Hi- My son is a great sleeper and has been for a while. He sleeps 11 hours at night, and takes and 1 1/2 hr nap daily. The problem is that it is taking him forever to fall asleep at night all of a sudden. He goes down (with his older sister) at 8:30, but doesn't fall asleep till almost 9:30. They both wake up about 8 am. Previously they were both going to bed at 8 and falling asleep immediately, but they gradually transitioned to 8:30. He is down for his nap at 1 pm and falls asleeep by 1:30 the absolute latest and sleeps till 3. I usually have to wake him up.
He does not freak out or anything while taking a lot of time to fall asleep, but he is talking, playing, singing, etc, with an occasional protest. Do I tweak anything? Or how long do I wait before I do? I don't think he's old enough to lose the nap.
Thanks!
Some children need shorter naps by this age! My son stoped naps at about two he would just lie there awake so we took away the nap and he was fine but must of my children nap till age 4 or 5!
Hi, I was in a very similar situation with my son (even down to the amunt of day and nighttime sleep). I talked to my Dr at the 2 year visit and found out that at that age, there is so much going on neurologically that it takes longer for them to wind down. I think you should expect 20 mins as a norm. For my son it is about 15 min at naps time and 30 mins at bedtime, but there have been a few phases where it has taken him 45 mins or an hour to settle at bedtime.
My Dr said to go ahead and stick with his normal bedtime. I am glad I did as there are some nights he still sacks out in 10 mins. I like leaving it up to him. I did start putting him in the crib for his nap at 12:45 instead of 1, just so he would have his wind down time and hopefully be up before 3. I have always found that there is something about 3pm wake up from a nap that seems to affect his bedtime, whereas 2:45 seems fine.
My parents generation would advise me that he was not getting enough activity and that is why he took so long to settle down. That just left me guilty and confused as we don't watch tv and we play outside every day, so he is on the move a lot. I am glad my Dr had a different perspective. I also remember that the Dr Weissbluth book mentions that it takes longer to settle down at this age.
Hope what I shared helps you out.
I think you need to get his bedtime back to 8 - earlier bedtimes are best for younger kids. He def still needs that nap,don't take that a way. A well rested child sleeps better. Why do you wake him up from the naps? I think you should definitely not do this - it disturbs his sleep, which may make it harder for him to settle into sleep at night. My son (17 months) - when he takes an extra late nap, he will still go to bed on time at night with no problems. I would never wake him from a nap because it really throws him off. If you feel 3 pm is too late for him to nap - try getting him down at 12:30 instead of 1 or something, but for the love of God don't wake him once he's sleeping.
At 2 years old, they have sleep tweaks.
It is temporary.
They are changing so much at this age both cognitively and physically.
Just keep to your usual routine, of naps and sleep.
Sure, as a kid gets older, it may take them a bit of time, to actually lull to sleep.
I would keep him at 8:00pm for bedtime.
Not at the same time as the older sibling.
Or have them both go to bed at 8:00.
He still needs a nap. To me.
My son is like that, and he is 5 now, and will still nap.
HE needs it. It is no battle.
And he still goes to bed at night, just fine, at 8:00pm.
It depends on the child. My older one, now 5, was fighting the naps like crazy between 2.5 and 3 and we gave them up at 3. He rarely ever naps now. My younger one is 2 and 9 months and gave up the nap about 6 months ago (though she will sometimes nap if she is extra tired). They both go to bed at 8pm. My younger one sleeps about 12 or 12.5 hours and my older one about 11 hours (he is up earlier).
I know others have said the opposite but you could wake him up 15 minutes earlier from the nap and see if it helps.
just make sure he's not consuming "sugar" or watching a lot of tv between dinner & bed. Old-fashioned, dorky comment....I know! BUT it made all the difference with my sons! Water, milk, books, games, etc....& one son could not do nighttime baths - he ended up bouncing off the walls!
Other than that, pretty much, it seems as if your son has a great schedule!
Although, like everything with little ones, this phase will probably soon pass, I have some thoughts for you. I wouldn't wake him from nap. Better to start his nap routine earlier and not have to worry about how long his daytime sleep is. Really dark curtains and a clear routine help.
His mellow playing and singing post lights out seems fine to me. My daughter has done this off and on for the past several months. She turned two in J.. The limit is that she stays in bed to do it. I have limited her to one toy/cuddly, a blanket and a water bottle. Anything more or less than this and she gets riled up. For nap or bedtimes when she gets upset, I do basic sleep training and go in after 5 then 10 then 15 minutes to soothe. Consistency for the bedtime ritual and post-lights out plan (night to night, parent to parent) really helps. Moving the lights out to 8 seems in order. Not only because of his young age, but also because apparently he is now not sleeping for a spell post lights out anyway. The older child can play or read quietly in his room and keep his 8:30 lights out. (Unless they're sharing a bedroom?) Good luck!
He should not loose the nap. It is important to his growth and development to have that down time during the day. I think he is just growing and doesn't need as much sleep.
