Awww your sweet little baby is not a baby anymore! You have a toddler, a little person who has their own opinions, strong likes, and dislikes and they are not afraid to tell you about it. There is ALOT happening at this age!

It’s great…but they don’t call it the terrible two’s for nothing! As your toddler discovers their independence, they will want to test boundaries in so many areas. Your little one is coming into their own, getting more self-sufficient by the day and that may result in a sense of FOMO when it comes to sleep.

You might start seeing issues like bedtime battles, refusing to nap and early wakings. If that’s you…read on.

Potty Training? Get a plan and support here!

If your formerly great sleeper is now kicking up a fuss, don’t panic! This is TOTALLY normal and can just be a tiny bump along the way. It really depends on how we respond to these challenges that can make them long term (it is fully up to us!).

The big thing to remember is consistency. We need to stick to the plan and when we are consistent, regressions will pass. I promise! (And if you need a little extra help coming up with the plan, book a call to see how I can help!)

So let’s dive into everything you need to know for your 2-year old and answer these questions:

How much sleep does my 2-year old need?
What is the right bedtime for a 2-year old?
What if they’re waking up early?

How much sleep does my 2–year old need?

Your two-year-old should be getting between 11 and 14 hours of sleep. They NEED this amount of sleep to help with their brain development - so it’s important! If they are still napping, they should be getting around 2-2.5 hours of day sleep.

Remember this is sleep in a 24 hr period so whatever they don’t get during the day they will make up at night and vice versa. This is why if naps are too long they can start to eat into night sleep.

What time should my 2-year old's bedtime be?

Generally speaking, you want to put them to bed between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. This is according to circadian rhythms and sleep pressure, we need to balance both.

“Early bedtimes just don’t work for us…we get home from work late and want to spend time with our little one”

I hear this a lot and trust me, I hear you. After a long day at work, what’s better than having some real, quality time with our little one?

But here’s the thing…

Quality sleep is just as important for your child's health and development as quality time! Deep sleep only happens at the beginning of the night between 7-1am and doesn’t get made up so if bedtime is late, it’s lost.

Sleep is just as much a need as food and diaper changes. Also, quality time can be hampered by a grumpy overtired toddler and this can lead to restless nights for all. Get actual quality time when your child is rested. That is more enjoyable, I promise!

Pushing Boundaries

2-year-olds are built to push boundaries. This is something that we can expect as a way of them testing what is acceptable and what is not. Knowing how far they can go and having very little control of their emotions

Their pre-frontal cortex- the part of the brain that is responsible for impulse control and planning/thinking of consequences is not fully mature at this age this, coupled with them being overtired (which affects pre-frontal cortex control even further) can lead to lots of attention-seeking behavior and a hard time calming down at bedtime.

Toddlers push limits so they know exactly what to expect and are clear on how their parents will consistently respond. If you don’t respond consistently, they will continue to push to see if that boundary can be moved.

You can allow big feelings and dislikes over boundaries (we don’t always love them) but continue to firmly and lovingly hold them. That in the end will help them and the entire family in the long run.

Attention both negative and positive are what they are seeking so offer positive attention! But NOT after bedtime, incorporate positive attention and space for feelings BEFORE bedtime, during the day, and as part of your bedtime routines. Holding boundaries and being consistent is providing safety for children and leads to a trusting relationship and lots of great sleep for all!

If you want a step-by-step plan and all the strategies on how exactly to do this so you are successful 100% of the time: check out, your dream plan toddler

What if they're waking up really early?

Let's first understand the main reasons why you may have a little human alarm clock waking you up at 5:00 a.m.

The first reason is that they're overtired. It may seem like the opposite would be true, but when your toddler is overtired they are producing more cortisol which gets them up and ready to go early in the morning. That is why I continue to preach about early bedtimes (see above).

The second reason is that they may be sleeping too much during the day. If that's the case, we can reduce our naps by 1/2 hour at a time. I know a good long nap is awesome (especially when you need to get stuff done) but trust me you want to keep that nighttime sleep intact and so you must cut from your toddler's nap.

There are many ways to work with toddlers that help them understand what to do when they wake up and the rest of the house is sleeping. I've talked about bedtime rules and incentives before to help toddlers love sleep.

You may also want to look into getting a Gro Clock. Set a wake-up time and make sure your toddler knows what that is. If your little one wakes earlier, he can play quietly in his crib. At that age, you really can’t make them to go back to sleep, but they can play quietly until mama comes in to get him or her.

Make sure their crib (try to keep them in a crib until at least 3 years of age) is a place that is nice to be so they have a pleasant association with it.

**toddlers under 3 should still be in a crib because they don’t yet have the impulse control to keep themselves from jumping out of bed.

From Tired Twos to Resting Rugrats

If you're facing those terrible, tired twos, don't worry. Remember these three important things:

This is normal and part of your child's development.
It's a phase and does not have to be a long-term problem.
Learning to sleep independently is NOT just for babies.

I've helped many toddler moms deal with their nap challenges, bedtime battles, and more. If you want to talk about my approach to toddler sleep and how to build your dream plan, let's book a call.