Two Year Old Sleep Regression

You have worked your child's entire life on having consistent and healthy naps. You have survived wonder weeks and short naps. You have navigated several naps being dropped over the last couple of years. You may have thought sleep regressions would be behind you as you entered toddler-land. Enter the two year old sleep regression.

A sleep regression is when your child suddenly stops sleeping well. There can be good reasons for regressions, and there are common ages for regressions that have no explanation or cause. Sometimes treating those exact issues can help bring you back to the sleep patterns you are used to.

Here are some things to do and thing to not do when your child is having the two year old sleep regression.

Do Not Drop the Nap

I have written on what to do when your toddler refuses to take a nap. My number one thing is do not drop it. Remember there is a regression right now. Things can go back to good with some tweaks and sometimes just with some waiting it out. Keep nap time.

Do Analyze Wake Time Length

Your toddler might need a little longer waketime length before nap starts. I have a handy chart on waketime length for toddlers in this post: Optimal Waketime Lengths for Toddlers.

Do Consider Teething/Sickness
Your toddler might be having sleep troubles because of teeth coming in or because of sickness. An ear infection can cause sleep problems. A simple cold can lead to poor sleep.

Do Consider Life Changes
Your toddler might be moving into a new bed, getting a new sibling, or starting a new activity. These things can all cause sleep regressions.

Do Have Rules and Consistency
Stay consistent with sleep and with your sleep rules. Your toddler might start testing getting out of bed without permission. Respond in a way to set the stage for good sleep habits long-term.

Do Be Aware of the Environment

Is it too hot? Is it too cold? Is the sun breaking through the window? Does your toddler need a blanket? Does your toddler need a pillow? Is your child comfortable sleeping?

Remember Regressions
Remember what a sleep regression is like? Baby doesn't sleep well for no good reason? If this poor sleep is a literal regression, there is nothing you can do but wait it out.

Conclusion
When your two year old is not sleeping well, consider the list of possible factors listed above. In the end, it might just be a regression that you need to wait out. Wait it out and continue on the sleep track with your toddler. While your two year old probably won't sleep every day consistently ever again, a daily nap is still super important in your toddler's daily routine.

Read More:

Sleep Regressions {Poll Results Post}

Sleep regressions really have a way of taking the wind out of your sails. You work so hard to establish healthy sleep in your baby, and then BAM! Sleep regression comes along. You wonder what you did wrong and what you should do differently. In reality, if it is a sleep regression, the answer is you did nothing wrong.

I asked you all to share your sleep regression experiences. Here are the answers.

1-Did your baby ever have a sleep regression?

Yes: 9

No: 0

2-What age(s) did your child have a sleep regression?

4 Months: 4

9/10 Months: 5

18 Months: 1

2 Years: 2

3-Was there anything you could do to help the sleep regression?

Baby Swing: 3

Practice New Skills: 3

Have super consistency: 3

Wait it out: 5

Quote from Yooli: "The number 1 thing for us was consistency. Bad naps, taking forever to fall asleep, whatever. We might tweak the schedule to get an overtired child down earlier, but we stuck to the schedule for the most part. If the kid sat in the crib and kicked the wall for an hour during nap time, fine. You still need to rest kiddo. In the middle of the night, we usually went in to comfort after waiting a few minutes, especially after the child was older and could call for us. But we never pulled the child into bed with us and we didn't cosleep with them. There were some particularly bad nights when we would have to go in there 3-4-5 times a night and finally hold the child in a chair until they were asleep or near asleep and transfer, but we would always put them back in their crib or bed, reassure them, and leave. "

4-How did you manage the schedule during the sleep regression? With your child waking early, did you feed more often, have more waketime, etc.

Consistency: 5

No changes: 3

Help baby fall back asleep: 1

5-Any tips, advice, or words of encouragement?

Ashley said: A sleep regression is something all babies must go through. It's not a reflection on you, especially if you have been consistent to this point. Regressions feel a lot longer than they actually are. I listened to a lot of crying during regressions, and sometimes I just had to take the baby and go to Target. Seriously, I bought a lot on clearance ;) That said, regressions for my family were a time to stay consistent, but also allow us the freedoms to go places and do things in order to get things done and keep the normally crying baby entertained. They are maddening, they are intense, but they are temporary. Take the good you get during regressions! Once it is over, as it will certainly reach an end, life will feel perfect and beautiful 

Julie said: Hang in there, and consider a schedule tweak!

Yooli said: I am absolutely convinced that sticking to a schedule made our kids get through and out of sleep regressions faster than most children. Neither of my boys really had that dreaded 4 month regression to the degree you hear moms lament about where they go on and on for months. 45 minute naps, crabbiness, night wakings, sure. But the HABIT of sleeping was already ingrained in them so even during regressions, they slept better than most kids and really helped their brains develop that much faster and get through those phases faster. And then when it was over, 2-3 hour naps and 12 hours overnights kicked right back in and they went right back to where they needed to be. Even now with my oldest going through the trying three's, he needs his sleep more than ever - particularly his afternoon nap! Its something that is so restorative and soothing to his moody, crabby little soul right now, even when he insists he doesn't want to nap. He might protest for a few minutes, but then goes down and goes to sleep. Why? Because its just been a part of his routine his whole life and he doesn't know any different. Its always been non-negotiable.

Carrie said:  It won't last forever--unless you start bad habits, like feeding to go back to sleep or bringing baby to your bed. Those may work, but it's really hard to stop later on. Give it a week or two to sort itself out before changing up anything big time. It might be a leap or light shining through a window. It could be a schedule problem, but be patient and let your baby work it out.