11 Month Old Sleeping Too Much?

Hi C.,
I think you are right. Anything above 14 hours is probably a red flag. If she was really happy during her awake hours, I would say that it was great and her body knows. But she is not happy. Iron deficiency can be caused by other nutritional deficiencies. Maybe you could try getting her on a really good vitamin supplement (I like Nordic Berries - it does not have extra iron -so you could continue the iron supp) and a good multi-mineral supplement (there is a good mineral supplement at www.nbnus.com called Chelate Mate, it is liquid, so much easier for little one). Also, she needs 1000 iu Vitamin D3 per day, which will help with immune boosting. Thousands of studies coming out right now on the american population with extroidinary low D3 levels, which contribute to many autoimmune disorders.
I wonder what her white blood cell count is at? Just a thought at what her immune system may be doing.
J.

My first thought is to be thankful, but it does seem like a lot! I have two good sleepers, but my 12 month old doesn't sleep as much as your daughter. He's started weaning himself from his morning nap and still takes a healthy afternoon nap. He sleeps about 12 hours at night. Every kid is different though! I would go ahead and call the pediatrician and have her iron tested now just to make sure she's fine. She shouldn't be tired all of the time when she's not asleep if she's getting that much sleep.

Chloe might not be sleeping too much for her -- looks like she gets 12 and then two naps, like all my kids thus far. She might also be going through a growth spurt, thus the cranky and tired -- my kids pulled their ears a lot that first year when tired.

Or perhaps she's got a small allergy or food-related trouble that doesn't show up because her body's taking the extra energy to digest it? During the past 2 mos to current, think on her diet... Does she take formula or breastmilk? What are you eating if breastfeeding? Have you recently changed brand, or should you?

What is she eating? Have you recently introduced a new food group/stage/brand? Perhaps she is allergic to a common allergen, such as milk or wheat, check your labels?

What is she drinking? Have you recently introduced juice or trying a new one or brand?
Or maybe too much juice sugar/fructose/sucrose? Children react in opposite sometimes to sugar and it makes them tired versus wired. (When I say "too much" I mean "too much for her own body versus typical consumption" -- my 2 yr old lives on juice where my older child would have had constant diarrea:) )

Maybe add the vitamins first and then review/remove/change the formula/milk/juice/foods one at a time? Think Sherlock Holmes and be proud of yourself for seeing your daughter has a trouble and you will solve it!

Each child/family is different. My kids (all of them) need more sleep or rather get more sleep than other kids their age. My 10 and 11yo get about 10 to 12 hours (we homeschool) and my 1 and 3yo get 12 and up hours. Kids need what they need and should get it. My 1yo (13 months old) just now stopped being up for 2 hours and then napping. That was his schedule just like your Chloe!

When her iron being low, it can make a person more fatigue than normal...the fussiness/tiredness while she is up. She is not sleeping too much. Good luck!

It doesn't sound to me like she is sleeping too much. My son (now 13 months old) had the same sleep schedule at that age. I also thought he was sleeping a lot but remember every child is different. She sounds fine to me but those are just my thoughts. I hope everything works out for the best.

I think you have reason to be concerned and I would make an appointment and take her to the Dr. soon. If it is just because of iron deficiency, then it sounds like maybe she's still not getting enough and shouldn't wait longer for more. Also, I would think that more test should be done to find out the cause. Iron deficiency is a symptom not a cause and the cause needs to be treated. Best wishes!

It doesn't sound to me like she's napping too much. Some babies only have 12 hours whilst others need more. Our baby has a similar sleep time to Chloe.
You could introduce foods that are iron rich, but you've probably thought of that already.
It's possible she may be teething. Some babies can have problems with teething that last a long time, poor things. She may also have discomfort in her ears if she's pulling at them. Hard to tell sometimes as ears and teeth are very close to each other.
I think I would try to increase the amount of iron she has with food, keep an eye out for any teeth or ear issues and go from there.
Not much help, I know. Sorry.