Your Toddler This Month

Tuesday, October 6, 2020
14 Months Edit Child's Info You & Your Toddler
Sleep and Nap Issues The only thing worse than a cranky toddler, is a cranky mom. Don't feel guilty if your favorite part of the day is naptime. Naptime might be the only time of day when you can stop and catch your breath, return a phone call, check email, or, better yet, just sit in silence for five minutes to regroup. When the kids are not napping well, or bedtime schedules are out of whack, it can throw off your entire day -- or your whole week! Thankfully, these interruptions in sleep routine are normal and usually brief, lasting only a week or so. There are a number of reasons why your child is waking up or not going down, so be sure to rule out anything health-related first. More than likely, it is attention-seeking behavior. Rather than let them cry it out at night, for example, you might be quick to give in to their requests, just so you can get back to bed. But this pattern does not help you or your child in the long run. Here are a few tips to help your child fall asleep. 1. Sleepy time routine. Start the bedtime process at the same time every night if you can. Reading a book, giving a bath, and other soothing activities will help ease your child into a good night's sleep. Use a similar routine for naps. 2. Is it OK to let them cry? For your the answer may be yes, but within reason. Every parent's tolerance is different. Some go running at the first sounds of crying, others can wait it out. Once you rule out the most obvious reasons for your child's waking up -- hurt, hungry, cold, etc. -- you can safely assume it is just for attention. And when you stop giving them that attention, they will stop waking up for it. 3. Downtime. If your toddler is starting to give up their nap, it is still a good idea to include some quiet downtime during the day. You both probably need it. Introduce them to "downtime," so it becomes part of their everyday routine. They might just lie in their cribs and play with books or listen to music. Or they may just want to sit and color. Just as long as it's a quiet activity. Next Month: Biting, Kicking, and Scratching Toddler Tips •  Toddlers go from two naps to one around 12-21 months of age. •  Expect toddlers to be cranky for a few days when they drop a nap. •  Yes, toddlers are perfectly capable of sleeping through the night. Don't let them fool you! •  Toddlers are ready to graduate to a big-kid bed when they turn 3 or start to escape from their cribs (whichever comes first!). Parenting Tips •  Tackling Toddler Sleep Problems •  Speech and Language Milestones: What to Expect •  How to Handle Temper Tantrums •  Separation Anxiety: Causes and Symptoms Connect •  Parenting 1-Year-Olds Community •  Parenting 2-Year-Olds Community •  Children's Health Center •  Raising Fit Kids Home  |  Conditions A to Z  |  Community  |   Parenting Don't miss an issue of this newsletter. Add WebMD to your email's safe sender list -- get instructions here. You are subscribed as asaislam93.parent@blogger.com. To unsubscribe from this email, or manage your individual email/newsletter preferences, click here. Please note that you may be asked to sign in to your account. To unsubscribe from all emails from WebMD, click here. WebMD Privacy Policy WebMD Office of Privacy 1201 Peachtree Street, NE 400 Colony Square, Suite 2100, Atlanta, GA 30361 © 2020 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.