Our 2.5yr old wakes up around 6.30am/7am. He does go to daycare 5 days a week till about 4pm each day. He has a little nap at daycare (about an hr, no more - but on weekends with us has 1.5 hrs) but since daylight savings has come in I've noticed he's not going to sleep at night till about 8.30pm. I know he's a little older now, our lifestyle has changed now he's older and we are having lots of fun and loving the extra time with him (and not rushing) with the extra daylight hours. Do you think 8.30pm to sleep (he goes to his room for a book about 8pm) is too late? we are considering dropping his nap, however by midday he is asking for a nap & is asleep within 5 mins. We are okay with him staying up a little later, however, just want to hear what other 2.5 yrs olds are doing. Thanks

HI there, I think all this sounds fine! My daughter tended to run around like a maniac at this age until around 8.30-9pm at night. Towards 3 she dropped her day sleep and went back to going to bed at 7pm. Whatever works for your family I say!

If you are happy with it then keep going with it. It sounds like it all works well for you.

DD is up at 6.30am, nap at 1.30pm-4pm and back to bed at 7-7.30pm

Miss 2.5 here is awake anytime between 6 and 7. Has a nap lasting anywhere from one hour to three hours ( depends how busy we have been) at around twelve thirty/ one then goes to bed at 8.30. We are pretty flexible though, If she has only had an hour nap, she is usually in bed by 7.00/7.30. We have even had days when she taken herself off to "play" in her room at 6 and hopped into bed for the night ( bless her ).

My DS wakes at 6:30/7 and if he sleeps in the day is in bed at approx 8pm. If he doesn't have a sleep then it is 6/6:30. He seems to go hyper after dinner on the days he naps so runs around doing all sorts of crazy things making us giggle. He is less trouble at that time of the evening then he is all day.

DD goes to bed at 8pm if she has a nap (anything from 40min - 2 hours), if she has no nap (which is often), she goes to bed around 7.30pm. She is up 6am - 7am.

She is still up a couple of times during the night and still a pain in the a*se to get to sleep.

Personally I think 8.30 for that age is a little late. Even my 7 yr old does not go to bed that late (although by the time she mucks aound sometimes it is).

Our DD2 goes to bed by 7.30 every night.

my DD is up at 5.30/6am and most days she has a sleep between 11 and 12.30 and back in bed at 6.30pm

If no sleep then she is in bed at 5.30pm

My 2.5yo goes to bed at 8pm and is usually asleep by 9, he wakes in the morning at around 5am. He has a 90 min sleep during the day. I don't like how late he goes to bed but any earlier and he gets up earlier!

If it's working in your house then go for it It's not like you're keeping him up 'til midnight every night.

thanks everyone for your thoughts. like 'sohiasmum' i do think 8.30pm sounds way too late for him to be awake, but then again i'm sure it will go back to 7pm-ish once day light savings tops /he drops his day sleep. he's a very active 2.5yr old; has daycare every day and loves it. he's not a grizzly child at all (with or without a sleep), so we are just enjoying his fun personality each evening. he sounds like a normal 2.5yr old!!!!

DS is up anywhere between 5.30-6.30am. The later time is much nicer for me at the moment I must say.

He will most days have an arvo sleep at around 12pm for approx 2 hours sometimes 3. His bed time is between 7-7.30pm.

DD is up 6am most days she doesnt have a day sleep unless she is at day care or we are at home. So is in bed by 6-630 most nights if she has had a sleep its still no later than 7.

I think 8:30 is way too late my DS who is 7 is in bed by 730.

mine is up for the day at 7.30/8 and still has a nap during the day. originally this nap was at 12 but it has been 'creeping' later and later for the last few months, and now sometimes she fiddles and farts around in there till 2.30 before drpping off to sleep, till 4pm!!! yep, ridiculous i know, but if i wake her she is a mess and whinges all day, so that just doesnt work.
then bedtime has been 'creeping' later and later too - she is now reguarly not going to sleep till 9.30pm!!!! BUT i remember this creeping thing happening each time she dropped a sleep when she was little - its like she can stay awake just that little bit longer, then her timetable does a flip, she drops a sleep and we are back to 'normal' scheduling!
so she has basically stretched her 'up time' from 5 hours (7.30 - 12.30, nap 12.30 -2.30, then up 2.30 - 7.30pm) to 7 hours (7.30-2.30, nap 2.30 - 4, then up 4 til god knows!) so i have a feeling that the day sleep will drop soon and she will stretch her up time to 7.30-7.30, i know its a big leap togo from 7 hours up to 12 hours up though, so i am expecting the 'wobbly transition' like we had going from 2 days sleeps down to 1 - where she swapped between the two timetables for a few weeks till she got used to the longer up time.



edited coz the 8month old woke up for a feed!

