In honor of World Sleep Day, I decided to embark on a sleep experiment. Earlier this month, I noticed my son's baby monitor, the Nanit Pro, started showing his sleep score every morning. This number tells you how well your child slept the night before on a scale from zero to 100. Sleep scores track how long it takes to fall asleep, sleep cycles, heart rate throughout the night and any disruptions that may have happened. It seemed fitting that one of our expert-recommended baby monitors would provide this information since many parents are often fixated on their infants' or toddlers' sleep habits. 

I previously tested the Oura Ring, one of CNET's favorite smart rings, which tracks your health and sleep data and provides a sleep score based on data collected by its sensors on your finger (movement, temperature, heart rate and more). I started using the Oura Ring to hold myself more accountable for going to sleep on time -- even as a sleep-deprived new parent. 

Seeing that my son has his own sleep score now made me think, "I bet he has a better sleep score than I do." I decided to conduct an experiment to see if I could prove my point by comparing our sleep scores.

To preface this, my 2.5-year-old has been going through a rough patch of sleep, which I'm blaming on a sleep regression (a temporary phase when babies and toddlers struggle with sleeping). Despite the disrupted sleep, he still seems better rested than I am on most days. It doesn't help that I'm a light sleeper, so any little sound (like my husband's snoring) or sudden temperature change wakes me up.

I recharged my Oura Ring after a temporary hiatus to put my theory to the test. The Oura Ring usually takes a month to get to know you and your habits, but for the sake of this experiment, I just needed my sleep scores to prove (or disprove) my point.

How the Nanit baby monitor tracks sleep

As previously mentioned, I use the Nanit Pro Baby Monitor to keep an eye on my son while he sleeps. According to Nanit, it first introduced the sleep score in December 2025, and this is the first AI-driven, science-backed sleep score designed to grow with your child and automatically adjust as they age. Nanit collects the sleep score using the same advanced computer vision technology sensors it has used for years to analyze sleep.

To come up with a sleep score, Nanit looks at four aspects of sleep: sleep duration (how long your child slept), sleep timing (your child's bedtime and wake-up time), sleep continuity (how smoothly your child sleeps) and parent visits (how often a guardian tends to the child). 

How our sleep scores compared

After a week of reviewing his data, my son's sleep scores were higher than mine overall, as I predicted. He was hitting scores over 80, with the lowest being a 74. His highest was a 95, which I vividly remember was one of the times he slept through the night without getting up once. I also slept peacefully because I wasn't being awoken by cries at 3 a.m.

For context, below is the week's worth of data I collected from the Nanit Pro and the Oura Ring.

Friday, Feb. 20

Our sleep scores were close, but I didn't feel well-rested, even though Oura said I got a good amount of sleep. It's not common for my son to sleep under 10 hours, so that's how you know he didn't have the most restful night. Plus, he woke up before 6 a.m. on this day.

Saturday, Feb. 21

I found it ironic that I scored slightly higher than my son, even though he slept longer than I did and we both had a poor night's sleep. He also got up earlier than normal. A normal wake time for him is between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22

As you can see, he had a higher sleep score than I did and slept over 11 hours. He also woke up at 7 a.m., which I consider sleeping in for both of us. My sleep score was considered efficient, even though I remember feeling tired this day.

Monday, Feb. 23

Monday night was another night when my son had a higher sleep score than me. He slept about 10 hours, but this was one of those days when he woke up slightly earlier than his usual wake time. 

Tuesday, Feb. 24

It's evident I had a terrible night of sleep on Tuesday. My son had a significantly higher sleep score than me, which doesn't surprise me. I slept in his bed and couldn't get comfortable, which affected my ability to get quality sleep.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

This was the one day out of the week when we both slept well, and I felt the most refreshed. You can see by our sleep scores that his is nearly perfect and still higher than mine. I could tell by his mood that day that he was well rested, and he had fewer tantrums.

Thursday, Feb. 26

I'm not sure why the Nanit didn't collect enough data for a sleep score this night. I'm assuming it must've disconnected from the Wi-Fi at some point. This was one of my issues with the monitor when I first reviewed it. Since it only functions on Wi-Fi, the monitor can't be used without it. 

The Oura Ring noticed I had another so-so night of sleep and pointed out how sleep trends can fluctuate. I've included one extra day to this experiment to even things out.

Friday, Feb. 27

My son had better sleep than I did again on Friday, sleeping for about 10 hours. He slept well overall through the night, except for a couple of visits, but you can tell it affected my sleep. Even Oura notes that my sleep hasn't been the best and says that this can happen some weeks.

Saturday, Feb. 28

I clearly was depleted on Saturday morning. This was my lowest sleep score yet. My son had a really bad night of sleep, continuously getting up because of nightmares. Coincidentally, this was the night before I signed up for a bootcamp class in the morning. It's a miracle I made it to the class, let alone completed it. 

Sunday, March 1

This night wasn't so bad for either of us, but my son's sleep score was still higher than mine. He slept the majority of the night, and I think that can be attributed to getting energy out by running around with other kids during a family party the evening prior.

