What time do your toddlers go to bed?

[Taler]

We have always had a good and fairly rigid bedtime in place, which personally I think is a must.

My DD is 18 months old and has a bottle at 6:30/6:45 and bed about 7.

But for the past 2/3 weeks she has been WIDE awake at bedtime!

I would have thought 18 months is so'll young enough to be going to bed at 7 but am now starting to wonder???

[MediumEnglisch]

Does she still nap in the day?

My kids have always gone at 7.30pm - bed at 7.30pm, up at 6am now they are 9, 7 and 4 (older 2 need to be up at 6am on a school day so would be counterproductive to put them to bed any later)

Only difference was when DD was between 1 and 18 months and still napping in the day we put her to bed at 8.30 for a while to try to address the fact she got up at 5am and didn't seem tired at 7.30pm. She dropped her daytime nap at 18 months though and then needed the 7.30pm bedtime again (she still got up at 5am til she was 6 years old but was tired enough to sleep by 7.30pm once she dropped the daytime nap).

Children's sleep requirements vary a lot though so you can make it an hour later if it suits you and she doesn't have to be woken in the morning. If you have to wake her in the mornings she probably isn't getting enough sleep and a later bedtime wouldn't be a great idea though.

[flanjabelle]

Dd is 18mo and is usually in bed by about half 8. Any earlier and she is wide awake as she still has a long nap in the daytime. I would prefer her to be in bed earlier so I had more of an evening, but she wakes at 5am if she goes to bed earlier.

[eltsihT]

My sons are 2 and 4 on the days I work they need to be up at 6. So they go to bed at 6 (bathtime 5.45)

ds1 sleeps well but he is at wrap around care or with me. Ds2 goes to a child minder 2 days a week and on those days is harder to settle (he still has a 90min nap at 12.30) but I try to go out for a walk after dinner if ds1 isn't too tired and then he sleeps better.

[applecatchers36]

My LO aged 15 months goes to bed between 7-7.30pm but still has a daytime nap & wakes in night. Usually gets up for the day between 5.30-6.30am

[poocatcherchampion]

My 18mo goes at 7latest, often earlier as she shares a room with her 3yo sister who is currently knackered from starting pre school.

She just messes around in her cot until she drops off - often 8pm ish.

[Taler]

Thanks all.

DD goes to nursery 3 days a week and has a nap after lunch of, on average, an hour and 15 mins. On the days she's at home she can average a 2 hour sleep.

It's never been a problem before in terms of her naps affecting the bedtime routine, but guess things are ever changing!

I wouldn't want to drop the day time nap as she clearly still wants/needs it (not to mention that I think she'd be pretty ratty without one!).

Selfishly I'd like to keep the time she goes to sleep the same so DH as I get some quality time but may have to reconsider...?

Saying that though DD isn't distressed in any way when she goes to bed around 7. She jut tends to talk to herself/her teddies and play with her teddies. 9 times outta 10 she then puts herself to sleep!

[MediumEnglisch]

If she's happy and you're happy still k with what you're doing. I'd change it if bedtime had become a problem or she was waking a lit earlier than her normal, but it doesn't sound as if you even have a problem at all as she's happy to wind down in her cot for a bit before sleep! You're really lucky! If it ain't broken, don't fix it...

[hedgehogsdontbite]

You don't have to drop the nap completely. You could try waking her up so it's a shorter nap. We've just started doing this with DS, waking him after an hour, as he was wide awake at bedtime. It's worked really well.

[KW89]

My 20 month old son goes up at 7.30, the last few weeks he has been up there 'chatting' to his teddies I'm guessing, until 8ish! He wakes anytime between 6.30 and 8.30 in the morning, and has an hour and a half nap after lunch.

[lolalotta]

My 18 month old is asleep by 6.45pm, she wakes at 5.30am and has approx 1.5 hrs sleep between 12.30pm-2.00pm.

[mrsmugoo]

My 14 month old goes to bed at 8 and wakes at 7. If he went to bed earlier he's be awake earlier and 7 is the earliest we really can cope with as we run a business and my DH works late into the night.
He naps usually 12-2, sometimes less like at nursery where he doesn't bother with a nap

[Racheyg]

taler about 1 month ago (around the clocks going forward) my 21 month old started refusing to go to bed at 19.00 he used to wait by the stairs to go :) it was getting past 20.00 and he was still getting up at 5.30/6.00am. naps for 1-2 hrs from 12.30ish.

We started making the rooms very dark and putting away any over stimulating toys. has his milk then watches in the night garden and then story and bed at 19.00 he is still awake but more rested finally drops for 10 mins later or so. we were thinking he wasnt ready for bed as he kept looking outside at the sun ect. so the darkness helped.

I have since noticed that his back molars are coming through. so not sure if it was a combo of both??!!

good luck x

[lisaloulou84]

My DS is a little younger but I've also found he's wanting to go to bed a little later at about 7.30/7.45 since the clocks changed and it's lighter having had a solid 7 bedtime before. BUT is does mean he's sleeping later than before till nearer 7 than 5.30/6 which is also meaning he's able to hold out longer till his nap and drop to 1 nap. It was a bit annoying at first as I really value our baby free evening time but he's a much happier baby sleep wise.

[WhizzPopBang]

Taler I read this article yesterday, touches on what you're asking: childsleepscience.wordpress.com/category/developmental-sleep-regressions/

DD is 20m and goes to bed at 7pm but she is tired - her daytime nap is 2hrs when at home, usually 11.30-1.30

[YouMakeMyHeartSmile]

My 18 month old goes at 7.30pm and usually faffs around in her cot until she dozes off at about 8. Up at 7 at the latest and at least once in the night. Has an hour nap at 1pm.

[Kiwiinkits]

This has happened at exactly the same age with both my DDs. The trick is to wake them up after an hour of nap. The nursery probably won't do it (they feel 'mean') but then again they don't experience a pain in the arse toddler at bed time! But you can do it at home. Just gently rouse them after an hour. Open the curtains, start talking to them, kiss them, lift them up and cuddle them. They're grumpy for a bit but will wake up. And will start going to bed happily at 7pm.

[mrsmugoo]

I wake mine up after 2ish hours as any more than 2 hours nap leads to early waking and resisting bedtime.

[Artandco]

Mine are now 4 and 5 and go to bed at 9pm. They have always gone at that time. Under a year they would go to sleep around 9pm in living room and we would move them into bedroom when we went to bed, now they both just go to sleep together at 9pm.

They wake around 8am

[neversleepagain]

My twins are 2.7 and bedtime is 7pm, I wake them at 7:30am. They have a 2 hour afternoon nap. At 18 months their bedtime was 6:30pm.

[LadyCatherineDeTurd]

Late! We have never done this 7pm stuff and I suspect if we did, the reward would be a 4am start. However DD has never needed to be anywhere in the early morning, might be different if she did.