Childhood Sleep Difficulties
When to worry about toddler sleep difficulties (18–24 months)
Broken nights and bedtime resistance are very common at 18–24 months and usually normal. Worry when problems are frequent, last many weeks, and affect daytime mood, growth or family wellbeing. Loud snoring with breathing pauses, or seizure-like night movements, are medical flags needing prompt review — not sleep training.
If your toddler's bedtimes have become a nightly tussle, and you're wondering whether it's just a phase or something more — your attention to this is well placed.
In short
At 18–24 months, broken nights, bedtime resistance and the odd early waking are extremely common and usually part of normal toddler development — not a disorder. It becomes worth a closer look when sleep problems are frequent (most nights), persistent (lasting many weeks), and clearly affecting your child's daytime mood, behaviour, growth or your whole family's wellbeing. Most settle with gentle, consistent routines; a few point to something underlying that a clinician should review.What's typical — and what's worth watching
Many toddlers this age wake at night, protest bedtime, climb out of cot, or need a parent to fall asleep. Most need roughly 11–14 hours over 24 hours, including a nap. These ups and downs often follow teething, illness, separation worries or new skills like walking and talking.Consider a developmental or medical check if you notice:
- Loud snoring, gasping, pauses in breathing, or mouth-breathing every night — this needs prompt medical review, not sleep training.
- Severe, persistent settling problems most nights for more than a few weeks despite a steady routine.
- Very short total sleep, or extreme daytime sleepiness, irritability or hyperactivity that worries you.
- Unusual night-time movements, stiffening or staring spells — these warrant prompt medical attention.
- Sleep difficulty alongside slow speech, limited eye contact, or losing skills — worth a broader developmental check.
Snoring with breathing pauses and any seizure-like events are medical flags first — please raise them with your paediatrician promptly rather than treating them as habits.
The Pinnacle way
A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an online description or a single restless night. Our clinicians first rule out medical causes, then map your child's sleep, routine and overall development to build a calm, practical plan around their strengths. Learn more about childhood sleep difficulties, and if communication or development is also a worry, our occupational therapy team can help shape soothing daily rhythms. The goal is restful nights and a clear way forward — not a label.Trusted sources
American Academy of Pediatrics and HealthyChildren.org guidance on toddler sleep needs and bedtime routines; CDC developmental milestones for 18–24 months; WHO ICD-11 framework for sleep–wake disorders.Next step — Trust what you've noticed. Book a developmental assessment with a Pinnacle clinician so persistent sleep difficulties — or any breathing or movement concerns — are reviewed promptly.
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.
What to watch
Look more closely if sleep is disrupted most nights for several weeks despite a steady routine, or if it dents daytime mood, growth or family wellbeing. Treat loud snoring with breathing pauses, or any seizure-like night-time movements, as prompt medical concerns first.
Try this at home
Keep the same calm wind-down each night — dim lights, a bath, a story, then cot — at roughly the same time. A predictable rhythm helps a toddler's body learn that night-time means sleep.
Trusted sources
Developed by SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network · Last reviewed 2026-06-10 · reviewed every 365 days
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care.
Frequently asked
How much sleep does an 18–24-month-old actually need?
Most toddlers this age need roughly 11–14 hours over a full 24 hours, usually including one daytime nap. Exact amounts vary between children — a well-rested, content child by day is reassuring, even if their numbers differ from a chart.
My toddler wakes several times a night — is that abnormal?
Night waking is very common at this age and often follows teething, illness, separation worries or new skills. It becomes worth reviewing if it happens most nights for many weeks despite a steady routine, or clearly affects daytime mood and growth.
When are toddler sleep problems a medical concern?
Loud nightly snoring, gasping or pauses in breathing, and any unusual stiffening, staring or seizure-like night-time movements are medical flags. Please raise these with your paediatrician promptly rather than treating them as habits to train away.