![]() Often mothers will return to work towards the end of the first year. In addition a lot of the foods and drinks given to toddlers can contain E-Numbers, artificial colourings in particular, which are known to make children hyperactive, in fact these are also commonly found in popular toddler medicine, such as Calpol. Toddler diets also tend to be quite carbohydrate heavy, but a good mix of carbs and protein are necessary for sleep. Picky eating however can commonly result in a lack of nutrients essential for sleep and quite simply, hunger at night. A changing diet. Picky eating is normal in the toddler years.No matter how much they enjoy preschool or nursery and love their time there, it can still be very unsettling and cause sleep regressions as a result. Gone is the safety and predictability of home and known people, replaced with a loud, bright and busy environment that they have no control over full of people they don’t know. The upheaval of starting preschool/nursery.They see a new baby taking hugs that would normally have been theirs and their insecurity manifests in tricky behaviour in the day and waking more at night. You know you don’t love them any less, but they don’t see that. Think about it from their perspective, their whole world has been turned upside down. It is so completely and totally normal for a toddler (even if they previously slept through the night) to start waking regularly once a new sibling arrives on the scene. Feeling insecure after the arrival/the imminent arrival of a new sibling.Sleep issues may indicate a toddler who needs to be afforded more control in their life. This issue is compounded by using cots and cribs which effectively contain the toddler in a space where they may not want to be, for this reasons floor beds can often make a really positive impact. when and how they go to the toilet and 3. There are very few things they have full control over 1. Toddlers need a certain level of control over their lives to feel happy and secure, in many cases the amount of autonomy they need does not match that which they actually get. Struggling with a sense of control and autonomy.The following are what I consider the top reasons for toddler night waking, but by no means is this list exhaustive. Toddler sleep is much more complex than baby sleep in my opinion, because there is so much more going on in their worlds. If I’m honest, I have no idea why your toddler is waking lots at night. I should add a caveat here, a lot of people think I “know all of the answers”, I don’t. In fact I would say one of the trickiest ages for sleep is around eighteen months – something people commonly refer to as “the 18 month sleep regression”. Realistically, night waking remains a completely normal part of life right through to the child’s second birthday and beyond. The problem is firmly in the hands of the misinformed expectations held by society. I’m not saying it’s not bloody hard when you’re on to year two of next to no sleep, it is, however it’s highly likely that there is nothing at all wrong with your toddler. I’m here to categorically tell you that you don’t. Especially when everybody is telling you that you and your child have a problem. I say ‘almost’ because if you’re the parent of a toddler who wakes regularly at night it’s not funny. This is so short sighted and misinformed it’s almost funny. The common assumption is at this age they should no longer have milk in the night, should be sleeping in their own bed (or cot/crib) in their own room and should make it through from 7pm to 7am without disturbing their parents. Post twelve months, toddlers who wake at night are almost certainly considered to have a ‘sleep problem’ by most experts. It’s rare that the wisdom of this is challenged, despite science showing that over half of nine and twelve month olds wake regularly at night. For each month past six months of age, that a baby still wakes, they are slowly considered more and more problematic. Something changes after six months though, we expect babies to start ‘sleeping through the night’. Night feeds are accepted as the norm for at least the first three months (and beyond) by most sources. Parents expect their small babies to wake at night frequently.
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