Babies find a sleeping rhythm
From ten to twelve months, your child needs less and less sleep during the day. So it has more time to explore the exciting new world. You can read here how to get your child used to a sleep rhythm.
Sleep behavior at the end of the first year of life
At just under a year old, children sleep an average of 13 to 14 hours out of 24. That’s almost as much sleep as four months ago, but with the subtle difference that most sleep now takes place at night. As in all other areas of development of the child, deviations are normal here. You have to keep in mind that every child has an individual rhythm and the daily routine is also different. A very active child needs a lot more sleep than a rather quiet child. A morning nap and an afternoon nap are normal and sensible at this age. Your child needs rest and thus draws new energy for playing and the daily challenges. Some children nod off for half an hour several times a day, some sleep for up to two hours at a time.
Tip: Make sure that your child can sleep undisturbed. You can find tips on the sleeping environment in our article “ The Best Sleeping Environment for Baby ”. To avoid your child not wanting to go to bed in the evening because they have slept too much during the day, you should do the following: Shift the nap to midday rather than in the afternoon. Then your child can let off steam for many hours before it is time to go to bed. Also, you can dilute the milk it gets at night by first diluting it with 10ml of water, the following night with 20ml of water, and so on. Then it will want to drink more during the day and will not be so hungry at night.
Sleep rhythm: Does your child not want to go to bed?
Your child is now old enough to understand that they themselves have a huge influence on whether and when they go to sleep. This can lead to problems getting to bed. Even if it’s difficult: You have to be consistent and teach your child that there is a certain time for bedtime. The sooner you get used to it, the better.
Tip: First, you need to set a suitable bedtime. It must fit into your child’s daily routine, but also into that of the rest of the family. This is the only way you have a real chance of consistently sticking to your bedtime.
A fixed, consistent ritual is also important , for example a certain sequence of joint actions such as brushing your teeth, a bedtime story or a lullaby. But the most important thing is to have patience. It takes a while for your child to get used to the rhythm. There will most likely be some exhausting and frustrating evenings along the way. But don’t give up. If you stay consistent, you will soon benefit from it. Take a look at our special “How your baby learns to sleep” . There you will find not only other valuable tips but also useful information about the sleeping behavior of babies.