# Do your toddlers ever fall asleep while eating?



## Sweetflyfishfeel (Dec 4, 2008)

I'm asking this question because I have narcolepsy and am worried my daughter may have inherited it...

Is it normal for a 16 month old to stuff her face and fall asleep with food in her mouth? I think she's hit a growth spurt or something, but 3 times this week so far she has fallen asleep at a late lunch and slept for up to 4 hrs, then still had a pretty normal night's sleep. She does wake up sometimes during her nap, but falls right back to sleep if I touch her or pick her up.

Please tell me that's normal?


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## emma00 (Jan 14, 2003)

My kids have all fallen asleep at one point or another while eating lunch / dinner in their high chairs when they were toddlers. I wouldn't say it was an every day occurance - but it did happen to all four of my kids. Usually it would happen it their usual sleep routine had been disrupted. i.e. missed the afternoon nap and fell asleep while eating an early dinner at 5:30pm. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it was happening really frequently. I don't know anything about narcolepsy and toddlers.


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## Adaline'sMama (Apr 16, 2010)

If DD is sleepy, she will fall asleep anytime she is strapped in to anything. Stroller, carseat, or highchair with food in her mouth







Happens maybe once a week.


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## wishin'&hopin' (Jun 2, 2008)

It happened to us once, mid quesadilla


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## dejagerw (Jan 5, 2010)

I was at a birthday party and the 1 year old birthday boy feel asleep in his high chair after his bday cake  I couldn't believe it!! My DS1 would never do it. I'm lucky if I get him to fall asleep while I try to put him down. He is not one to go down randomly.


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## Sweetflyfishfeel (Dec 4, 2008)

Hmm...so it's probably normal, then? I hope so. She's also been taking really long naps lately, and seems to alternate between an early nap and a late nap every other day. She doesn't fall asleep randomly at any other times...she always climbs up into my lap, puts her head on my shoulder and I rock her to sleep. Today she's going on another 4 hr nap. I hope it's just a growth spurt or something. As much as I like the peace and quiet, it's odd to have 4 hrs of it!


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## GuavaGirl (May 6, 2008)

When mine started getting really really tired often, I had his blood tested to see if he was anemic, and he was. Growing requires lots of iron, just like when we were pregnant. Pretty much only feeding him especially iron rich foods (meats, veggies, fruits) and a liquid herbal iron supplement really seemed to help. I thought I was doing fine before that, because he eats a really good whole foods diet already.

I can't imagine my son falling asleep during a meal, but I've seen many pictures of friends' kids on facebook, asleep in their highchair, so it can't be that uncommon. ....but it's probably more like a rare occurrence.


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