What time does your 2 year old go to sleep?

[Orissiah]

Mine usually goes to sleep at 7pm but as she's approaching 2.5 years she's waking up earlier (6am on average but recently 5.30am and this morning 5.10am; she no longer naps). I can't always put it down to teething molars or clocks changing so I am considering moving her bedtime consistently to 7.30pm.

Early bedtimes make no difference to her wake up time, btw.

Perhaps my DD is one of those who needs just 10 or 11 hours sleep a day.

What time do your 2 year olds go to sleep and what time do they wake and do they still nap?

[winnybella]

DD is only 21 months, but has been going to bed at 9pm and waking up at around 8 am. Lately she's been staying up in her cot- yesterday she fell asleep after 11 and woke up today at 8.30. She naps 2 hrs-from 2 to 4 usually.

[notanumber]

DS is a few months older than your DD and he goes to bed 8pm (bath, story etc starts at 7:30) and has done for well over a year.

You know what, just do what works for you and your family. There's no rule that says they have to be in bed by seven you know

[ragged]

DS 33 months.
8:30-9pm (if no nap all day). Else, he's down about 9-10pm if he's had a nap (nap usually 45min. - 1.5 hours).

He's up around 7-7:30am almost every day.

[Orissiah]

Notanumber, I know :-) I've got into that very English mindset of bed at 7pm for young children! But the 7pm bedtime worked from 12 weeks (when she slept through) to around 2.2 years old but now she's waking earlier so I'll try 7.30pm now. She needs to be up at 6.30am anyway so we can all get ready for work and nursery.

[strandeadatsea]

Dd1 (5) and dd2 (nearly 3) both go to bed around 7pm, asleep around 7.15pm. It would drive me nuts to have them up any later in the evening - when do you ever get any time to yourselves?

They are both up around 6am. Dd2 would probably sleep longer - until around 7am - if she wasn't disturbed.

Dd1 wakes at that time whatever time she goes to bed.

[ShowOfHands]

My 3yr old has never gone to bed at 7am. Since being v young she's gone at around 9.30pm. She gets up at around 8.30am, if not a little later. No matter when you get her up 6am or 9am, she goes to bed at the same time. She's a night owl.

[winnybella]

tbh I prefer to have an extra hour or two in the morning. Don't mind kids around in the evening as I don't go to bed before midnight or 1 anyway, so I do get enough time to myself. Also prefer if we eat together, don't like cooking twice and reheated things don't taste as nice.

[strandeadatsea]

Just out of interest, how many people who don't mind having their small children around in the evening are stay at home mums?

I just get to that point when I want to be able to sit down and relax without having to get up for another cup of water or to stop another fight or to clean up another mess or...Perhaps if I was at work in the day I would want more time with the dd's.

Mine are always tired by that time anyway so their behaviour deteriorates.

[Bumpsadaisie]

My DD is not 2 yet (17 months) but goes to bed about 8 -8.30 and gets up about 7 -7.30. Naps about 90 mins 11.30 to 1pm, before lunch.

I worry that it is too late, but actually, it is fine - suits us all as DH and I don't get back till 7.30 on the days we each work - so we can do bath and story with her while the one who has been at home all day does the supper!

[SkyBluePearl]

bed at 6.40pm - asleep by 7pm.

wakes 7.15am

afternoon nap - 12 to 2

Both my 2 and 7 year old have the same sleep time as they both need huge mountains of sleep. They are always refreshed/bright first thing and ready for learning at school or to play at toddler groups. Late nights easily make them grumpy and listless.

[SkyBluePearl]

ps -only my two year old has an afternoon nap though! x

[ttalloo]

DS2 (just turned 2) was going to bed at 8 or 8.30 over the summer, but since the clocks went back, he's fast asleep by 7.30, and goes through till about 7am. He's also more or less given up his daytime naps in the two months since starting pre-school in September, so that has helped to wear him out too.

DS1 (3.8yrs) goes to bed at the same time, so at the moment DH and I are reacquainting ourselves with the TV schedules from 7.30 onwards!

(I work so I don't mind them being up a bit later if they're on good form and we're all having fun, but when I was on maternity leave I frankly couldn't wait for them to go to sleep so that I could get some peace!)

[LarkinSky]

DD (21 months) starts her bedtime routine around 8pm, and is asleep by 9pm at latest.

She wakes at 7.30 - 8am, and has a two hour nap from midday-2pm.

Dh gets home about 6.30pm, and treasures having that 90 minutes to play with her in the evening. We all eat dinner together about 6.45pm too, as it's important to us to sit down for a family meal if possible.

DH normally does all of bedtime (bath, more play, stories, milk etc), so generally I put my feet up from 7pm anyway. I'm currently a SAHM.

On holidays we often put her to bed around 10pm, especially after eating out, so she (and us) lies in until 9am.

[LarkinSky]

I must add though, that on the occasions DH is working away or won't be home until after DD's bedtime, I make sure I cut her daytime nap short and put her to bed around 7pm.

Her staying up late is more for DH's benefit, and if I'm on my own I obviously want peaceful evenings too after a whole day entertaining her!

[ShowOfHands]

I'm a SAHM. DD is 3 as I said and she's not yet in pre-school. I don't mind her staying up till later at all. I love it. DH works shifts but when he's here we all eat together, play games, chat etc. I'll miss it when she goes to pre-school after Christmas. I expect she'll be so much more tired and will want an earlier bedtime.

[iMum]

Crikey!my 2 year old and 4 year old go to bed at 6-6.30 and my nearly 9 year old at 7.30! they all wake at a reasonable 6-7am

[Eliza70]

My 2.9 year old goes to bed between 7.15 and 7.45 and he sleeps to about 7am. He only has a nap when he is at nursery (2 days).

I agree with the poster above who asked when do you do stuff for yourself, I am literally counting down until bedtime (and yes I am currently a SAHM). On a Sunday when I have to get him and DS2 off to bed on my own it's all done and dusted for 7.30!! He is great though, once he's in bed he's asleep, no messing about.

[Rockbird]

DD is 2.9 and until recently was going to be around 9pm. The last few weeks we've been trying 7-7.30pm and she still wakes up at around 7am so it seems to be working.

She only has a nap when we're in the car or very occasionally she'll fall asleep on me if we're watching tv reading Shakespeare. :)

[winnybella]

stranded- I'm SAHM and I really don't mind. But also DD is pretty independent and can go off and do her thing, plus DS is 8 and she adores him so often just hangs out in his room.

We usually eat around 7.30, then DD runs around for a bit while I run the bath, then she has a bath, then we play a bit on the bed and get pjs on and then it's bf and bed. DS just reads in his room, he takes his shower after DD's bath while I'm bf her. Then he gets extra 20 minutes reading/playing ds in bed and it's lights out for him 9.20-30.

DD will go to the kindergarten from September so I'm enjoying this time.

After their bedtime I still get 3-4 hours of me time. DP usually gets in quite late-around 10-11.

Generally speaking what helps is that DD doesn't go to toddler groups etc, it's just me and her, we go to the park, shopping, see my friends from time to time, pretty much it's very unstractured (except meal times and nap) so I don't feel stressed iyswim.

[winnybella]

unstructured even

[SkyBluePearl]

Mine would fall to pieces with such late nights. They would be so very grotty and unable to concentrate the next day but then they do have low stamina. This is maybe due to how much we cram in during the mornings though - school run for my eldest, toddler groups, visiting friends/librarys playing in the local woodlands/streams etc ..

Despite the early nights, we always eat as a family and have lots quality of time together. My angels fall a sleep at 7 - I then relax and read my books in a lovely hot lavander bath complete with glass of red wine.