does my son have some kind of sleep problem??

Question

so, here i am again.. so i went to the doctor for my son's checkup.

my 16 month old son sleeps from 7 or 8 at night to 11- 12 in the morning.. and then he takes a nap from 3 or 3:30 to 6. so um... he weighs in at 22 pounds, which he isnt concerned about..

but the sleeping thing is a big issue and i know it is, i was just wondering if any other mom's have experienced this and have any idea what it could mean?

they took blood and it came back fine, so i have to do a sleep study overnight with him.

i'm scared.. any suggestions?

(please dont answer this if you're baby is less then a yr old. lol - obviously they sleep more before 1. and please no smart *** comments.. i'm stressed out enough as it is and i will report u if ur mean.)

also.. at age 2 babies are considered toddler right?

um, okay so my doctor knows that its a problem, thats why he's setting up the sleep study? why are you telling me to switch..

also.. my son has no problem going to sleep in his own bed.. thats not it. he sleeps too much..

and lastly.. he wont NOT take naps. he used to take 2 naps, but since the doctor's visit, hes cut down to just this one.

please respect my wishes and dont tell me to switch doctors.

no, he doesnt have narcolepsy, he doesnt just fall asleep anywhere..

um, when he's awake he's very active and seems healthy.. when he wakes up, he eats 2 waffles, 2 eggs, cottage cheese and some kind of fruit and juice or milk, and for supper he'll have the usual.. pasta, with veggies, or rstirfry or mac and cheese allw ith veggies.. he's still in diapers.. he started walking only about 2 or 3 weeks ago. he;s a very happy boy except for this problem.. so yea..

i forgot to add that this has been going on since he was a year - maybe longer.. i just never thought it was an issue.. this being my first baby. and my doc always asked, is he sleeping good, and i never really looked at like, oh could he be sleeping too much until now..

Answer 1

Well, I have 3 children ages 6, 18 months and 7 months. I fortunately had no sleeping problems with my children. But, at one time I did do some work with a sleep lab, and I know that many people, children included do not go into what is called REM sleep (rapid eye movement). REM sleep is when you get your best sleep. The longer that you are in REM sleep, the more rested you will feel. If one does not go into REM sleep they will always feel tired, and need to sleep more often. Some people can also go into REM sleep and arouse from it very easily and then have a hard time getting back into it.
The good news is, the blood work all came back okay, which rules out childhood diseases like cancer, iron deficiency, thyroid problems and many more problems. If you go to babycenter.com and then in the search field type in sleep concerns, you might be able to find other mothers there that are having the same problems as you. Or you can post a question on that site as well.
As stated before it is a WONDERFUL thing that all the blood work came back okay.
You have to try to stay calm for your child, he can sense your fear.
Good luck and take care.

Answer 2

Is your son taking any medications???? I mean ANY meds? Even cold medicine? If yes, then I would consider that as at least part of the reason for the excess sleeping.

If not, then you are right in seeking the advice of your pediatrician. Try not to be scared (although I understand you are). You are taking the very best path for your son right now, you are following the advice of a doctor. Pay careful attention to the sleep study instructions and follow them to the letter. Be careful to record the results exactly. You and your doctor will soon have some answers as well as a plan of action, so try not to stress too much, your son will pick up on your emotional state (and you have enough to worry about with a 2-year-old!).
Give him a big hug and kiss for me, and let us know how everything turns out. I wish you both the best of luck.

Answer 3

16 month olds should be sleeping around 11 hours maybe 12 at the most and your child is sleeping around 19 hours a day (including the nap). I think he could have a problem, but I'm not sure exactly what it would be. If I were you, I'd cut out the naps. He doesn't need that much sleep. And yes, at 2 years old they are considered toddlers.

Answer 4

Sorry you're stressed me too. I have the opposite problem. My daughter two years old ( toddler) wakes up periodically through out the night so I never seem to get enough sleep. To answer your question it should be well known that a child of one years should get about 12 hours of sleep a day. So any more than that there is a problem and if your Doc can't see it, switch tomorrow!

Answer 5

I have a baby less than a year old but also have one that is 4 and i went through the same exact thing. Unfortunately the only thing that helped him sleep was being in bed with us, which was very uncomfortable. If i tried to put him in his bed he would scream so badly and then even after he fell asleep he would come to my bed in the middle of the night. I don't suggest this but when i was about to give birth to my baby he said that he was going to give up my bed for his bed to make room for the baby. I guess i'm no help since having another baby is not a solution..lol. I gave in very easily to him..yeah i'm sure i'm no help..lol

Answer 6

Just do whatever your doctor suggests....It does sound like he sleeps way too much! If you try to keep him awake, does he just fall asleep? Is he active? Does he walk, run, play, talk? Is he still in diapers? Alot of parents are going through health issues with their children, I hope this is not a medical condition. If it is, you just have to be strong enough to deal with it! You say you son sleeps 20 hours a day? I never heard of such a thing.

Answer 7

Sounds to me like you've just got a really good sleeper. My 2.5 year old sleeps from 8:30pm - 8am, then takes a good 2.5 - 3 hour nap in the afternoon. I know that it's not near the hours yours is getting, but my doc said she's just a good sleeper. I pray all is okay with your little guy...sounds like he's fine though! Your biggest problem may be you dragging him out of bed to go to school in a few years though! ;)

Answer 8

Does your son snore? His excessive sleeping could be a sign of many things, but one thing that immediately came to my mind was large tonsils/adnoids, which normally produces a lot of snoring. And anyone who snores that much is not getting adequate sleep, even if they are sleeping for long periods of time. Sleep apnea also came to mind, which is a pause in breathing. This will be caught on the sleep study, if that's the case. I pray that you'll have answers soon. I hope that you'll be able to update to let us know how it goes. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 9

Yes, he is a toddler at two. The sleep study should determine a lot. There are literally thousands of things that can cause excessive drowsiness or sleeping more than "recommended". Ask the Dr. about ideopathic central nervous system hypersomnia. You can even do a search and see if it meets any of his "symptoms".

Answer 10

i personally have not experienced that "sleep problem" with my daughter. She does go through sperts where she tends to sleep longer or more from time to time. when did this start? I have had friends tell me that it could be a growth spurt?. Also, how are his eating habbits? does he eat alot? perhaps being full is making him sleep heavily? is he very active during his awake time????

I doubt that this is anything to scared of, but you are mommy so i would be foolish to tell you not to worry.

I am also very confident that if your Dr thought that it was a cause for concern, they'd be on it right away.
hang in there!!!!
good luck