My son will be 3 in June and I cut out napping for him all together a few months ago because when he naps he won't go to sleep until late. I got him on a good routine and it seemed to be working fine. He went to bed at 730 with no problems and slept until 7 AM. My problem is, he's recently started getting up at 615 and now he gets tired by 4 PM. Should I just try to keep him awake so he'll go to bed at normal time? Or should I try to get him back into an early afternoon nap? Any suggestions?
Thanks for the advice everyone gave me. I think I'm going with Jessica's advice and going to wait it out until this weekend when we turn the clocks ahead. If I had realized that was coming up so soon I probably would've came to that same conclusion. I'm just letting him nap if he's tired enough. He usually falls asleep while watching TV if he's going to sleep that day. Then he goes to bed a little later, been around 830 lately, but I think the time change is going to get him back on a regular routine again. Thanks again for all the great advice!
My son napped until right before he started kindergarten. Kids need much sleep. Let him nap. Just maybe try to make it a short one.
I am a mom of 3 boys 5 , 3 and 22mths. My 3 yr old is a sleeper or at least tries to be. He will sleep 10 or 11hrs at night and sometimes takes a 2 or 3hr nap if hes tired enough. I dont make him take a nap. He falls asleep any where and i mean that if he is tired enough.Is your son busy during the day. I would say keep him busy around the time he is getting tired. I think making him take a nap will only make him wake up early. My kids go to bed around 8 or 8:30 on school nights, maybe trying to keep him up that extra half hour or more will help him sleep later, then again he could be the type of kid that doesnt need alot of sleep like my oldest. Its all trial and error. Gotta love kids. GOOD LUCK i hope you get it worked out
S.,
I bet this problem rectifies itself in about 2 weeks. Daylight Savings time starts March 11, so that 6:15 will be 7:15 again. So, he'll be getting tired more like 5-5:30, and conked out around 7 after dinner, bath and jammies. Give it the two weeks, and if he adjusts with the clock, then no worries. If he starts getting up at 6:15 after the time change, then you can try an early afternoon nap. I know that would not work for me, though. My son gave up his nap a month or so ago, and I'd never be able to get him to go back.
Jess
This is something I am also struggling with the problem is I work and my dad watches my daughter. What I have tried to do is just to let her sleep no more than 45 minutes or hour at the most. She still doesn't go down til maybe 9pm but it is better than 10 or 11. Good Luck!!
It could be the winter weather, I know it makes me tired! I would suggest a post lunch nap, but keep it short. Maybe an hour or so of sleep. That should rejuvinate him enough to last through 7:30 and put him back on track!
D.
Hi, my name is Olivia, and I have a 2 1/2 year old son and a
4 1/2month old son also have a 13 year old girl,12 year old son 9 year old step son.
My 2 year old wakes up around 7am and when the older kids are in school he will take his afternoon nap but if it is the weekend and the older kids are home the nap goes out the door that when all the crying, hitting and screaming starts,they defenitly need a nap or else GOD help you.
when it's time for nap time I find it better when there is no exciting things going on at the time I move the baby into my room and just put him in his room, put on a nice boring movie on like bambi and it help and don't forget the baba because that's what relaxes them a bottle of milk to them is like a cigarete to a smoker they crave it and it relaxes them for sure
trust me I'm a pro at this been doing it long time.
let him stay up 15 min later each night until his sched back on track
Wow this is old! But I would suggest stillnapping right after lunch for an hour then waking hm up. Kids do need sleep mid-day until they start school.
My son just turned 4 & he still naps 1-2 1/2 hours a day. He goes to bed usually at 9 p.m., sometimes later, but he's up by 6:30 a.m. nap or not. I think it is ok for them to nap. I know my son gets real bitchy if he doesnt take one. Then he winds up falling asleep at like 4 or 5 p.m. Then his sleep gets messed up. So when it comes down to it, I make him nap.
hey my son is 31/2 he sleeps from 8 pm and wakes at between 7-8 am and naps from 2 to 5 everydaythey need 15 hrs of sleep a day, but if you get him used to sleeping around 12:30 1 and wake him around 3 he should still be able to bed and if he's waking early I don't know how your son is but I've been told that if the child isn fully active all day it makes it easier for them to take a nap especailly as I have found right before sleep. my son goes right out.
I didn't realize daylight savings time was coming around already. So I agree with Jessica. Wait until after then and see if it doesn't straighten out first. If you try to change things now it might make it even harder in a week. It could just be the longer days messing him up. I know it's messing with my 4 month olds sleep lately. Good luck!
