on 2 or 3 nights of 10 hrs or so, but will then do a big catch up at the weekend and sleep from 8pm til 9:30/10! She has always slept a lot, and eventually you just learn to work round it. Doesn't seem to have done her any harm, and she is always at full throttle when she is awake. No 2 however, is a totally different matter. When you've spent 8 months getting up at 5:10am every morning, you really appreciate a child who likes to sleep

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Hi,first time I've posted.My ds ,just turned one and sleeps almost as much as yours,two naps a day plus 12-13hrs at night.I agree it curtails our social life somewhat but if I need him to stay awake during the day it usually means an early bedtime and then he'll probably catch up the next day.I must admit I relish it as he's exhausting when he is awake.

hi Polly28 - hope you make the most of nap times. I waste mine away on mumsnet and 2 hours later I could have had an immaculate house..oh well....

All you other mums with sprogs who love to sleep. What do you do if you're out and they won't sleep in a buggy (like my ds). He'll sleep in the car with no problems, but never drops off in the buggy - too much to look at. He then gets really narky. Do I just avoid going out over nap times? It was so much easier with a newborn

My ds is a little bu**er in his buggy,will not go to sleep until you've pushed him around for hours and you're too knackered to do any shopping and want to go home and collapse.I must admit I have good days and bad days when he's asleep I never do as much as I'd told myself I would ,gotta have a coffee and read.I tend to mumsnet in the evening when everyone is in bed -love this time of day.

Gem13 and Bobsmum, I too have always had this problem with my dd who is now 3.5. I call her my sleep monster. Your stories are so familiar and although it's lovely to have a rest, I've always had to be at home for her sleeps so my day is very disjointed. She now sleeps 11-12 hours at night and then another solid 2 in the day. Most of my friend's children dropped their daytime sleep about 1-2 years ago! Funnily enough I do still worry about it from time to time so it's reassuring to hear from you.

I'm so glad I started this thread. It's so nice to hear about these other children that have to be in their beds - no dozing in buggies for them. Fair enough - I know how they feel as I hate going to sleep on planes or in cars and long to be in bed instead!

Welcome polly28!

bobsmum. we just can't do anything in the mornings As I write this DS has been asleep since 8.50 and we are to be at a friend's for lunch at 12. He's not dressed, will need a nappy change, some water and teeth brushed. If I wake him up he'll be really tired again in an hour so fingers crossed he wakes of his own accord in the next 20 minutes.

I just hope he sleeps this well when D? arrives in February. It'll be good to be able to rest and feed without having a demanding toddler on the go all the time.

Emmalou, I read your post with glee.

My dd is 4 in October, and certainly is a sleepmonster. She sleeps at least 13hrs each night, and still needs a daytime nap really.

If we are in, she will have two hours in the afternoon. If we miss a few days, her 13 hrs goes up. Last night she went to bed at 6.30pm and woke at 8.15 this morning! On the way home this afternoon at 3.30ish she announced that she wanted to go to bed for a rest when she got in!

I sometimes worry about this, but it is probably genetic - both dp and I could sleep for England.

Well, as I often say, My ds woke all hours during the night until he was eight months old. He is now 2, and he sleeps from 7.30ish until 7ish most nights, and sleeps 2hours plus in the day. I feel he's making up for all those lost hours! I love it. I see friends at my house quite often, and invite childless friends for lunch which we have peacefully while he sleeps then go out. I never feel restricted by his sleeps. Dh love to sit with the papers at weekends. Don't pine for mother and toddler groups Gem, you ain't missing anything!