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Objectives:

(1) To examine toddler sleep in a low-income sample by comparing sleep diaries and actigraphy and (2) to assess whether toddlers are meeting the National Sleep Foundation recommendations (11–14 hours of sleep/24 hours and bedtime before 9 pm).

Methods:

A convenience sample of mother-toddler dyads was recruited from 2 health care sites serving low-income communities. An actigraph was placed on the toddler's ankle and was worn for 3 days and nights. Mothers concurrently completed a sleep diary. Bedtime, nighttime sleep duration, nap duration, and 24-hour sleep duration were collected by both measures. Actigraphy data were analyzed using a combination of manufacturer’s scoring algorithm and manual editing. Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests were conducted to examine the differences between sleep estimates by a sleep diary and actigraphy.

Results:

Twenty toddlers …