Toddlers spend about 12-12.5 hours out of 24 in sleep. Stalling or refusing to go the sleep at the prescribed bedtime does not usually become a problem until the toddler is capable of verbal commands and can climb out of the crib or has been moved to a bed -- usually at age 2 or 3. The limits originally provided by the crib bars are lost. Although, if parents heed the repeated requests of the toddler -- to be "tucked in again," go to the "bathroom," have the "light turned back on or off," deal with some sort of "fear," etc, the problem may start earlier in the crib.

The inadequate enforcement of bedtime by the caretaker, i.e. failure to set a consistent limit on bedtime, often results in an inadequate accumulation of sleep time with an increased irritability as the day progresses and increased family tensions. The nocturnal sleep period is reduced from an hour to more than 2 hours, and there are anywhere from 3 to more than 5 episodes of the toddler stalling, calling out or leaving the bedroom during the night.

Stalling or refusing to go to sleep at the prescribed bedtime is seen in about 10% of the childhood population. As the toddler matures and develops social contacts with other children, privacy becomes more important and nighttime struggles with caretakers are no longer sought. This problem tends to resolve, once the child starts school and is forced to develop social relationships outside of the family unit with other peers/children and also begins to recognize the need for more sleep at night to get through the school day.

However, if the child fails to develop positive social relationships outside of the family unit and/or has Nintendo64, a computer, TV, radio, or telephone available in the bedroom to take the place of interacting with the caretakers through the night, the child will continue to refuse to adhere to any set bedtime.

Sources: ICSD (1990) - International classification of sleep disorders: Diagnostic and coding manual. Diagnostic Classification Steering Committee, Thorpy MJ, Chairman. Rochester, Minnesota: American Sleep Disorders Association, pp 90-98. American Sleep Disorders Association (1997). ICSD - International classification of sleep disorders, revised: Diagnostic and coding manual. Rochester, Minnesota: American Sleep Disorders Association, pp 90-98.

NEONATES | TODDLERS | CHILDREN | TEENS | ADULTS & SENIORS

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