Do you let your toddler sleep more when ill?

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I've always wondered about this because when dd's ill she always does these incredibly long daytime naps. She's 2 and currently has a horrible fluey cold thing with a fever and she slept almost 3.5 hours this afternoon. After 2.5 I made an effort to wake her up but she just couldn't open her eyes so I left her and eventually got her up an hour later and she still seemed like she could've slept more. The thing is she always sleeps dreadfully at night when ill and although part of that is because she's ill and uncomfortable I also wonder if I should regulate the day sleep despite that she's ill.

let them sleep. if possible get a nap yourself.

Absolutely - you know yourself that when you are unwell, sleep is the one thing that will help you to feel better, whether that's staying in bed for the day or turning in at 8.30. It is amazing how it will help them, even with a cold.

I always let them sleep as long as they need to when they're ill - sleep is when the body repairs itself (so I'm told) and they just need those extra zzzzzzzzzs. The nights when they're ill would probably be difficult regardless of how much sleep they take during the day. So I'd say just let her snooze as much as she needs to.

Agree with the others, let her sleep to her own pattern when ill - it may mean a couple of more unsettled nights for you, but the betting is that she'll recover more quickly and be back into her old routine before you know it.

Oh good, that's reassuring. That's what I've always done and kind of thought she's probably also catching up on sleep from the disturbed night as well as just feeling lousy. And yes, I do get a nap too, those restless nights are a killer otherwise.

I always find that when I am ill or feeling a bitunder the weather that a nap during the day makes me feel better and if I don't have one I get TOO tired and then don't sleep at night, so when my two are ill I always try and encourage them to have a nap, I am a great believer that you can, in some cases, sleep yourself better.

I have noticed with my youngest dd who is 2 and like your dd has never slept well at night, it doesn't really matter whether I let her have a nap or not, she still is up 3 or 4 times during the night, so I let her nap, sometimes for 1 hour sometimes for 4.

yes, when she has been ill, i just let her sleep as long as she wants, the alternative for me was a cranky, tired, ill humoured baby.

Dizzylizzy, actually dd normally sleeps very well at night, it's just when she's ill that it goes to the wall. And then takes a while to get her sorted again when she's better. I often go and lie down with her in the early hours when she's really restless and poorly and she rapidly becomes addicted to that. It is the best method though and I sleep much better if I can keep an eye on her when she's ill than I do being 2 floors away which is the space between her bedroom and ours.

Hi my 5 week old dd has had cold symptoms for last 2 days, she has been seen by the Dr no temperature so not concerned. However she is sleeping more than normal and not finishing all her feeds, is this normal when they are feeling unwell? Thanks Michelle xx