Is there such a thing as 18/19 month sleep regression?

[Bronnie2018]

Help. Really need some reassurance or just know someone else as been there.

My DD hasn't been a bad sleeper - but recently at 18/19 months she has been refusing day naps.

She transitioned to one nap a day around 14 months- will have 2 hours usually around 12.30/1pm...

But the last few weeks it's been an absolute battle. I think in the last week she's taken 1 nap!!

Nighttime sleep is good(thank god!!) sleeping 7pm to 7.30am usually.

I've kept trying each day but it's exhausting. I do morning activities - out for a walk or playgroup/ shopping etc but no luck...

Any advice? Is it a sleep regression. I have no time for myself.

She's recently cut canine teeth and is climbing on everything and wants to be into everything but oh for half an hour to myself!!

X

Anyone?

Hmmm my 15 month old still doesn’t sleep though the night so I’m jealous you get a full 12 hours over night!

Limit screen time during the day and get a sleep routine and some black out curtains. Make sure she’s physically tired. A fatty snack before nap time could help sleep. Some smooth nutbutter on toast or full fat dairy etc.

Failing that help the kiddo to learn to play independently and grab what ever time you can while she does that. It won’t last forever!

Mine had a regression at 18mths and then again at 2 & 2.5, all relating to naps. Fought them like mad or fell asleep really late so only got a short nap because I’d wake her still to preserve bed time. I just kept going with our usual routine - I’d tell her she didn’t have to sleep but did need to cuddle her bears etc. If nothing else she (and I!) had a rest. After a couple of weeks (maybe a little
Longer) she would go back to it again, and still naps a couple of times a week at 3.3, so I’d say stick with it for a little while longer if you can, and see if the routine clicks again xx

@littlejalapeno Thanks heaps for the suggestions. I have black out blinds and we do try and get it every morning after breakfast to the park, playgroup or whatever else is happening that day...

I haven't tried nut butter - might incorporate that for a snack one day. Always looking for new snack ideas.

Well yesterday nap didn't happen again!!
@Hartleyhare1206 I'm hoping it doesn't last long this phase as it's a loonnng day!

She does play by herself or is conceding block building or shape sorting for 30 mins or so - so I get to have a cuppa at least!

I don't know what's worse - no nap all day or nap but broken sleep at night??

Hat should read # out and # concentrating
!!!!

So no nap again yesterday 😣

She has a canine tooth coming through on the bottom. She has 3 others coming through as well but looks like most have come through now.

Are the canines the worst for teething? Surely it can't result in early a week of no naps!

@Bronnie2018 so sorry to hear that things are still out of kilter for you.

I have to say canines were our worst teeth of the lot in terms of pain and disruption. So much so that I was dreading both sets of molars but she actually cut those without me even realising 😄 so it could be teeth hindering things, but then I guess that’s even more reason to preserve with getting her to go down for a nap as when the teeth are properly in, you can see if she goes back to “normal” have you tried pain relief an hour before her nap to see if this makes her more comfortable and means she can nod off?

I do remember some bad regressions lasting closer to a month than just a couple of weeks too.

How is she the rest of the time? Is she getting overtired without her naps? We found at that age, no naps needed a very early bedtime to stop over-tiredness (she is 3 now and can handle no nap days and a fairly standard bedtime ok, but no chance at 18months) wondered if OT was building and making it even harder for her to settle for a nap?

Also, what do you do on the days she doesn’t nap? Still put her in her cot as normal? Or let her stay up? I told mine she had to lie in her bed for a rest but she didn’t have to sleep. Could you put a few quiet toys and books in with her? It gives you a break and it means she is having a nice quite rest to help her recharge for the afternoon.
Failing that, and I know this isn’t ideal, but would she nap in the car? Could you drive her somewhere until she nods off then pull over and read your book for half an hour or something?
It might be that she is genuinely done with naps, and you may just have to grit your teeth and accept it, but it could also be about her “being a toddler” and trying to assert herself a bit, and trying to make her own decisions, and so deciding she doesn’t want to nap rather than not needing to.
I sympathise massively. Nothing about parenting (so far) has caused me anywhere near as much angst and stress as her sleep (or lack of!) I always feel like I can handle whatever she has to throw at me, providing I’ve had a decent nights sleep, and ideally an hour or so to recharge during the day!! On my days at work (or in my paid job, as I like to call it😂) I work a 9 hour day but get an hours lunch break all to myself In peace and quiet where I get to eat and drink hot things without interruption, so it really pisses me off when I have to “work” a 12 hour day at home and don’t get a bit of time to catch my breath! But that’s parenting I guess! Xx

@Hartleyhare1206 thank you for your reply.
I have just kept going each day trying to get her to nap as usual. If she doesn't then I do try and get her to have some quiet time. She will play quietly by herself with blocks or at the moment she really likes emptying baskets of things I've put together for her..so I guess I can sit down for half hour or so and have a cuppa. But if I go off to another room or try and do the dishes she will follow after a short time and want my attention.

She's also advanced quickly in climbing and jumping around on the sofa when she gets a chance or climbing into chairs and seeing what she can reach. Always got to keep a close eye on her!

If she doesn't nap she doesn't get very grumpy in the afternoon or anything like that but by 6pm she's ready for bath and bed which is usually 7pm. She will then sleep through to 7/7.30am. Occasionally she will wake say 10.30pm but a quick cuddle and she's back off to sleep.

I do give baby Panadol occasionally so I might try that hour before nap.

I'm wondering if nap time is too late or too early now! Waking at 7.30am on average / nap should be 12.30/1pm.

I'm hoping this phase passes as I'm feeling jaded. But it's so good to read that I'm not alone in this!

Thank you x

Maybe try a later nap and see if that helps then?

I’ve found with mine that if she seems very resistant to having a nap, but seems to need one, I just suggest we go and lie in mummy’s bed and watch TV. She gets very excited about being in my bed and the lure of Bing is too much to resist, so we get snuggled up under the duvet, I close the curtains and put bing on quietly and she will snuggle up and watch that for about an hour. More often than not she falls asleep during that time too and will have a good sleep. I read quietly or sometimes have a nap with her too. Although it’s not a break from her, it’s still a lovely rest and does us both good. It’s almost as though she thinks she doesn’t have to nap, which takes the pressure off, and she feels like she is getting to still choose whether she does or doesn’t. But I’m basically setting her up to have one and it’s up to her whether she takes the opportunity? I appreciate some people will flame me for encouraging screen time, but honestly, I think you just need to do whatever works.

It sounds silly but I find that 1-3pm slot rubbish as I’m so used to having it to myself that now it’s starting to go, trying to fill that time seems long and hard! It’s fine if we are out for the day or seeing friends as there are other distractions, but I’d we are at home it really drags. Luckily she is at preschool so I get my breaks at other times now. If yours persists in not napping, could you look at a nursery or playschool session for a couple of hours once a week or something and it might give you a bit of time to catch up on stuff you used to be able to do whilst she napped?

The fact she is doing so well overnight is a great bonus though, at least she seems to be coping with her longer days. Try to make the most of having a decent evening to yourself to do something nice for you. Those long days mean you deserve a nice little bit of me time xx