My boys are almost two years old and are starting to really fight me on taking naps. I can usually get them to take one nap a day (that lasts about 1.5 hours) but they’re giving me a terrible hassle on taking a second nap. When we first adopted them about six months ago they were amazing about sleeping for me. They stuck to a pretty good schedule and always took their two naps a day.

I started to wonder how much sleep do these toddlers really need? In the April 2007 issue of Parenting magazine there’s an article about the link to sleep and obesity in children. This short article talks about the fact that the amount of sleep a child gets is important in the fight against childhood obesity and that children who sleep less than the recommended amount of time at age 2 are more likely to be obese by the time they are age 7. The article says that fatigue can cause changes to the hormones that regulate the appetite, so tired children eat more than well-rested children.

So how much sleep does your toddler really need? Here’s what the article says:

• Babies need about 14 to 15 hours of sleep a day.
• Toddlers need 12 to 14 hours of sleep a day.
• Pre-school aged children need 11 to 13 hours of sleep a day.
• School aged children need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a day.

It doesn’t matter how they get the sleep they need – through the night, in one nap or two, but it is important for toddlers to get the recommended amount of sleep to help in the fight against childhood obesity. Plus toddlers who are well rested are a lot easier for Mom to deal with!