8:30pm has been my DS's bedtime since he was about 2. He would sleep until anywhere from 7am - 9am, with a 2 - 3 hr nap during the day.

Now he's nearly 4 and doesn't nap, but still has the same bedtime and is rarely up before 7:30am. We are going to start transitioning him to an earlier bedtime over the next year though in preparation for him need to be up earlier in the mornings when he starts school in 2012.

If it's working for you, and your DS seems to be getting enough rest (and it sounds like he is IMO) then I'd just go with it

Mellissa

Here's my advice...

If it works, don't mess with it!

You might find if you try to make him go to bed earlier (especially if it's still light outside), that he might take a lot longer to get to sleep. Or he might start waking quite early. The nap he gets during the day sounds like it's doing enough to charge his little battery and keep him going until 8:30.

Also, the wind-down time from 8 o'clock would be helping too. It's not like he's partying until 8:30 and then crashing. My DS is now 3.5 and has pretty much dropped his daytime sleep. He's usually asleep by 7:30. But when he was 2.5, he was having a 3 hour sleep during the day and going to bed at 8:30.

Just go with what works. And since you obviously both work during the day, it sounds like evenings provide you with some lovely family time.

DD 4yrs and DS (almost) 2yrs both go to bed at 7pm, DD reads herself or is read to for 15 minutes and then lights out. DS still has a 2.5hr nap during the day. DD wakes at 7am and DS sometime after that depending on how noisy DD is being

Their bedtime can fluctuate though depending on if we are going out of the evening, if they had a big or quiet day and if they have been at daycare.

You can only do what works for you, if you feel your DS needs more sleep try putting him to bed earlier at night and see how he goes with that. Only you guys can work out what is best

Hi it's funny to see all the varying bedtimes anywhere from 5.30 till 9pm wow. My DD 2y 3 m goes between 7.30 and 8.30. Now it's light later at night the kids will usually play outside after dinner. If it's working for your family leave it.


Merry Christmas

7:30pm bedtime in this house

awake at 5.30-6.30

goes to sleep at 7.30, even if i keep him up later he still wakes up at the same time

Thanks for your post OP as its something I have been pondering on for ages. My just over 2yo wakes at the moment at 5.39am (yes exactly!) and he has a 2 to 2.5 hr sleep at around midday to 12.30pm. When he wakes he is super cranky for about 45 mins and then he fine, and doesn't want to go to sleep at night. In school terms we were putting him to bed with our 7 yo at 7.30pm, but it has been creeping later and later. Now its about 8pm but we can hear him playing in there until about 9pm sometimes. Problem is, with the early waking (which doesn't change regardless of when he sleeps) he often seems tired (cranky tired not sleepy tired) the next day.

Yesterday I tried waking him after an hour and a half's sleep and I seriously couldn't. He just kept rolling over and going back to sleep. I even went in and opened the curtains, we had music on in the house and my 7yo was assisting with her own noise contribution.

As I am an early to bed person myself, it feels like I just get them in bed, do the dishes and its bedtime for me. I think DH and I have decided to let it ride for now but at the end of summer, really try and shorten the day sleep as I am at uni and usually study at night during term time so I would prefer them in bed at 7.30pm both for their sake and mine. And we are thinking that in winter we should try and make him drop the day sleep as he will wake later in the day and it will be dark earlier. Not sure how this will work, and I do like having him up with us in the evening. Has anyone tried cold turkey on the day sleep at 2.5yrs old when their child is still having 2 hrs in the day?

DD is closer to 8:30 since daylight savings. I'm trying to enforce this to be no later than 8. Before daylight savings she was 7pm with no trouble. She still has a decent day sleep 2-3hrs so I figure when that drops she'll go back to a 7pm bedtime.

Agree with PP that it feels like I get her into bed then I'm in bed very shortly after

Jodes has always gone to bed at 5pm until the last month which is now arond 6pm. Has a daynap at 10 - 11:30am as well. She doesn't stop going all day thats why shes out like a light!

Jodes has always gone to bed at 5pm until the last month which is now arond 6pm. Has a daynap at 10 - 11:30am as well. She doesn't stop going all day thats why shes out like a light!

I read recently that a child up to 4 years old should get around 12-13 hours of sleep, but it is just a guide and all children are different and need different amounts of sleep.

If your child is getting around 10 hours of sleep at night and making up for some of the extra during the day, I wouldn't worry.