Monday, March 2

Sunday was a successful night, and I even got an extra hour of sleep. My rating was higher than my son's, surprisingly, and I did feel more rested.

Toddler sleep explained

Brittany Sheehan, a certified pediatric sleep therapist, tells CNET that sleep needs for toddlers vary by age. "Total sleep needs do diverge as kids get older, but for a 2-year-old, for example, we ideally want at least 11 hours overnight in bed, if not 12, along with a nap that is at least two hours, up to three hours," said Sheehan. If it's a true sleep regression, Sheehan notes that it can last anywhere from a day or two to up to six weeks in the most extreme cases.

Under normal circumstances, my son is a good sleeper (with the occasional wake-up), so when he started having frequent night wakings, I suspected it was a sleep regression. Dr. Alisa Niksch, senior director of medical affairs at Owlet, a baby monitor company, points out that disordered sleep during early childhood doesn't occur for the same developmental reasons as those earlier in infancy. 

"What parents are usually seeing is a disruption that stems from developmental and environmental factors," Niksch said. She elaborates that for toddlers, the most common driver is developmental, driven by a growing imagination and increased cognitive function. 

"Night wakings where a child cries but resettles quickly is a sign of this growth, as the developing brain is actively processing new experiences and emotions during sleep, which can surface as nightmares," she said. Nightmares are common during this age, and although they're normal, they also shouldn't be ignored. 

Natalie Barnett, who holds a doctoral degree and is vice president of clinical research at Nanit, said, "If [nightmares are] occurring once in a while and your child is calmed by a quick hug and then [goes] back to sleep, you probably don't need to do anything about it necessarily." However, if the nightmares are occurring repeatedly or are interfering with daytime function, she recommends speaking with your child's pediatrician.

How to improve your toddler's sleep

Sleep is important for toddlers and can affect everything from their mood to eating behaviors. Niksch points out that overtired toddlers often become hyperactive and emotionally dysregulated. Additionally, poor sleep affects their immune function, growth hormone release and early memory and learning. This also applies to naps, which they outgrow over time but shouldn't be eliminated right away. 

Generally, children under three should still be napping, but as they reach ages three to four, total sleep needs decrease slightly to 10 to 13 hours, and naps become shorter and less frequent before disappearing altogether. If you're at this stage, Barnett recommends cutting the nap back first before removing it altogether. 

"If your toddler is resisting bedtime, it's often a sign that they're not tired enough, so you may want to think about cutting back or cutting out the nap," Barnett said. "In those first couple of weeks after dropping a nap, it can be hard for your toddler to stay awake in the late afternoon." She advises against placing them in the stroller or car, where they're more likely to fall asleep, in the late afternoon, since even a short nap can mess with bedtime.

Sheehan says that parents often drop a toddler's nap too early in an attempt to fix sleep problems, but this can have a negative, compounding effect. "Often nap struggles are behavioral, regression-related or simply the timing is off," she said. 

Another mistake Sheehan sees parents make with 2-to-3-year-olds is putting their child down for a nap too early. This impacts their sleep because they don't have enough sleep pressure built up to take a good nap. If you're seeing constant bedtime and nap-time resistance or early-morning wake-ups, this could mean your toddler's sleep timing needs adjustment. 

Even with sleep disruptions, you want to make sure that their bedroom is set up for sleep success. "To support better sleep, the fundamentals remain the same: a consistent sleep and wake schedule, a predictable bedtime routine and a dark and quiet sleep environment," Niksch said.

What parents can do to feel less sleep-deprived

Parents often take the brunt of these sleep disruptions and also struggle to function at full capacity daily. Sheehan advises that parents figure out a process or arrangement with another caregiver that allows them to rest during these phases. "If you can't make these changes, give yourself some grace and realize it's OK to choose a nap over a run, or to tag team with a partner who is on duty for night wake-ups," Sheehan said.

Niksch agrees and recommends that parents apply the same sleep principles for their toddlers to themselves: "Consistency matters most, whether that is committing to a regular sleep and wake schedule or building a simple bedtime routine that signals to the body that rest is coming." She points out that some parents try to sleep when their toddler does, but for some, it can be challenging if they're not tired enough.

"If sleep doesn't come within 15 minutes of lying down, it's better to get up and do something that calms the mind, like reading, until tiredness sets back in," Niksch advised.

What I took away from this experiment

Eventually, I'm sure my son's and my sleep scores will even out again, but for now, it's important to support him as he transitions to the next stages of toddlerhood. The sleep scores feature of the Nanit baby monitor is helpful for better understanding my son's sleep habits and is something I wish I had when he was an infant. It also gives me some insight into his mood on some days compared to others, since sleep affects so many aspects of a child's life.

Even restarting my tracking helped -- my sleep score showed me my blind spots, ways to improve my sleep and when to take it easy. As someone who likes staying busy, it's easy for me to have a hard time resting. The Oura Ring tracking my sleep and stress levels reminds me to take a beat.

While I've only been a parent for two years, I've learned that children go through many phases. This sleep experiment was a necessary reminder that you can't bypass the tough times; you just have to get through them as best as you can.